There are many types of personalities that can hurt your Homeowners Association Board. But, it doesn’t take much to turn this around, as the same personalities could be your best allies. How do you make the turn, you ask? Evaluate each of your HOA board member personalities – yourself included – following our 5 Effective HOA Board Personality Types. Start aligning roles and tasks based on their individual skill sets!
Here are the 5 personality “types” that any HOA Board or Community Association should recruit, in order to best serve their community by capitalizing on their talent and skills:
- Multi-tasker – This individual is always balancing and spinning many plates. They often get a lot done, but they also can miss communicated details as they are constantly executing and planning tasks. The Multi-tasker, in their drive to accomplish many things, should get comfortable at asking for help. They need the humility to admit that they don’t always have the answers or the time, and turn to an expert for advice when necessary. Or, appropriately delegate tasks when there is a time crunch looming. When things get too busy, he/she may have to relinquish control over projects, trusting that others can carry them through to completion. Hard to to for some of these personality types. You may need to keep this person on track and “check-in” as the Multi-tasker may need to be reminded of this. Some coaching and mentoring might be helpful with your Multi-tasker.
- The Conductor – Like any good maestro, this person makes your meetings easy by his/her attention to detail and leadership intuition. He/she always has an agenda, summarizes discussions, and can effectively manage the revolutionaries (see #5 below) by their level of organization on topics and adherence to the agendas. The “Conductor” understands the CC&R’s and meeting laws in and out (all board members should, but he/she has an attention to detail that is superior). They enjoy being productive – hold onto this board member! If you see signs volunteer burn-out, nip that in the bud. Review our Volunteer Burn Out Blogs to prevent this.
- Socialite – This person can be an excellent asset because he or she establishes relationships and connections very easily . A socializer knows community members and issues well, and is great at collaboration, as it fulfills the need to stay “social” and engaged with other people. Ask for their input! They may have the best pulse on community issues. This personality type is best suited as a community advocate and influencer.
- The Networker and Tech Guru – This personality type usually is found in marketing, IT, or advocacy positions. This person is always thinking about how to spread the word on a mass level, probably attached to the phone tweeting or posting updates during meetings – not a great idea since most topics require discussion before communication. But, Social media is a great way to reach many of the owners, you just need to maintain control and have clear guidelines for the board. Use this person’s talents by asking them to tweet and post the outcome of the meeting, run a community website, prepare email blasts. Read our Social Media in the HOA Blog series, and make sure your “Networker” studies this is as well. Sooner, the better! When anyone is posting on behalf of the board, you need to be very careful what platforms you are using, and how you are utilizing them.
- The Revolutionary – He/she is a big thinker and likes to challenge the norm. This individual routinely changes the topic, as changing the topic can uncover new thinking and ideas. But, be careful it doesn’t derail your meeting agenda (Here steps in the “Conductor”). Balance the pros and cons of your Revolutionary, by capturing and making note of topics they raise for later discussion, and then return to the agenda. Ask for the “Socialite’s” input on his/her ideas. They may have a general consensus on the communities positions on such topics. The Revolutionary may be adding valuable initiatives to your next meeting agenda.
Does your HOA Board have some of these personality types? Are they in the best role for their personality type? When you start putting their talents to use, you’ll be amazed at the increased effectiveness in your HOA meetings. If you are lacking some of these personality types, it may be time to start recruiting for the HOA Board.
