I’d known then that I know now. (In no particular order)
By Julie Adamen

Note: I hope at least one thing in this article helps a manager avoid a mistake, avoid wasting time, saves them pain or makes them laugh - Julie

It isn’t as serious as you think.

I once had an employer who, for all of his faults, had a pretty clear eye on this issue. Whenever an employee would come running in with a hair-on-fire crisis or near tears and convinced of impending doom and disaster, he would say, very calmly:

“Is it cancer? Is it AIDS? Has someone become died, or lost a limb? Then it’s not important.” He would then go on (most of the time) to answer your question, or help you deal with a problem.

In our management-by-exception industry, we generally go from crisis to crisis, and it becomes a way of thinking, a way of life.  By stopping and realizing that, you know, it is just a homeowners association, no one (we hope) is going to perish, and you are doing the best you can under circumstances rendered, you will greatly be relieved of self-imposed stress.

Never underestimate the power of the written word.

Thanks to my mother, I have always been a reader. Reading a lot gave me decent writing skills. Practicing those skills on a daily basis makes me even better. For the community administrator, good verbal communication skills are needed, but excellent writing skills are what will set you above the rest. It will also bring you respect from your homeowners – this goes especially for on site managers as they are often held to a higher professional standard.

You don’t have to have the answer right now.

In an effort to: (pick one) 1. Get it off your desk, 2. Get them out of your office, 3. Appear to be on top of it, or maybe just because you are tired, many managers will answer a question that they really don’t know the answer to. It may work a lot of the time, but woe it unto you the time it doesn’t – your credibility suffers.  Realizing I didn’t have to have all the answers all the time took a huge burden off of me that I had placed there myself.  Just make sure and get back to the person in a timely manner with the correct answer. No answer is better than the wrong answer Congruently, see below….

A) Never respond while you are angry.  Oh, I can’t tell you how hard I learned this lesson. A (written) response made by me to a homeowner’s nasty letter, which I mailed the very day I wrote it, was the biggest mistake – and eventually the biggest learning experience - I made at that time in my professional life. That letter, written and mailed while I was still angry, still incensed - led to a chain of events lasting over one year and resulting in leaving that position. I wasn’t fired, but the stress of that chain of events was so great I was unable to continue.

Know your worth.

Professionally, find out how much you should be paid for the job you are doing, and don’t forget to take in to account all the factors which make your job “worth it” to you (number of accounts, commute time, number of weekend or evening meetings, office staff and relationships, etc.). If you determine you are underpaid, and you continue to be underpaid, look to no one but yourself. It’s your market. You are a commodity. Professional (administrative) on site managers have a far better grasp of their worth because they think of themselves more like free agents. They know their market; they have an idea what they should get paid. Portfolio managers need to think more like on site managers – know your worth, know what you want, and find it. 

Delegate (and train your replacement).

As a community manager, your job never, ever, ends. There is now, and will always be, more work to be done than hours in the day. Unfortunately, many managers feel as if THEY aren’t the ones performing ALL the work THEMSELVES; it just isn’t going to get “done right.” Others are afraid of staff learning too much and “replacing them.  That is short-term, control-oriented hogwash! Those who learn to delegate become far more effective managers (and calmer human beings) than their more controlling counterparts. Those who have an open door policy of training and sharing are able to accomplish more and manage more tasks in less time – and – are able to share some of the load. 

Delegating doesn’t just apply to co-workers; it applies to committee members, homeowners and Board members. You’ll be surprised to find out how much people are willing to help you out if you ask. Usually, they just figure you have the help you need, or you can “do it all.”  Need those Board packs delivered to each door? Maybe your Board president would be happy to do that. Need some ideas on revamping the flowerbeds? Send it to the Architectural or Landscape committee. Just remember to give them guidelines and follow up with them.

By the time I had become the on site manager of a 1300 condominium complex, I had learned somewhat about delegating. Being that site manager allowed me to hone those skills to an even greater degree. Let me ask you: How many of you would freely take a two-week vacation from that type of position? I was able to, because I had learned to delegate appropriate tasks to my staff, and trained them in all the duties, which they were capable. I left for a two-week vacation, never called in once, and when I returned, my desk was just as clean as when I left it. What needed to be handled by me were the more political tasks – not making a decision on whether Mrs. Reed’s flowers should be replaced.  Got people? Use ‘em!

Never underestimate the power of an individual.

You know who I am talking about: THAT homeowner, the one whose purpose in life is (seemingly) to make your life miserable. They are outrageous, unbelievable, and have a ridiculous agenda (“Lower assessments by 40 %!”) Listen:  You may think them moronic and dismiss them, but make no mistake: they usually have some sort of following. That “following “grows exponentially around the pool at cocktail time. And it never fails, just when you dismiss them as dumb an ineffective, they show up with a lynch mob at the annual meeting: and there you are, deer in the headlights.

Keep your enemies up close.

When you know they aren’t going away (and they usually don’t unless they die, move or have some debilitating accident), engage them in some activity: ad hoc committee, standing committee, even as a Board member (but choose that one carefully). Often you’ll find they change their tune when THEY are the ones responsible, when THEY are the ones receiving phone calls from their neighbors. On the other hand, if their tune doesn’t change, you can at least hope to keep a close eye on what they are planning – much closer than if they are running amok around the complex …

Keep your head up and eyes open for opportunity.

Someone once said, “There is no heavier burden than a great opportunity.” This keeps many people from seeking a better professional life. Combined with the very nature of our industry (crisis oriented), community management professionals will often settle for far less than ideal working conditions. Lesson learned: When you see an opportunity, don’t run, don’t hide, don’t say, “I’m too busy.”  Investigate the opportunity. If it feels right, seize the opportunity.

This isn’t a dress rehearsal; it’s your life.

Guilt has no place in community administration.

Men, you can pretty much stop reading here. Women, read the above over and over and over and then get over it. Let me say it again: Guilt has no place in community administration. Period.

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it 1000 times: “But I’ll feel so guilty leaving my Boards…! I really like them!”  Well, liking your Board(s) is wonderful and admirable, but make no mistake:  As good, reliable, cheerful and accommodating as you may be, you are a blip on their radar. If you decide to take a promotion, move on to a better position, or go to work for a vendor, don’t let guilt stop you. This is business.  I learned this the hard way, through a lot of hurt feelings, my hurt feelings. Then I realized no one was going to look out for me but me. When I achieved that feeling, that freedom, the professional world opened up for me.

Carpe Diem, managers!