Industry leaders Review Challenges and Offer Advice
By Julie Adamen

You may recall we spent the better part of last year talking about “Community Management 101,” the very basics for new community managers. It occurred to me that I needed to hear from those experienced management professionals still “in the trenches.” So, I contacted several long time industry veterans from across the country in an effort to determine what, in their view, were the salient issues with which community managers, new and old, must be able to recognize and manage well to succeed in this industry. I figured these vets would be the people who would know, since all of them have at least 15 years experience, still manage communities’ full time, either on site or portfolio, or manage managers and occasionally (!) are called upon to manage communities as well. Almost all have regionally and/or nationally recognized designations, and are affiliated with various industry organizations. Many are degreed or have advanced degrees. And I found myself nodding in agreement as I read their expert opinions – and I also found myself in awe of their collective knowledge and ability to quickly pinpoint and articulate critical issues and give straight, cogent, practical advice. - Julie

The Question:

If you could pick one or two issues that are the most difficult for new, or even experienced, managers to deal with professionally, what would they be?  And what is your advice?

On Politics and Letting Go

Julie Bigelow, Vice President:

“New and experienced managers need to be very careful not to involve themselves with any of the politics that often unfold in communities, as doing so is often fatal.  This is paramount.  I also believe one of the biggest difficulties for experienced managers is to be able to stand back after giving proper information to the Boards, and let the Boards run their communities - especially if a Board is making a decision against the recommendations of the manager.  It is easy for experienced managers to fall into the frame of mind that they are the experts and that the Boards must follow their direction.  This is not the case.  Board Members are elected by the membership to make decisions for their developments and if a manager starts butting heads with the Board when decisions are being made against his/her recommendations, then some level of trouble is almost certain to hit, and the job becomes more difficult for the manager.  After providing all the necessary information to the Board, managers need to back off and let the Board do its job.”

Nancy Duane, large-scale manager:

“We will always deal with irresponsible Board members, those who are concerned only about their issues and those of their friends. The best advice is to remember it’s a job, not your life. It’s their home, not yours. You can give good advice and document it all, but you can’t make them take it. You will drive yourself crazy if you think you can!

“There’s probably a lot more but that one sends a lot of managers into another profession, or to the home for the terminally batty...”

Rolf Crocker, Vice President:

“One of the most difficult things we face is Board members who are ego and/or agenda driven. My advice, unless you want to speak with your loved ones from behind bars, I recommend an approach in which the manager does not attach their ego to the issue, but lays out the options and consequences in such a way where the Boards can make a well-informed decisions.”

Cheryl Henry, on site hi rise manager:

“The most difficult issue is the politics of the association. Realizing what are the real hot issues, who is who in the power scheme of the community and how management is perceived. Managing Perception is critical.”

For Each Action, There is an Equal Reaction

Many times we are just so busy managing we forget the impact we have on our clients. Sometimes, that can come back to bite you… Here’s some great advice you won’t hear in any industry classroom - Julie

Cheryl Henry, on site hi rise manager:

“Carefully consider actions and how they might affect relationships within the community and the staff. Build allies and be aware of anti-management individuals: they might be employees, Board members or homeowners. Always be aware of the domino effect because what you do affects the Homeowners Association as a whole.”

Annual Meetings and Elections

Potentially fraught with peril, the Annual Meeting is often a time of great stress for all community managers. - Julie

Ned Heiskell, Vice President:

“After the Florida and the California recall, elections of all kinds have come under much higher scrutiny than at any time in my memory.  Furthermore, the election of a Board of Directors under corporate code rules works a lot differently than most governmental elections.  In a government election you have candidates, they campaign, people vote (without any quorum requirement) and the person who gets the most votes wins.  In the HOA environment, every election is different.  There is corporate code that applies, but it is always modified by the specific Bylaws and CC&Rs of the community.  You usually need a nominating committee, an annual meeting notice, proxies, inspectors of election, cumulative voting, etc., etc.  And if there are delegate districts the complexity can be mind-boggling.

“My advice, never take an election for granted.  Start planning early and work closely with the attorney and the prior manager (if they are available) and Board members that were around for the previous election.  Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, but also don’t assume that everything done last year was done right.  Here’s a quick checklist:

1.  Read the documents.  All of them (CC&Rs/Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation) every year before you start planning.
2.  Create a “cheat sheet” of special items that you need to keep in mind.
3.  Write out a schedule for the election that includes all the dates and deadlines for the election.
4.  Keep the attorney involved and make sure they review all your written distributions.
5.  Don’t take sides.  Remain a neutral administrator.
6.  Make sure you have enough help at the meeting.  Don’t get stuck signing people in.  You need to be available to troubleshoot and answer questions.
7.  Relax.  If you plan well, there will be nothing to worry about.
8.  Congratulate the winners and then get back to the business of managing the community.”

