As one year ends and a new year begins, almost 40 percent of Americans will make resolutions. However, just 8 percent of these people achieve their goals according to University of Scranton research. The New Year is a perfect time for positive changes in your homeowner association. Here’s how to add sticking power to three common HOA resolutions.
Productivity: One of the top resolutions for an HOA Board is to accomplish more in meetings. If this resolution is on your list, you can give it some sticking power with a few changes. Advance planning is key to improving efficiency so you can accomplish more in your Board meetings. Prepare an agenda with timeframes. Send the agenda along with supporting documents prior to the meeting so everyone has time to review the information. Then, stay within the timeframes on your agenda in your meeting. Sharpening your focus is a little uncomfortable at first, but you’ll see productivity rise when you stay true to your agenda.
Organization: Organizing HOA documents can be an overwhelming resolution when your filing system is in disarray. Yet, it’s important to organize your documents for easy retrieval. So, conquering this task is a must. Divide this resolution into monthly action items to boost your success. Start with the top priority documents and work through your target number of documents each month. Remember to backup electronic documents. Assess your progress quarterly. Seeing your accomplishments will help renew your commitment to stay the course.
Better-Informed Decisions: Many self-managed community associations try to tackle decisions alone, which can cost the HOA time and money. If your Board is resolving to make better-informed decisions, you can accomplish this by seeking out professional advice. When you face issues where you lack the experience and knowledge, call an expert with HOA experience. Insurance agents, architects, attorneys, HOA property managers, accountants and many other professionals can provide input for better decisions. Paying for professional input is money well spent and is often less expensive than correcting mistakes.
Be among the successful few this year in achieving your New Year’s goals. Add some sticking power to your resolutions. Happy New Year!