As a homeowner association Board President, it can get lonely at the top. Here you are, just trying to do a good job and not even getting paid for it. Then, suddenly, you begin to feel like the bottom line for every horse’s rear end that’s having a bad day. You get cocktail inspired phone calls at dinnertime and maintenance emergencies always happen after midnight. And that loud music...do something about it! It’s hard enough pulling the HOA barge. Why should you have to put up with all this on top of it?

You don’t. You were not elected to do it yourself. You were elected to administrate the HOA’s business, not to replace lightbulbs and pick up dog doo doo. As CEO (sounds impressive doesn’t it?), you are empowered to execute decisions made by the Board and to hold members (including yourself) accountable to provisions of the governing documents. You have the authority to make decisions between Board Meetings. You can sign contracts and checks. You wear the Ring of Power! You da MAN (or WOman)! There, feel better?

There is an art to HOA leadership. Recognizing your scope of authority is essential. The Board President is granted much authority and responsibility. Appreciating what you are responsible for is critical. You have been entrusted with the care of millions of dollars in real estate...the members’ homes. Take this trust very seriously. (They do). Besides all the warm fuzzies folks get when they think of home, it’s usually the largest investment most people have. It requires nurturing to maintain and grow its value. That’s where you come in.

Managing other people’s assets requires care and forethought. You need thoughtful planning and good advice. For this, turn to the experts. For legal issues, use only attorneys that specialize in HOA law. For management, use only companies that specialize in HOA management. This all costs money but it’s an investment in success. Spend money wisely but spend it.

A good leader doesn’t need to know how everything works. A good leader just needs to know the people that know how everything works. Big difference. While experts don’t work for free, they will help you navigate through the many traps and pitfalls that befall HOAs that do without them. Good leaders use good people.

Manage board business wisely. By that, I mean do it systematically, not on the fly. The vast majority of HOA business can and should be handled at Board Meetings. If presented with an issue, unless it’s an emergency, save it for the next meeting. Don’t encourage people to come to you for decisions. Let them know, the board must discuss it.

Board meetings are designed to examine issues and get various perspectives in the decision making process. Use your Board to arrive at better decisions. The President is there to guide the meeting, not to dictate outcomes. So, promoting discussion and ideas will get directors involved and invested in the outcome. A good leader gives credit when credit’s due to encourage volunteers.

The art of HOA leadership is that a leader leads and doesn’t follow. But the wise leader leads by allowing others to perform key parts of the whole. At year end, all those minor parts have added up to an impressive amount of work accomplished. So to become a true homeowner association artist, paint your HOA canvas using the techniques mentioned in this article. For more winning concepts, see www.Regenesis.net.

Published: September 11, 2002

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Richard Thompson owns Regenesis, a management consulting company that specializes in condominium and homeowner associations. He is a nationally recognized expert on HOA management issues. Regenesis publishes The Regenesis Report, a monthly newsletter for HOA boards, developers and managers. To subscribe, go to Regenesis.net. He can be contacted by email at .