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April 28, 2006
Falling through the cracks
Associations change managers or management companies for a variety of reasons. But most of those reasons come down to simply things not getting done the way the board or the owners expect them to. Whether its perception or reality, things are falling through the cracks. The manager may be overloaded, or the board is communicating very well, or there was just more work there than was expected, whatever the reason, it leads to dissatisfaction, and if not corrected, replacement.
Correcting this is important to both parties. For the manager its a job and income. For the board, it means a transition and new learning curve which upsets the process and creates more work for them. So how do you avoid it?
Why do things fall through the cracks? One reason may be personal and another process. Avoidance and systems. Avoidance occurs when one of the items a manager is supposed to accomplish is either personally distasteful, i.e. dealing with an angry owner, or outside of their skills. In both cases, find some help. You may think that your co-workers or supervisor might think less of you because of your seeking help, but that won't come close to what they will think of you if the problem ends up in someone else's lap or creates more problems. It takes practice and time to learn to deal with all of the various issues a manager will face, but that learning will be a lot faster and easier if you can find others to help you work through it. If you're just avoiding it because you know its going to be unpleasant, then you have two choices: Learn to deal with it or find another line of work, because you're always going to bump into unpleasant situations. This is the time to use the manager's network and get some insight into the best ways to deal with the issue. Don't put it off.
Sometimes the problem is the process, or system you use to keep track of things. There are four basic components to a good system to handle tasks: 1) Confirming the task; 2) Scheduling the task; 3) Keeping tabs on it; and 4) Reporting on the task. There may be computer programs out there that can do this, but chances are you don't have it, so let's just look at a simple method:
At the end of every board meeting, or as a result of a phone call, e-mail or talk, you will have a list of tasks the board wants you to perfom. Confirm it back to them. Send the board an action item list and confirm through e-mail or note any item given to you through some other method. Basically say, "Here is what I believe you want me to do, and here is my schedule for doing it." This is also your CYA memo.
Now, punch this into Outlooks Tasks or Calendar, or put it on you daily "to-do" list, but find something that reminds you constantly of the items you have to do and the schedule you promised. I use Outlook's Calendar and Tasks and set reminders to pop up in my face well in advance of when the project is due. Simple, but effective for me. It doesn't get deleted until its done. Use whatever you have to, but keep these items in your face.
Use the same method to report on the completion or status of an item that you used to confirm it. At the next board meeting have your "Action Item" or "To-do" list as part of your report, along with any of the items that were added in between meetings. Make sure the board understands the reason any item wasn't completed and agrees with a new completion time frame. Keep it on the list until done.
A manager handles so many different items that its easy to lose track of some things if you don't find a way to keep them from falling through the cracks. Find what works for you.
Posted by joewest at April 28, 2006 11:38 AM