4 Steps to an Effective Board Meeting - Before and After You Leave The Meeting Room

We often hear Board Members and homeowners gripe about ineffective community meetings where nothing get's done. In response to these complaints we've developed a simple process we use to train our Board Members on holding effective and decision focused community meetings. We outlined this process in our recent Blog titled Decision Making at Board Meetings.

However, we also often find that although Board Members may hold successful meetings where many decisions are made, there is very little follow up that occurs after the meeting. Our manager's are held responsible for leading community meetings, keeping the Board focused on agenda items throughout the meeting, and carrying out the wishes of the Board after the meeting. We've developed a simple 4 step process to running effective Board Meetings - before and after you leave the meeting room.

Through our simple 4 step process we are certain your Board of Directors will get more accomplished not only during your regular Board Meetings, but once you walk away from the meeting room.

Here are the 4 steps your Board can take to ensure your meetings come to a productive close and result in effective action after you leave the meeting room. The list is short and simple because the process is simple.

1. Action Plan. Your Board should always create an Action Plan before every meeting. The plan should include key decisions to be made at the meeting, follow up steps after the meeting, identify responsibility for each task, and provide completion dates or deadlines. Your Action Plan should be kept to one page or less. Usually the President or Vice President will prepare the Action Plan.
2. Communicate quickly. Many times a Board will not communicate for weeks after a board meeting. This is not very efficient and causes everyone to lose momentum on accomplishing their assigned tasks. We suggest you get an e-mail out to meeting participants within 24 hours after the meeting, to ensure momentum is not dissipated. The e-mail can include meeting minutes or a simple summary of your Action Plan that reiterates the Board's goals and realistic deadlines.
3. Follow up. Your Board should assign a specific Board Member with the duty of following up. As deadlines approach this persons responsibility is to send out reminders to make sure everyone is on track. By following up your Board remains informed on the status of a project and whether or not the deadlines will be met. This will also help you prepare for future Action Plans and in setting realistic achievable goals in the future.
4. Inform. Once all the tasks have been accomplished or are nearing completion, inform the group of the status of each item. E-mail all Board Members the Action Plan for the following meeting and outline any further steps necessary, if any.

By making these 4 Steps to an Effective Board Meeting - Before and After You Leave The Meeting Room a part of every community meeting your association holds you will never again be accused of wasting people’s time, nor will you yourself have to sit through hour long meetings to accomplish very little.

We take pride in holding effective Board Meeting for our clients and in preparing our Board Members to do the same. Should you have any questions or if you would like additional information, please contact us!

Decision Making at Board Meetings

It is easy at times for Board Members and Managers alike to lose sight of the Associations goals in between board meetings. This may occur for many reasons, including too few or too frequent meetings, lack of preparation between meetings, etc. It’s important to remember that the board meeting is the end of the decision making process for the board and not the beginning. The Board needs to be prepared to make decisions at every meeting.

Below are some tips that will assist your board and manager in preparing for effective decision making during your board meetings:

o       Schedule your board meetings in advance for the entire year. Notify your association members, board members, and management to note their calendars. Schedule them around holidays to guarantee high attendance and involvement.

o       Schedule your board meetings in accordance with your community by-laws. However, be sure to schedule them often enough to allow for timely attention to association issues, projects, improvements, and any other matter requiring management or board member action or decision. Some boards hold meetings monthly, others hold them quarterly. We believe these to be good meeting strategies.

o       Prepare and distribute your meeting agenda at least 3 to 5 days prior to the scheduled meeting. The agenda should be detailed and provide a time limit for each item. This will allow your manager and board to better prepare for the meeting and the decision making process.

o       Make room on the agenda to involve and invite members to join or start committees. Provide sufficient time for committee volunteers to provide their reports and suggestions to the board.

o       Once the agenda has been prepared, distribute any supporting documents such as meeting minutes, proposals, written requests, etc. prior to the meeting. This will allow board members to read each document, prepare questions, and attend the meeting ready to make decisions.

o       Train and educate board members to attend meetings prepared and ready to make decisions.

Now, we know your board may not hold frequent meetings, or may not even be used to preparing for meetings, but we are certain that by following these simple steps your community will run effectively, decisions will be made wisely, and homeowners will be happy to see the Board and Management taking timely action to the items that concern them.