Back to Basics: Time Management

Vicky Parris, Director of Operations:

 “I think that the biggest issue is knowing how to prioritize your time. I truly believe the secret to my success if mailing my minutes and action list to the Board within 3 days after the meeting. It seems to give them a comfort level and they leave me alone. It also protects me when they say I didn’t do something. I think sticking to the basics is the key and not being afraid to ask for questions.”

And Rolf Crocker, Vice President:

“Plan Ahead!!  Make Lists!!  All of the time management clichés aside, clients want 1. to be heard and 2. know that you are on top of it.  The only way to take care of folks and still manage is to make your plan, make your lists, and for heaven’s sake – BE PRO-ACTIVE!

Time Management for Time Off

A factor contributing to our high employee turnover, many of our managers simply do not take the time off that is due them. - Julie

Mark Lewis, Vice President:

“When the manager does take time off, what usually happens is they have twice as much work waiting for them when they get back, so many manager choose not to take time off. Instead of continuing this self destructive path, manager should try this:

“1. If you have a scheduled vacation, tell your Boards (and maybe key owners) when you will be away, and when you are expecting to return. With this knowledge, most Board members will not call (other than urgent matters) because, in all honesty, no one else cares about them the way you do.

“2. Another answer is to maintain an organized work area and write up a “vacation memo” instructing those in the office on how to complete pending work in your absence. (‘When all the bids get in, send them to Committee A.’).

“3. If you are only gone for a day or two (the ubiquitous ‘comp time’), a simple call mid afternoon to the office can provide you with an opportunity to handle a few issues through staff so that those items will not be on your desk the next morning.”

 On Professionalism

 CJ Klug, large-scale manager:

 “As a professional manager I take the long view rather than quick cheap fixes which seems to often to be the view of Board members.  Any major change or project usually takes more than one year to do it right, which is hard to sell when Boards only look at annual budget and keeping the assessment rate low - hard to get them to look at the big picture.

“Another problem is that Boards appear to look at staff as adversaries - always looking for fault and blame rather than working as a team to accomplish the Board’s goals and objectives.

“We must remind the Board that they must tell us what is desired or what to do, not how to do it, that is staff’s role. We must demonstrate that we are professionals and insist on being treated like the CPA, attorney, engineer or other “experts” the Board hires.”

Learning to Say “Enough”

Mark Lewis, Vice President:

“The reality that the amount of managerial time a particular association may need can have nothing to do with the amount of management fees being paid (usually based on number of homes).  When this happens it is hard for a professional manager to do less than what is basically needed by that community.  Answer:  There is no easy answer. In these scenarios, increased Board member training can reduce the time required of the portfolio manager.  Learning to say ‘I’m sorry, but our contract terms do not allow me to spend an unlimited amount of time with this association’, is not an easy message to deliver effectively.” (But we all know it needs to be done. – Julie)

Dealing With Negativity

Julie Bigelow Vice President:

“At times, this can be a brutal industry, as most of the communications received are impassioned complaints, problems, concerns, etc.  Even if a new manager comes from an extensive customer service background, the level of emotion in this job from our client / customer is higher than most because we are not dealing with a customer who is complaining about cold soup or who is returning a shirt with a stain - we are dealing with people’s homes, and the emotions can run high.  Therefore, one of the biggest challenges faced by new managers is the ability not to get caught up in all of the emotion that swirls around in this job.  While still being empathetic, new managers need to have the ability to hear whatever complaint is received and decide if there is validity to what is being said.  If valid, they simply make the necessary change.  If not, they listen with a compassionate ear and not let the emotion get to them.  This job is very rarely boring - there are a lot of interesting work days, and I think that if new managers are able to keep the negative emotions from getting to them, then their chance of survival in this industry is vastly improved.”

 Anonymous Vice President

 “Even for a grizzled veteran like me, dealing with the negative input that never seems to end is still a challenge.  It can be very difficult to put it aside and go home to your loved ones with a smile on your face.  My advice is, try and be as well rounded as you can, exercise and have other interests.  Remember it is only a job. Take a vacation, no matter how much your boss complains.

There is so much talk about how our profession needs to become more professional.  It does, but it can be a struggle when the majority of your clients do not treat you as a professional.  My advice, persevere and rise above it.  It will pay off.”

The State of Mind

Kathy Smith, on site manager:

“I would say the learning curve is short and there often is not much support. Often for the new manager it is sink or swim. “You better have a good sense of yourself and sense of humor. Those of us that have been doing this for a while know this work can eat you alive.”

The Value of Colleagues

Cheryl Henry on site high-rise manager:

“Network with other Homeowners’ Association managers they are great sources of information. If need be, “I would say the learning curve is short and there often is not much support. Often for the new manager it is sink or swim.” start your own local group, meet monthly for lunch and just kibitz on all our challenging issues!”

Our professionals bring the message home

Well, we have seen that the professionals all have good words to live by. Ms. Henry’s last comment is right on point. By asking these veterans what they view as challenges and what would help resolve them we again find that the network has answers if only we choose to use it. Manager must utilize this resource: It helps us learn from others on how to deal with difficult issues, how our problems are not unique, and most important of all, we are not alone.