Servant Leadership and the World of HOAs
By Rolf Crocker

As HOAs and Management Companies, we are a part of what is called the ‘Service Industry’.  It should be generally understood that management professionals and HOAs exist to serve the needs of their respective clientele.  If that is the case, then one might ask of how service becomes leadership and how do our actions ultimately bring about a positive result to those served?

Author Rick Warren, in his book “The Purpose-Driven Life”, starts out with a simple, yet profound, statement:  “It’s not about you.”  Some 35 years prior to Rick Warren’s observation, Robert Greenleaf was wrestling with similar issues.  In the mid-to-late 1960’s, he observed the great institutions of our country – business, government, universities and churches – and noticed a disconnect between those institutions designed to serve and those being served. The culmination of his soul searching was an essay entitled simply, “The Servant as Leader”.  This was arguably the birth of a concept called ‘Servant Leadership’, in which Greenleaf stated the following:

“The servant-leader is servant first…  It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.  Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.”

Greenleaf then offered up this ‘test’ to see if Leaders are operating as Servants first:

“Do those served grow as persons?  Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?  And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society?  Will they benefit, or at least not be further deprived?”

What does all of this have to do with our industry?  EVERYTHING!  Servant Leadership addresses two key issues wherein I believe much of the fragility of HOA’s exist - motive and intent.  These issues are not easily addressed.  As such, they can be completely disconnected from the real needs of those served. Motive often has its first thought toward “me” – my convenience, self-interest, expediency, etc.  Intent, which in the worst case can be misguided benevolence, may actually harm those served.  The reasons we ‘do what we do’ have an infinite number of variables, predicated on such things as genetics, upbringing, life experience, cultural/gender differences, along with a myriad of other factors.  So, what can we do?

Let’s look again at Rick Warren’s statement, “It’s not about you”.  In a world where WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) rules, we need to take a step back and reflect – will this decision and/or action effect positive change for those served?  Can I apply Greenleaf’s betterment test for actions and, at the very least, am I not causing harm?

It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got.  However, if we begin to realize the simple directive of “to serve, to serve first”, our direction as management professionals becomes one of sharper focus. When we undertake a positive behavioral change, it affects everything and everyone around us.  If that is true, we will surely find ourselves becoming true servant leaders. The key remains the Betterment Test - to see if, in reality, the results of our service are of the betterment of those being served.

In our business, emotional rewards from our actions are few and far between.  For that reason, to review how we think about what we do could make a positive change in our outlook and, consequently, have significant impact on the communities we serve.

Remember – our industry’s ability to ‘serve’ can only be manifested through it’s participating individuals – board members, managers, vendors, etc. – who are willing to check egos and personal agendas at the door and say, “What can I do to make this a more serving institution?”  This ‘road less traveled’ takes enormous amounts of courage and vulnerability, discipline and sacrifice.  Since we are self-preservationists by nature, this doesn’t come easily - it involves risk.  But what are the options?  Well, at least remember this:  “It’s not about you”.