HOA Strategic

That's four trillion -- with a T -- gallons of water raining down on our state over the next few days brought to us by a Spring storm stretching thousands of miles over the ocean heading our way. With new roofs, gutters and downspouts on our homes brought to us a few years ago through our HOA's strategic planning and reserve funding dollars, plus ongoing, scheduled maintenance to clear Fall/Winter leaves and other debris from the gutters and downspouts on our homes, what's a few trillion gallons of water? Now that's good HOA news!

If you're serving on a homeowners association board and you are laser-focused on prudent spending of association funds and you are working diligently to keep your HOA's budget on track, maybe what you're seeing right now in government is driving you up the wall? With people at high levels in government spending all that money on office furniture, special doors, travel and all the rest! C'mon!! It must be tough seeing that sort of thing when you're committed to prudent financial oversight at your HOA. When every penny counts.

Mother Nature stays on message when a delegation of trees wants to know what's up with weird weather. When a Winter heat wave hit northern California, recently, with temperatures soaring some 30 degrees above normal, "Perhaps an update from Mother Nature was needed," according to an article in The Pilot, a community association publication. "So, imagine plum trees, crab apples and a Scotch broom or two appointing a representative to get on the horn with the boss. And the next thing you know, the call's getting routed to Nature HQ's C-suite" and a plum tree, the delegation's "designated spokesperson" says: "We're a bit confused"...With "such unseasonably warm weather, we're breaking out in blossoms sooner than expected. We were caught off guard." That's when, after thanking the plum tree "for bringing this to our attention" and saying "We take your concerns very seriously," nature'...

It's words that cause some of the biggest screw-ups. It's the way people string words together. Even experienced people in businesses and organizations screw up communication. And when they do, unwinding screw-ups more often than not is costly. How is it that even experienced people mess up words? It's often three things: Word choice, tone and failing to see -- or ignoring -- red flag warnings. Word choice goes without saying, you might say. It's words that send the wrong message, words that might be misconstrued. And using words with an unintended tone, maybe derisive, indifferent or rancorous language. Missing or ignoring red flags is a third cause of communication screw-ups. Especially when word choice and tone are off kilter. And missing potentially problematic things, as well, that could have or should have been anticipated.

Can words in meeting minutes influence perception? For example, the choice of words in these hypothetical sentences: During its annual HOA walk-through, the architectural committee looked for architectural violations . Or: During its annual HOA walk-through, the architectural committee evaluated possible architectural issues .

Is it possible to be cordial, but firm? For us over many years in crisis communication dealing with people in the news media, being cordial, but firm, has worked okay, much of the time. Editors and reporters can be tough, just like people you may be dealing with if you're on an HOA board or you're a property manager. Big things can be irritating. Little things sometimes as well. Being both cordial and firm, what does it take to be able to be both as you're dealing with people? We could go on and on, but it would be interesting to hear from you out there in Linkedin land, to toss this around a little bit.

"In city hall and in local government, you have to get things done without drama," Lexington, Kentucky Mayor Jim Gray explained recently in Politico. It's much the same for volunteers elected to HOA boards and property managers, isn't it? Like mayors, they "have to get things done without drama." So, when HOA residents walk up to their mailboxes at night and lights automatically go on, that's infrastructure doing what it's meant to do. The same for street lights at HOAs, and common area irrigation systems, and recreational facilities, and the list goes on. Getting things done managing all the infrastructure at HOAs, hopefully without drama, is what people serving HOA communities do. You know...like mayors. 

There was the article he wrote about a billy goat and his boss discussing job security . And another article urging politicians to "take field trips to well-run homeowner associations"...to see how HOA leaders "are actually spending public money prudently and efficiently." And there's the book he's written that walks HOA boards and property managers through communication and PR. The book, At Least Some PR by Harvey Radin, boils down years of managing communication for large corporations. When you're in a spirited debate with your HOA neighbors or when there's a newspaper or TV reporter who wants to have a word with you, Radin explains how to buy time when you need to step back to catch your breath. People in PR and communication "often start conversations with the word -- SUPPOSE," he says in the book. Suppose this or that happens, what are you going to do? And there's more in the book that's available through Amazon Books o...

