Board Burn Out

Over the years, we’ve worked with association boards of all shapes and sizes.   Each one has its own unique style and personality.

Board members, almost without exception, share a desire to serve and improve their communities to the best of their abilities and find their time on the association board very rewarding.

However, board members also have to juggle careers, family, and life in general. If not careful, it can also become overly time-consuming leading to board burn out.

Here are some general guidelines to keep things on track and keep board members motivated and engaged.

Delegate

It’s not necessary, or for that matter, wise for board members to take on the brunt of the workload of running an association.  Sometimes it’s hard to remember that as a board member, you are a volunteer who was elected to make decisions on behalf of the association, and not the hired management company that you hired to handle the day to day operations of the community. Your time on the board is best served by using your professionals to do what they do best and allowing them to provide you with the tools to make sound decisions for your community.

Set Boundaries

As a board member, you’re known within the community and often owners will approach you directly about board business when you’re “off the clock”.  Let them know that the best way to address their concern would be to email or call the community manager, or better yet to attend and raise the issue at the next board meeting.  Board members should be able to go to the mailbox without being bombarded by their neighbors about community matters.

We also encourage our boards not to publish their work or personal email to unit owners for board business.  Again, all inquiries and questions should go directly to the community manager.

Use Your Community Manager

This may sound a bit self-serving but your community manager is your best resource to free up your time and reduce stress by allowing board members to focus on broader community issues:

• They deal quickly with inquiries from homeowners
• They handle the day to day details of the community.
• They make sure vendors are living up to their contracts.
• Track and stay on top of the financial reporting of the association.
• Keep proper logs and documentation of unit owner concerns, questions and complaints.
• Can recommend which projects the board might create committees to assist with the leg work involved in bringing information to the board.

Board membership can be a very rewarding and satisfying experience.  To do your best work it is important that you take the steps to reduce the risk of board burn out for the benefit of your association as a whole.

Tony Nardone MBA, PCAM®
CEO – Corner Property Management
973-376-3925
www.cp-management.com