6 Essential Skills Board Members Should Master
If you’ve chosen to dedicate valuable time to serving as a board member, giving the job your best effort may require you to refine certain skills or learn new ones. But between your limited time, big buzzwords, and best practices, it can be hard to figure out exactly which skills you should cultivate to make an impact in your community. To find out which ones are most important to master, we reached out to our leaders from across the globe to identify the most essential board member skills needed to be successful. Read their responses below.
1. Staying Patient
“Board members need to be patient in order to take the time to learn and understand how and why things work the way they do in homeowners’ associations. Laws, whether on a local, state, or federal level heavily impact our daily interactions with homeowners and the board members serving them. A strong understanding of these laws, the community’s governing documents, and the management company’s inner workings will better equip a board member to respond to a homeowner’s requests, questions, and comments.”
2. Maintaining Objectivity
“I believe the most important skill for a board member to possess is objectivity. You need to look at all positions and then select the path that provides the greatest good for all members of the association. This may not be the path that benefits you the most, but benefits the group. We call this the ‘no personal agenda’ approach to being a board member.”
3. Learning to Listen
“Having good listening skills truly allows a board member to hear the message of the person addressing the board, regardless of the manner in which the message is delivered. This allows the board member to focus on the business of the association, rather than get distracted by any indecent or unprofessional personal agendas and/or attacks from homeowners or worse yet, other board members.”
Read More: HOA Board Member Skills: How to Be a Better Listener
4. Communicating Effectively
“Communication is at the heart of everything we do. It is the key to life, work, and relationships. Without effective communication, a message can lead to error, misunderstanding, frustration, or even disaster by being misinterpreted or poorly delivered. When everyone takes the time to effectively communicate, the relationship between the board, residents, vendors, and the manager will strengthen and elevate the levels of mutual understanding and cooperation in successfully reaching the community’s vision and goals. When a board properly communicates with their community manager, it will only make their job easier in leading and representing their community.”
Read More: How to Improve Board Communication
“Communication as a board member happens daily in written form, verbally, and in person at board meetings. So, I’d say communication is an essential skill for community leaders to hone. Being able to effectively communicate what you want to see accomplished and what your goals are as a board member help to effectively guide progress and explain outcomes. Also, being able to communicate with residents, even when it might be something they don't want to hear, is important because as a board member your ability to clearly communicate and be transparent with the membership helps build trust.”
5. Becoming Proactive
“It’s important to be informed rather than reactive, and assigning blame or fault to one particular party without having all necessary information available. Always take the time to gather all the facts pertaining to the situation to make an informed decision on how to best resolve the concern. ”
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6. Understanding Their Duties
“One of the most essential concepts a board member should and must master immediately, is the concept that the journey they’ve just embarked upon is not just one of a ’neighborly‘ nature; it’s a true business that must be run effectively, efficiently, and within their scope of authority. As passionate volunteers, individuals with the heart to serve give of their time on community boards and often take on this role with a lack of understanding for exactly what is expected or, worse, allowed. A board manages the community. The board’s authority to act on behalf of the association is not, however, unlimited. The governing documents—and sometimes the law—grant the board the authority and obligation to act, and in some cases, they can restrict the board’s ability to act. In each case, it’s important to know your parameters as a board member. ”
Improving Board Member Skills
Board Member Skills FAQs
What skills should board members have?
HOA board members should be skilled in the following areas to be successful in their roles:
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Financial management
- Collaboration
- Community management
- Community law
What are the characteristics of a good board member?
Good board members are individuals who listen and communicate effectively with those around them, while also being dedicated to supporting the successful operation of their community.
What are the goals for being on an HOA board?
HOA goals can be broken down into three categories. Annual goals are set every year to maintain operations, compliance, and adequate funding. Improvement goals are related to maintenance projects and general upkeep of the community. Communication goals improve transparency, collaboration, and resident engagement.
What is the fiduciary responsibility of the HOA board members?
An HOA or condo board member’s fiduciary responsibility is to help the association succeed while adhering to the governing documents. Homeowners put their trust and confidence in board members to protect the community’s quality of living, use funds wisely, and keep operations running smoothly.