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"Committment to Good Service" Form
The following document is really a "Code of Conduct" with a less
offensive name. Why change the name? Because "Code of Conduct" sounds offensive.
Incoming board members might balk at signing something that sounds like a set up
for punishment if there is a failure. They might prefer not to think in terms of
how their conduct might be judged. I think it better to get the mindset in the
right place, which is thinking of the items rather in terms of a commitment to
excellence.
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Condo E-mail Danger: How Not to Get Sued Over What You Say
A Manhattan co-op was trying to get rid of a shareholder who was behind on his
maintenance payments, engaging in unacceptable conduct and otherwise flouting
the proprietary lease. In a casual exchange of e-mails, one board member allowed
that, should the offender move out of the building, "I would be interested in
the apartment." BWOOP! BWOOP! BWOOP! Conflict of interest! Fraud! Unjust
enrichment! BWOOP!
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LEADERSHIP and THE BOARD: A Story for Board Members and Company
Owners There comes a point in time in every leader’s time when he
or she is tired of spearheading every initiative and dragging and cajoling the
other members to help. At that point, they look to take their board or company
to another level, either to create more energy, creativity or create more
balance in their life, or possibly all of the above. When they find themselves
in this situation, they must become a leader working “on” the business of
managing a board instead of “in” it. The first rule of a great board leader is
that the team can never be completely dependent upon any one individual. One of
the more common mistakes made is that the president of the board fails to let go
of certain activities and therefore stunts the growth of the team as a whole.
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Go Ahead, Sue Me! Handling Lawsuits
Lawsuits are an unfortunate, expensive fact of life these days—chances are that
at some point in your lifetime you’ll be involved in one to at least some
degree. In you live in a co-op or condo community, legal issues arise between
boards and residents all the time. Sometimes it’s the resident who sues the
building for some grievance, other times it’s the building that goes after an
individual resident. Maybe Jane Doe in 3A has defaulted on her lease in her
co-op, or John Doe has consistently caused all manner of trouble since moving
into his condo unit, and has now failed to pay his condo charges.
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