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December 29, 2005
New Year Resolutions
It's that time of year when everyone looks back on the ending year and mutters a few vows to do better in the coming one. I'd like to make a few suggestions for board members to consider as "Resolutions for 2006". All right, everyone raise their right hand and state: "In 2006, I resolve.....
- To try and remember, before every meeting, that I was elected to serve. That's why the term "serve as a board member".
- To try and communicate with my neighbors more frequently, more openly, and with greater detail. Remember, its when things are done in the dark that people get suspicious and defensive.
- To keep calm, cool and collected, when an owner challenges a decision or suggests something else. It isn't always an attack. Instead of "circling the wagons" when someone questions me, invite them to join you at the campfire to talk about it.
- To understand that if it took the board some time and effort to understand a situation and to come to an agreement on how to handle it, it may take the owners some time to reach the same point (and they may need to have the same information I did)
- To take a look at what I/we like or dislike about the service people working with our association, and then to sit down with them and review it. Re-inforce the good and correct the bad. Don't wait until contract renewal to say we're unhappy.
- To personally meet as many of my neighbors as I can. It's hard "to serve" if you don't know the people you represent.
- To review all of the basic correspondence sent to owners by the board, including notices, violation letters, and late notices, to see if they are the kinds of letters I would want to receive.
- To respond, whenever I hear the words "set a bad precedent", with the following: "An exception is not a bad precedent, done right - it can be just an exception".
- When faced with making a decision on a potentially controversial issue, to sit back and ask myself, "Does this make sense?"
- To take a walk around the association, at least once a week, with a smile on my face, because I'm helping to make this a great place to live.
- and last, I resolve to try and keep these resolutions a little bit longer than I usually keep my personal ones.
Happy New Year and a special thanks to all of the volunteers out there who work so hard to make your association something great.
Posted by joewest at December 29, 2005 10:46 AM