October 16, 2009

This week's tip is a double-header: I'm sharing two tips on avoiding board burnout.

First, limit the number of seats to fill.

The smaller your board, the more owners you have on deck that you can ask jump in when current board members feel stretched to the limit. "Don't ever go with a bigger board than you absolutely need," says Bob Tankel, principal at Robert L. Tankel PA in Dunedin, Fla., a law firm that advises associations.

He told us, "I got a call recently from a board member from a community with 35 units and seven people on the board. I said, 'Are you crazy? In Florida, you can amend your documents down to three board members by law.' Get by on the smallest board your state allows."

Second, break positions into small pieces, wherever possible.

"What scares people away from being on the board is the fact that it's too much of a commitment," Bob told us. "If you can take apart various roles and give everybody a teaspoonful, it's better than everybody having to swallow a gallon."

Bob explained, "You've often got people wearing two hats--a policy-making hat and a policy-executing hat. You may be able to get someone to say, 'I'll be the recording secretary. I'll come to the meetings, take minutes, and leave. I don't want to be tasked with making policy.' Or maybe you've got someone who's willing to be in charge of security but who doesn't want to attend board meetings. That person can just keep an eye out to make sure people are following security rules and then let the board know if there are problems. By taking apart the pieces of what makes the association run and giving smaller pieces to different people, you'll be a lot better off."

Get two more ways to fight HOA board member burnout--read our new article (free access).

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President