A Director's New Year Resolution

All,

This idea and some of the specifics came from an article from HOAhomefront (click to see full article). The article was written by an attorney.

It's an excellent list. I've left one resolution from the article in each category listed and thought we could add our own. However, Please read the article as well as it is truly an excellent list that we have paraphrased often throughout this forum.

As part of my homeowners association (HOA) board, I resolve to:

1. Follow the Golden Rule.

REFRESH MY ATTITUDE

2. I don’t control my neighbors, I serve them. An attitude of service will help me to be less defensive (and less stressed) when neighbors challenge or criticize board decisions.

BE KNOWLEDGEABLE

8. Understand the Business Judgment Rule, and always make sure the board has sufficient basis for each decision.

BETTER BOARD MEETINGS

11. Arrive at meetings prepared, having reviewed the agenda and board packet.

TEAMWORK

14. My power as a director is the ability to vote. Even the president is only one vote. I won’t be a “Lone Ranger” and will be part of a team.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

18. Be open as possible. When a member asks for information or documents, I will first ask “why not?” rather than “do we have to?”

LAST

23. Follow the Golden Rule.

This is so sad and I am sure, frustrating. I hope 2014 brings you better luck with your board.

You hope for the best, prepare for the worst and expect the realistic.
Change does not happen overnight. It takes time. It took me three years of publishing an unauthorized newsletter before the changes appeared. I suspect that during that time the membership was reading both mine and the Association newsletter and giving the Association the benefit of the doubt. I was actually ready to throw in the towel and call it quits if nothing changed at the annual meeting. However, at this meeting the membership started questioning the Board and asking the same questions I posed in my newsletter. No, I was not elected to the Board at this meeting but the tide had turned, the membership was finally getting involved and changes finally started happening.

So, certainly be realistic in your expectations. However, keep your goals high even if realistically the goal may never be achieved.

Best wishes to all in 2014.

Tim

I also read the article and intend to pass it on to my fellow board members – along with Frank’s “when the response expected does not materialize, be prepared to get your hands dirty cleaning out the filth” and Tim’s “hope for the best, prepare for the worst and expect the realistic, always keeping your goals high even if realistically the goal may never be achieved.”

I’m done with my board after this month because I really am burned out and have a lot of other things going on in my life. I like to think the points made in the article reflect how I’ve tried to do the job over the last 10 years and while there’s always room for improvement, I think my fellow board members do the same. I certainly never intended to stay on this long, and only time will tell if I made a difference, but at the end of the day, all you can do is your best and let God take care of the rest (whatever you perceive Him/Her/It/Them to be – or none of the above).

The article also states there will be a part 2 and 3 addressing property manager and homeowners (can't wait for that one!)