Condo Media - December 2011 - 47

Setting Positive Goals
In order to get members to become engaged in the process and become community leaders a clear, simple message setting forth positive goals with dates of anticipated completion and assigning to particular board members for accountability can help foster engagement and achievement of the community’s goals. Having a mission statement for the association, yearly objectives to be met, working with your manager and establishing dates for critical completion of items sets the tone for business and can invite participation. The plus is, when members see actions coming together, it makes it easier for them to consider becoming a participant. Accountability is equally critical—we are all accountable as individuals in our profession; accountable to our ethics, to our companies, to their vision and to the task of providing customer service—that is what we do.

Board members need to understand that they too shall be held accountable by offering to volunteer. Requesting and expecting accountability will separate those who think they wish to volunteer from those who really wish to volunteer. Remember the reason why people volunteer? All the elements of volunteerism are woven into accountability. Think about that as you think about your communities and where positions become available to be filled. That creates a positive mojo. You, as the manager, need to assist in creating an atmosphere for their participation, explain to the board that volunteer participation needs to be rewarded, behaviors of current board members need to be crafted so no one person dominates, which is the fastest way to get rid of volunteers. Train your board to act as they want the new members or committee members to act, an even playing field if you

will, and always use open-ended questions when working with the board to avoid flat “yes” or “no” answers. Open-ended questions invite dialogue and discussion which fulfills the reasons why members volunteer in the first place.

Servant Leadership
We, as practitioners in this terrific industry, always need to act as servant leaders with our boards. It’s a subtle but effective mechanism to overcome apathy. By doing so, we can gently but directly help move the business of the board along and be continually vigilant for the next good board member to be part of the process. So what do we do to overcome some of that apathy? • Work with your existing boards to develop goals for the community to be achieved and communicate those goals to the members.

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CONDO MEDIA • DECEMBER 2011

Condo Media - December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - December 2011