By Julie Adamen

All right. It's a deep, dark secret, but I am going to admit it, I'm going to come out of the closet, right here and right now.

My name is Julie, and I've been a Board member ("Hi, Julie….").

There. I've said it. After all those years of being in management, and then a vendor, I was also a Board member in a new community that had recently accepted turnover from the developer. I cannot begin to tell you what an eye opening experience that was: to be on the other, WAY other, side of the table. I realized quickly that participating in the development of a functioning Board as a member of that Board is far different from being the manager. And wished I had had this insight when I was a manager. 

We seldom are able to take the time to understand how Boards develop their function or dysfunction. When I was a manager - back in the day - I could tell you all about what the Board was supposed to do, what they did do, what was right and what was wrong and what my frustration level was for the day.  However, I seldom thought about, or even wanted to think about, why the Board did what they did and how it affected their development as an entity and the development of the community.  Had I had this knowledge of Board dynamics, it would have affected how I assisted them in managing their communities. Looking back, this knowledge not only would have made my job and my life a lot easier, it would have made me a better manager.  

Let's start by discussing two main factors in Board Development and their subsequent functionality: WHY they became Board members, and WHAT are their personal and professional profiles. 

Why people become Board members. 

I find that most board members have some combination of (and in no particular order) that have driven them to their volunteer posts:

• Agenda
• Ego
• Available time
• Personality traits / Skills sets,  and
• A sense of duty

Let's look as some of the details.

Agenda. Whether it's to get the lawn mowed on Tuesdays, have flowers installed in front of their home because it's going on the market, paint the carports cherry red, or the lower dues by 15% because of they are on a fixed income, many Board members have a specific agenda they want to accomplish when they volunteer to serve.

Ego. Although I find it a pretty sad state of affairs that anyone would want to be on a homeowners association Board of Directors solely to satisfy their ego, it is a truth of our industry and a very common occurrence. In my experience, these members usually position themselves as President, holding court through some very long and unproductive Board meetings, blissfully unaware of the torpid and turgid stupor that has set in for the rest of the attendees. The ego-driven Board member has an agenda of self-aggrandizement for social or political status in the community. Chances are you have at least one on your Board(s) right now.

Available time. Major economic changes have given our industry a plethora of willing volunteers by retiring out executives and others who were probably too young to retire yet too old to start over. A lot of these folks are just plain bored and are looking for an outlet for their wisdom, expertise and pent up energy. Becoming a board member will help fill the void.

Seniors also have a lot of time on their hands.  Looking for something productive to occupy that time, they often volunteer to serve on committees or for the Board of Directors. Those of us who have managed retirement communities know that usually there is little shortage of those willing to help in whatever capacity they are able, and they are invaluable in the administration of an association.

Personality traits / Skill sets.   Some people become Board members because they posses certain personality traits, which often gives rise to certain skill sets: Maybe they have charisma and are natural leaders. They may have great social skills, hosting dinner parties with aplomb and showing keen organizational skills. They may be natural gadflies (not necessarily a good thing) that like to stir up trouble, giving them certain notoriety amount the residents. Or, they may be a conspiracy theorist, giving rise to another type of community infamy.   Thus, by their own personality trait or skill set, these folks find themselves elected to the Board.

A Sense of Duty. It's my experience that in almost all cases, even the Board member with the biggest personal agenda has, somewhere deep down, a sense of duty to give their time the association. They want to do what they think is right and this may be the biggest reason of all for becoming a Board member.   For the manager, this knowledge can be crucial to effective Board management (appealing to duty and the greater good is a legitimate card to play). It also can help you keep your sanity when you see who is on the slate to be elected at the next annual meeting.

The Personal/Professional Profile is Diversity.

The one thing Board members have in common is how different they are from one another, personally and professionally. This diversity creates an endless combination of strengths and weaknesses each individual brings with them - in relation to each other, the association, the Board as an entity, their decision-making processes and management. Here are just a few:

All socioeconomic levels. Today's very common scenario involves communities that are 30-40 years old are in a delicate transitional phase: The original purchasers are now elderly and on fixed incomes, and the newer folks are higher income professionals.  Both sit on the Board of Directors, and have very differing views on the direction of the community. Or, Board members may now be on a even economic playing field, but some may have been born in to poverty while others were born to wealth, and everything in between. Where they came from economically will affect how they make decisions today and how they interact with one another.

