Do You Qualify To Sit On The Board?

 

 Have you ever thought of sitting on your Association’s Board of Directors? You probably have. 

 Everyone entertains the idea at one time or another, but the “caution” usually prevails and you decide to “let someone else do it.”

 Being a director may not be your cup of tea, but don’t sell yourself short.  Good directors are hard to come by and you may be one.

 What Does It Take?

 Even Temperament:  An effective director stays cool and does not get excited at meetings or while defending Board policies at a social event or at the pool.

Thick Skin:  You can’t expect all of the people to like all of the decisions you make all of the time.  The position you should take on a given issue could alienate a good friend or neighbor.

Active Participation:  If you consider being a director, ask yourself if you can give the job the needed time it requires?  In addition to the regular meetings (monthly as a rule), you can expect to spend a few hours each week in casual discussions by phone and informal meetings.

Supervisory Experience:  Most of the decisions a Board of Directors make effect a large number of people, i.e. employees, guests and owners.  Your past management experience will aid in making reasonable policy decisions that will work.

 

Why Serve?

 A survey of directors revealed that sixty-six percent of them were primarily motivated by wanting to “improve the present operation,” followed by wanting to “protect our investment.”

 

A specific breakdown shows that the Board members’ special interests include:

 1.      Better Spending Control

2.      Improved Building Maintenance

3.      Special Interest Rules, i.e. Leasing, etc.

 

Because the “Good Guys” don’t always wear white hats, you can recognize good directors with the following traits: 

1.      He or she has no conflict of interest.  He or she does not directly or indirectly supply any goods or services to the Association.

2.      He or she does not expect any special privileges or special services from the Association.

3.      He or she possesses an awareness of today’s changing conditions and is not stuck in a time and location frame, i.e., “Here’s how we did it up north in 1950.” 

I have emphasized the responsibilities and hazards to point out the important position of trust given when serving on a board.  Honest men andj women with a sincere interest in the overall good of their community can do a good job and not be over burdened.

Reasonable policies, consistently applied, are the secret.  And reasonable people, consistently managing, are the key.

 

Steve Inglis, PCAM, is President of  Bristol Management Services, Inc., in Jupiter, past president of the Commumity Association Institute (CAI) and has earned the PCAM Designated through extensive Association Management training.