I Wish I Had Known Then
(Or, a primer for the newcomer to the industry)
By Julie Adamen

If you are new to our industry, welcome.  To paraphrase Dickens, this business can be  ‘the [DA1] best of times and the worst of times.’ You will find there are a lot of wonderful things to discover – about people, about yourself and about things you thought you would never know or never want to know about (by the way what the heck does ‘modified bitumen’ mean?!) and how hard some aspects of this very intensive people business can be.

I got to thinking about what us veterans could impart to the newcomers that was real, unflinching information which would help them cope with their jobs. Here are just some of the things I hope will help.

What you’re going to LOVE about this business. You’re never bored. Ever.  There is always something new to learn or some new situation to deal with.

What you are going to hate about this business: The job is never done. Oh, little portions maybe get completed, but deadlines are a part of your life, and they never end. As soon as one thing gets done, the next comes up. Day after day. Month after, month, year after year.  Kind of like Chinese water torture. Or new reality TV shows. If you think you can get everything done and just sit back to see all your accomplishments, this is not the business for you.

It’s a people job.  This job is 95% people skills. If you don’t like dealing with people and their idiosyncrasies and personal agendas, you are in the wrong business, or in the wrong department (try accounting).

You must communicate well. Verbally, in writing, on the phone, through newsletters and via email.  People who excel in community management are excellent communicators with good vocabularies. If you want to stay in this business and you know your communications skills aren’t what they should be, get help.

Your job isn’t about control.  I know a lot of people who still haven’t figured this one out – and they are the more miserable for it. The job of the community manager is NOT about controlling the community, the Board or the homeowners. It’s their community. Your job is to act as the conduit and consultant, do your best to accomplish what you set out to do, and let go of the result. Remember, you are herding cats – if they all sort of go in the right direction, you are probably doing just fine. 

Organization and prioritization are the keys to keeping your head above water. As a community manager, you usually work on a month- to-month basis, i.e., board meeting to board meeting.  Staying organized – especially if you are managing multiple accounts, will mean the difference between success and failure.

Organizing files and information, as a manager, means having all the pertinent information about your community(ies) at your fingertips, not buried in the in-box on your desk. It means being able to answer basic questions from board members or homeowners or your boss, quickly and knowledgably without shuffling papers and giving a lot of “uuuhhh” -laden stalling tactics before you have to say “I’ll get back to you.” It means keeping a good filing system, a folder or binder with all your accounts pertinent information, governing documents and contracts, and a phone log.

Prioritizing tasks is something you will learn as you go along – but best pay attention and learn quickly because each community is different. Usually, the Board president calling or stopping by is high on the priority list. Telling your landscape contractor about one of his guys having an untucked shirt is usually not.

Procrastination is your enemy.  If you stay in our business longer than, say six months, you will probably take over an account form a departing manager (on site or portfolio, this has a tendency to cross all lines). Chances are, that manager had been ‘flying under the radar’ for some time: Looking like they might have been accomplishing something, but in reality they had been procrastinating making decisions, giving directions or even completing the simplest of tasks [1]. Once this dreaded and deadly pattern starts – it has a tendency to overwhelm the manager and they give up and move on to the next job – or wait until they are parted from their current job against their will. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. Here’s how you deal with it:

On your desk once, then gone. There’s a saying – “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” No truer words were ever spoken. But don’t you wonder how those folks get so much accomplished in such a short amount of time? I mean, does their world have 30-hour days? No, they just get a lot done because, for the most part, they deal with things as they occur (thus, on the desk, then processed, and gone). Successful managers don’t let phone messages sit on their desks for two or three days, they return calls that day, or that hour if it is more expeditious for them.  They don’t agonize over decisions; they get over ‘mistakes’ quickly, learn from them and move on (Frankly, if you not making a few mistakes you are not getting anything done).  The successful manager makes their action lists and types their minutes shortly after their meeting(s). They start on the most difficult tasks right away because they have an innate understanding that the longer those tasks wait – the bigger they become.  Successful managers do not procrastinate.

Minutes aren’t transcripts. I keep thinking everyone knows this – but I was at the CAI National conference in Dallas recently and overheard a group of managers talking about minute taking and how they “couldn’t pay attention and participate in the meeting when the Board expects them to take minutes.” I thought – BUNK. If you can’t take minutes and participate in a meeting, your perception of what minutes are is way, way off.[2] Minutes should not reflect lengthy discussion or back and forth between members or homeowners – mostly they reflect attendance, agenda items and motions approved.  Most managers still take their own minutes – but as a newbie – don’t let the board push you in to taking a transcript. If they want that service, they should pay extra for a professional transcriber (or tape recorder) and you are neither.

Board members tend to focus on the smaller issues at hand – not the bigger ones.  This aspect of community management really drove me crazy, and I couldn’t understand it. In fact, my lack of understanding often led me in to an adversarial relationship with my Boards because I continually tried to force them to deal with certain issues. The fact of the matter is: It’s human nature for people to deal with issues they feel they can get their arms around. Board members are volunteers, and a good portion of them have little or no business experience, so they will have a tendency to focus on, say, a  $45 expenditure for sprinkler parts (“How do you KNOW we got those sprinkler parts?”) while ignoring the paving job that cost $45,000. $45 is much more within their realm of experience.  Board members feel they can comment or complain about smaller issues with more authority. Let it go. It’s the nature of the beast. The Board will, eventually, make the big decision.  

Vendors can be your biggest allies.  Most vendors are a wealth of knowledge about the communities they serve, because chances are they were there before the last manager and they’ll be there after you leave. Vendors are the true continuity for most communities. If you treat vendors with respect, pay them on time, don’t micromanage them and don’t try to change the terms of their contracts AFTER they have completed their end of the bargain - they will walk through fire for you and your community(ies).  When I first started, I was very suspicious of most vendors. That was a lot of wasted time on my part - because it doesn’t make business sense for a vendor to intentionally alienate the manager.

Know your community. The best way to get to know a new community is to do the filing. My old boss taught me this one, and it’s true. As noted above, if you are assigned a new community chances are the filing hasn’t been done in… well… longer than you want to think about. Look at that time as an opportunity, not wasted. You’ll find out all sorts of interesting things about your community as you sort through letters, minutes, invoices and what have you. It will give you a much better perspective on which to operate.

 “Thank you” doesn’t seem to be in anyone’s vocabulary. Those two words are not commonly used by your association homeowners, your boss, your Board President, but for the very rare exception. You have to take satisfaction in the job you know has been well done, and bag expecting anyone else to notice. This is not personal: it’s just not the nature of our business. But that does not mean you can’t use those words to good effect.  You will be amazed at how far that little sign of appreciation goes with your co-workers, board members and vendors.

Veterans share your tips. I started managing back in 1987. Like, you, and all of us, I fell in to the job. The work seemed overwhelming but I was able to hold on for three months – then six – then I was hooked and – I am still in the business to this day.  My first months were harrowing, stressful and frightening – and I worked for a good company with a knowledgeable boss who shared her knowledge freely. You may or may not be so fortunate. 

Despite my better than average experience, I wish someone had spent the time with me on a few of these important things right up front because it would have made the job so much easier.  Most of the above management tips I learned the hard way. So, if you know someone new to the business, make sure they get a copy of this newsletter. If you are an industry veteran – think of the things you wish someone had told you up front – and share them as it carries on, in real terms, the professionalism you have developed in and for the industry.