The anatomy of a Great Manager

All communities and Board Members want a “great manager”, because they know that a Community Association Manager can make or break an entire community. However, what differentiates a bad manager from an average manager? And what seperates an average manager from a great manager? What does it mean to be great in Community Association Management?
Over the years, in speaking with Board Members and industry leaders we’ve identified key areas and traits that make a great manager. The below should act as a Code of Conduct for any great manager.

1. Great managers understand the power of effective communication
2. Great managers are effective communicators
3. Great managers present themselves professionally
4. Great managers are organized
5. Great managers follow through, always
6. Great managers do not procrastinate
7. Great managers never give information they aren’t sure of, or hearsay
8. Great managers understand the value of their relationship with vendors
9. Great managers admit mistakes, take responsibility, and then fix them
10. Great managers maintain professional detachment
11. Great managers stay current with their industry and with business in general
12. Great managers deal with change well
13. Great managers have a sense of humor
14. Great managers value their integrity and creditability above all

Does Your Association Suffer From Unruly Board Meetings?

If you're lucky, your board meetings are calm, civilized, and organized. However, as you may know, that is not always the case. During association meetings emotions typically run high, sometimes these emotions are caused by unpopular board decisions, increased assessments, or violation compliance letters sent to an angry owner. Although the conflict and unrest might be unavoidable, if the board members and management come to the board meetings prepared it will be possible to run an unruly meeting even if angry owners attend.

One of the best tools any association can use to control unruly meetings is to create a "meeting conduct" policy. This policy should specify when and for how long association members are permitted to speak on a particular subject, require courtesy to others present when speaking, and permit the board to require attendees to leave if he/she gets out of order or fails to follow the approved policy.

Below we have provided some additional tools and policies your association can implement to help the board control unruly meetings: 

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  If the board or management are anticipating an intense association matter to be discussed at a meeting, the board should try to calm association members about the specific matter prior to the meeting by discussing concerns with the individuals prior to the meeting.
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  Require owners who wish to speak on a particular matter to sign up prior to the meeting, rather than having them raise their hands during the meeting.
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  Set a specific time limit for any association member desiring to speak and allow them to only speak on only one particular topic at a time. This will keep the meeting in order and focused.
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  Appoint a committee, specific board member or management to investigate certain issues raised by association members and report back to the board.
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  If necessary, have the association’s attorney present when legal or sensitive matters are being addressed, this can help control emotions.

 While many associations have “meeting conduct” policies and rules for their board meetings as described above, it is the responsibility of the board to keep control of the meeting, follow the meeting agenda properly, and enforce the conduct policy as necessary.

The board must be organized and properly prepared for their meetings. The board and manager should always remain composed and calm throughout the meeting. Should the board be faced with a difficult owner, the owner should first be warned and reminded of the associations meeting conduct policy. If the difficult owner refuses to come to order the board should issue the disruptive owner a warning or ask him/her to leave the meeting. Although, we suggest that this be a last resort. An alternative to asking the disruptive person to leave the meeting is for the board to adjourn the meeting and reconvene again when all emotions have cooled.

25 Common Board Member Mistakes

Board members are subject to many demands and expectations. Serving on the board of an association can be a rewarding experience. The majority of board members have strong ideas of what being on a board is all about. Capturing the board's eagerness, enthusiasm, and will to govern for the common good of the community can be accomplished in conjunction with the manager's experience, knowledge, and guidance. Managers are licensed professionals and have specific knowledge that is required of them to maintain their license and a code of ethics that must be followed.

To be effective, managers need the cooperation of all board members. Experienced managers are knowledgeable and educated. Once trust and confidence has been established, the board of directors should consent to allow their manager to manage and provide guidance in leading them in the right direction. Here are 25 common mistakes that boards make: 

