HOA Strategic

Well yeah, we're at it again with persona. Blame it on politics, with all the persona and posturing on display during political campaigns. With maybe the fate of the nation hanging in the balance? We're at it again because the fate of a government or almost any other organization or business where people interact and communicate can rest on how everything is perceived.  

We've been talking about instincts, but there's another important word. Persona. Your persona is everything about you that comes across to others, to anyone engaging with you or simply observing you in a meeting or an informal gathering. Persona is communication, in a way, if a facial expression or even a shrug communicates something before you communicate with words. There's an amusing way to study persona, especially now. Watch political candidates in action. Ask yourself, objectively -- because this isn't a partisan politics sort of thing -- just ask yourself how various candidates are coming across. Ask yourself whose persona is engaging. Uplifting. Appealing. And whose persona isn't. Then, think about how you come across in a homeowners association meeting or your workplace.

The Avis CEO was interviewed the other day on CBS This Morning (you can find the interview on the CBS This Morning website). What does this have to do with homeowner associations, you're wondering. It has to do with expertise and preparation. The CEO talks about his company's customer service innovations. When he's asked challenging questions...for example, questions about competition from ride-sharing companies, he responds with information and statistics that put things in perspective. Whether you're a business executive or a volunteer serving on an HOA board, spending time preparing for any interaction that may occur during meetings or informal conversations can be time well spent. Taking a few minutes to think about positive initiatives and improvements in your HOA community and to focus on possible issues and concerns can be helpful, according to one of the publications about community associations, At Least Some PR . Even if you're taking just a few minu

Seeing what others are doing can sometimes sharpen one's instincts. When you see someone finessing tough interview questions on the evening news, for example. Not spinning a response, there's too much of that. But instead, answering questions in a thoughtful, measured way. We're all about instincts here at HOA Strategic. And communication. And one thing we've learned after many years is there's always more to learn. By catching insights when we're seeing what others are doing on TV, online and in print media.

How are your instincts today? Have you thought about them? Would you say people in the public eye are thinking enough about their instincts? You know who seems to be doing a pretty good job on instincts? Some of the big athletes when they're talking about teamwork and showing support for communities. Politicians? Really hard to say. Business executives? Yes and no. What's the takeaway? Ask yourself before your homeowners association meeting or before you walk into a business meeting...How are my instincts today?

( Editor's note: There's an article in a North Carolina newspaper, "My descent into HOA hell in North Carolina." And there's this article with a distinctly different message about HOAs.) Here's Why HOAs Are a Big Deal by Harvey Radin Would you believe that homeowner associations outnumber U.S. cities by a huge margin? There are more than 300,000 homeowner associations and only 35,000 U.S. cities and towns. HOAs also outnumber the giant retail store locations, fast food restaurants, megabank branches and coffee chain locations. The biggest fast food chains have 7,000-14,000 restaurant locations. Megabanks have 4,000-6,000 branches. The biggest coffee chains have up to 24,000 locations in the U.S. and other countries. Homeowner associations are a big deal. Not only because of the surprisingly large number of them, but also because many of them are multimillion-dollar properties. And many are managed and governed by volunteers, by homeowners who are e