• Are there members who fail to attend meetings, or do not participate when they do attend meetings?
• Do board members exhibit personal agendas or fail to take the whole associations’ needs into account when making decisions?
• Are meetings chaotic, disorganized or run without agendas?
• Do meetings seem to occur in an environment of tension, distrust or hostility?
• Do board members behave in a disrespectful or disparaging manner towards other board members or other homeowners?
• Do heated discussions or arguments often occur at board meetings?
• Do meetings run long and end with few to no decisions made?
• Do “secret meetings” occur between some board members and/or homeowners, that are not communicated to all homeowners and are intentionally exclusive?
• Are board meetings or decisions made at those meetings poorly communicated to homeowners?
• Do board members engage in gossip, spread rumors, or talk about confidential topics discussed at the board meetings outside of the board meetings?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, it could be a sign that the board of directors is not operating as it should. Don’t lose heart, however; a remedy is not as elusive as a magician’s secret to a trick. A board that has been sawed in half is not Humpty Dumpty; it can be put back together again with some dedication and commitment. The following are some suggestions to reunite a divided board.
Focus on a Common Goal
Board members must be reminded that the association and its needs should take priority. Repeat as necessary. Boards exist to improve the common good, not the individual good. This mindset and attitude from the beginning helps set a healthier, more cohesive environment for association business to get done. It shifts perceptions from personal agendas to the community as a whole.
Be a Team Player If you are a board member, come prepared to meetings. Read board packets, association-related emails and newsletters, previous board meeting minutes, and any other documents that pertain to current business at hand. Familiarize yourself with association governing documents and refer to them often. If you are a board officer such as the treasurer or secretary, follow through with the duties of your office. Not sure what they are? The association’s declarations or bylaws usually detail the specifics of each position. When in doubt, ask the association’s manager what may be required.
Participate in discussions at board meetings. Thinking that your voice may not matter is doing your association a disservice. Sometimes one person’s suggestion or idea can trigger a productive discussion and lead to a positive conclusion.
16 | COMMON INTEREST®
Be polite and courteous to others. The golden rule may be cliché, but it’s a good standard to live by. Encourage others to participate and be appreciative of those who do. Be part of the solution, not the problem.
Embrace Ethics
Set some rules for decorum with which everyone should agree and comply. Include them in a handout to new board members. Read them at the first board meeting following election of new members. Include actions to take to deal with those who do not follow the rules. Communicating the consequences can be a great deterrent to would-be offenders.
Implement a board of directors “Code of Ethics” policy to sign on an annual basis or when new members come onto the board. The association manager or attorney may have an example of a policy to follow, or they can be found on the internet.
Behave in an honest and trustworthy manner. Allow for transparency and open conversations. If the association has a decision to make that may be a conflict of interest for a board member, that board member should abstain from voting. Keep in mind how other homeowners might perceive a board and its actions. A negative reputation can be a difficult thing to repair, once tarnished.
Establish Procedures
No one feels good about meetings that drone on and on for hours, back-and-forth without progress or a solid conclusion. Meetings run more efficiently when there is order. Distributing meeting agendas or outlines of topics to be discussed and decisions to be made in board meetings helps everyone focus on the purpose of the meetings. Include a homeowners’ forum portion of the meeting, but communicate that each homeowner will have a predetermined time limit to speak so that discussions do not lose their effectiveness. Allow for some time to address questions or concerns that may arise at the meeting, that may not be specifically on the agenda.
Set a procedure to follow when the board has to make decisions or vote on particularly difficult or political topics. Then at the end of the day, everyone will comprehend how and why the decision was made. It is harder to allege personal agendas or preferences when a specific process was followed and adhered to.
Here is a guideline to consider when creating your board’s decision-making process:
• Presentation of the decision to be made. Explain why the association needs to make this particular decision.
• Highlight the objective or goal. Remember to focus on what is best for the association as a whole.
• Review 2 gathered to help the association make the decision. This could include consulting an industry expert, comparing RFPs, reviewing homeowner surveys or previously communicated concerns.
• Identify the options that most conform to the objective. If a board becomes stuck in this area, consider presenting
• Spring 2019 • A Publication of CAI-Illinois Chapter
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