1. Failure read and understand their governing documents, rules and regulations, and State Statutes. 
2. Failure to be prepared for meetings and follow the meeting agenda. 
3. Selective enforcement of the rules and regulations or the governing documents -- playing favorites. 
4. Failure to conduct open meetings and elections. 
5. Failure to maintain confidentiality or generating gossip. 
6. Ignoring responsibilities to fulfill fiduciary duties in maintaining the property - - overlooking needed repairs due to costs. 
7. Failure to hire experts and professionals in their respective fields - - engineers, managers, attorneys, etc.
8. Being emotional and hindering their capacity to make business decisions. 
9. Being swayed by others when making business decisions. 
10. Being swayed by others and not voting their conscience. 
11. Micromanaging and abusing their power and authority. 
12. Failure to disclose personal interests and considering taking kickbacks and/or hireing someone that creates a conflict of interest that may involve self-dealing. 
13. Harassing community members and slandering them. 
14. Failure to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors, committee members, and management and taking action contrary to the board's decisions or acting unilaterally. 
15. Failure to obtain two signatures on checks and contracts.
16. Not taking the time to read and understand the financials and budget, and not asking questions about them.
17. Failure to follow a consistent collection policy - - playing favorites.
18. Failure to act professionally, courteously, and respectfully at meetings. 
19. Failure to outline and summarize their expectations and establish that everyone is on the same page. 
20. Self-serving interests -- rather than making decisions to serve the community as a whole, decisions are made in favor of themselves personally, breaching community trust. 
21. Failure to post notices, newsletters, and memos, communicating the board's activities. 
22. Failure to review and evaluate contracts and decide how and when the various maintenance tasks will be performed. 
23. Failure to plan, focus, and follow through. 
24. Failure to make timely decisions. 
25. Attempts to institute new policies and ground rules without doing their homework.

Board members are usually elected because they are movers and shakers. They have the ability to get things done. The board should expand upon defining their overall goals of the association and communicate them to the manager. Very often boards micromange because they think that is what they should be doing.

The board needs to have a clear idea of their role in the community. Management of day-to-day activities is the responsibility of management. Boards are to lead and serve in the capacity as an advisory body. As managers, we can navigate and guide the board to focus on ensuring that the community will function in a positive direction, providing a safe and healthy community and follow the path and mission that the board will lead.

Nevertheless, everyone needs a clear understanding of what is expected of them and must have concise expectations in order to measure performance. A competent manager knows the ropes and need for improvements. Boards spend an exorbitant amount of time discussing possible scenarios and solutions. Managers have the ability to make recommendations and save precious time in fully addressing the issues.

Therefore, good communication will aid the process. Sharing information on the issues and discussing issues with the members gives them a sense of purpose in the operation of the association. Board members that rely on seasoned managers can effectively approach a variety of issues and deal with the challenges of managing a successful community association. Listening is the most essential tool for all.

The purpose of the Board is to represent the interests of the owners as a whole, as these interests relate to the property. They are responsible for making timely decisions on behalf of the owners. Being a board member is not a casual undertaking. By working closely and proactively with management, the board can spend its time on areas that can move the community forward, enhancing results and solutions. Mistakes will occur, but with proper guidance and the hiring of experts in their respective fields, the board can reduce the number of mistakes and develop a full understanding of what it takes to manage the community.

I hope that these suggestions will offer a positive and satisfying direction in which the community can work together for the best interests of the association. 

Taken from http://www.caionline.org/

8 Tips For A Successful Board Meeting

To ensure that your Board's meetings are efficient and effective, consider the following Board Meeting tips:

1. An agenda is developed for the meeting and provided to all board members and management before the meeting so that they know which topics are going to be considered and they can come prepared.

2. Minutes of the last meeting are distributed in advance so that they can be reviewed before the members come to the meeting. Any changes or corrections that have to be made can occur at the meeting.

3. A moderate degree of formality must be used in conducting the meeting. Certain rules for discussion are defined. Everyone's expectations regarding decision making are agreed upon and understood.

4. Principles of good communication are practiced. These principles include; only one person may speak at a time. No interrupting. No ridiculing another person's point of view. If it seems that there is another, unspoken meaning behind the words being used, it is the board's job to work with the speaker to identify the message.

5. Set time limits. For example, the meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and adjourn at 8:00 p.m. Set a specific time limit for each particular agenda item (example: no more than 10 minutes will be spent on the financial report). If board members wish to continue beyond the agreed upon time limit, there should be a procedure for approval to continue the discussion.

6. The chair (usually the President or Manager) must encourage free discussion of the topic being considered, to keep the discussion moving, and to identify issues relating to the topic. It is also the chair's job to define the decisions that are made. The chair must always remember that the board members have been elected to govern the association, not just to discuss it.

7. Adjourn the meeting on time.

8. Follow up. There always will be action items that require attention from the manager or from specific board members. See that the follow-up is accomplished before the next meeting.

If you follow these guidelines you will spend less time in your meeting. You will accomplish more. And you may find more qualified owners willing to participate and assist the board of directors.