Retirees. Retirees come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life, and  are heavily influenced by their past careers and experiences as well as their current experience of being retired. Their perspective can be very, very different than someone in the working world, or someone with small children still at home.

Professional Diversity.  From long-time homemakers to executives of Fortune 500 companies, workers from the public sector to entrepreneurs, military personnel to health care providers - there is no end to the combination of Board members' professional diversity.  Each member's professional training and experience lead to specific ways in which they problem-solve. For example, an insurance company executive may take a slower, more cautious approach to a problem because it is their training to see and understand  risk.  An entrepreneur - a risk taker by nature - just wants to get the job done and deal with the problems as they arise. An executive in the private sector will usually not get caught up in a minor accounting error; whereas a controller may spend hours in tracing that error. , As an exampIe, I once had a retired homicide detective on one of my Boards who virtually refused to be a proactive, participating member of the Board. Instead, his modus operandi was to  lay in wait for the Board, management or a vendor to make mistakes and catch them at it, very publicly, every chance he could - just like his training and experience taught him.  

Personal Experiences. Your Board members may have been touched by tragedy, such as the  death of a child or spouse. They may have battled back from a life threatening illness or injury.  They may have served overseas and seen more than they cared to, or were injured physically or mentally. They may be well-travelled and have seen and experienced other cultures. Or, they may have spent their life in the same small town only having ventured to another state. They may have a fully intact family. They may have been married to the same person for 25 years, or divorced 5 times. Each one of these events and countless others can be significant in shaping the perspectives of your Board member and how they interact with each other, you and the community.

Ethnic Diversity. America is the melting pot and so are community associations, especially  those is urban centers. The perspective  and experience of a man from India is likely very different than that of a woman from Norway. Different ethnicities bring different religions, styles of dress, food and myriad other disparities. Often your Board members will be an ethnically and culturally varied group. Sometimes it may not be important, but at other times it can be crucial to understanding the dynamics of your Board and guiding them through their tenures. 

Age Diversity.  What's important to one age group isn't necessarily important to another. Board members in the 70's aren't looking at problems the same way as Board embers in their 30's, and more importantly, their approach to problem solving will likely be very different. Whereas younger people may see more urgency in 'doing something,' older people may have a more measured response to a given situation. Each approach can be correct; however; in the Board environment, conflicts can arise when a decision is being made on which course of action to take.

Male and Female.  I know it comes as a surprise, but men and women are very different in their mental processes. Whereas men will not take personally the criticism of the homeowners over a Board decision, a woman may, and be reluctant making certain decisions going forward. A woman may be more in touch with some needs of the community than her male counterpart because of  their divergent social interactions and ability to key in on detail.   These differences come in to play in the Board setting.  For more on male/female relationships, see the Tale of Two Brains by Mark Gungor @ http://www.laughingyourway.com/

Previous HOA Board experience - or not. People who have previously served on an HOA Board of Directors bring with them knowledge that the "newbies" don't yet have.  For the most part, they understand the public political process, are able to come to consensus even though they may not agree on all details of an issue, and move forward. When I was a manager, these people made my life much easier - they got it. They can also, as an "equal" to the new members, help bring those who have never worked or volunteered within a public or quasi-public structure up to speed a little faster than management can alone. 

Put them altogether and you have… Your average Board of Directors.

Where does it leave you?

As a manager, you may think that a Board is like a camel: A horse designed by committee. And frankly you aren't too far off, especially in the beginning. Boards are about diversity and politics in a very simple, grass roots sense, even in what may appear to be a homogeneous community. 

More than like a camel, a Board is like a complicated martini - you know, one of those frou-frou ones with 5 or 7 ingredients - shaken, not stirred. And though the ingredients may sound like they would taste awful, after they are allowed to settle and chill you find them, well, ok, or even pretty darned good.

This article, and the one that will follow, are intended to help you understand the dynamics of your Boards: By reviewing their reasons for becoming Board members, their personal and professional diversity, and to bring to light how those factors affect the Board's decision making process and development. Understanding those factors can in turn help you adjust your management style, making you more effective in managing their communities.

Adamen Inc © 2010 All rights reserved.