Some things, you just know, are bound to cause problems. The prime example, around this time of year, of course is holiday decorations. You've got the perfect storm when HOAs and condo associations say NO to trees and lights, giant Santas, sleighs and so on. News media love this stuff, it's made to order, because reporters can feature aggrieved people in their news coverage, people of all ages reacting emotionally to association rules that put limits on holiday decor. News media seize opportunities to use the Grinch-word. But it doesn't have to be this way if associations manage expectations. There are good, solid reasons why associations need to put limits on decorations. Like fire hazards when lots of people residing in multi-story buildings or homes with common walls want to have live Christmas trees that become dry and flammable. So, why not manage expectations by letting residents know ahead of the holidays the whys and wherefores of association rules, so associati...

Excerpt about crisis PR -- "Because of cost and other factors, PR is a nonstarter for HOAs. So what happens when there's trouble? When angry homeowners are peppering the Board or property manager with difficult questions about thorny issues, or even worse, when HOAs for some reason make headline news?" The author hopes you'll never have to open his booklet. But if your HOA is ever in a PR bind, it may come in handy. The author, a retired corporate marketing and crisis communication executive, has been in the trenches handling communication for multinational firms in the U.S. and UK. He's keenly interested in HOA issues. ( At Least Some PR , by Harvey Radin, can be purchased through Amazon Books.)

It's called media training. People in business and government go through it. It simulates what happens if or when people are thrust into the public eye. It simulates phone, face-to-face and on-camera interviews with journalists. It's realistic. Suppose a journalist asks Why is your homeowners association refusing to let one of the residents fly the American flag outside their home? Isn't it reasonable to show patriotism by flying the flag? If the journalist is on the phone or face-to-face with you, what would you do?

Excerpts from the HOA version of At Least Some PR : "Situations and circumstances can change in a heartbeat. Everything's going great one minute. Then something that seemed just fine, for some bizarre, unexpected reason, suddenly is not okay. "With lots of people -- Board members, committee volunteers and others -- often speaking on behalf of HOAs, communication can be discordant, confusing and misunderstood. Someone's on one page while someone else is on an entirely different page."

(Helpful for HOA boards?) -- the ability to see potential problems. To see what might go wrong before something bad happens...to keep problems at bay. (Goes without saying, nowadays) -- Emails can get you in a mess. Your choice of words in memos and online, too. You don't want to think about it when you're volunteering on an HOA board. You're volunteering!! Who wants to work so hard on words? But they do cause problems. And misunderstandings. And angst. Even lawsuits. (Speaking of words) --  "Fuzzy, terrible writing" is "costing American businesses nearly $400 billion every year," reports the Daily Beast. "Poorly written emails and documents...can result in lawsuits," according to a Georgia newspaper, The Monticello News. These costs slip up on organizations like homeowner associations and their property management companies. (Yes, there's good HOA news!) -- About a homeowners association saving "millions of gallons of water wi...

Finance? Forget about finance. Definitely was not my thing. I was always at odds with numbers, we just didn't gel. I'd zone out in math class. But all that changed, oddly enough, when I was elected to an HOA board. Crunching numbers for the HOA, being involved in financial planning, became actually fascinating. That's the thing about volunteering in an HOA community. You can expand your knowledge and expertise. As I say in my booklet, HOA Over Easy , getting comfortable with numbers was like earning a mini-MBA degree.  --Harvey Radin (For more about this post, contact hoastrategic@gmail.com)

SUPPOSE GOOD at a homeowners association, where to start? Maybe with a word like...prudent? When you have a role managing an association's money, that word -- prudent -- is a good word to have in mind. Taking your role as a steward of your neighbors' money very seriously, diligently keeping your eye on the purse strings.

We're starting something, hope it catches on. It's called SUPPOSE GOOD. Getting good going, that's the goal. To overcome negativity. There's an abundance of that right now. What a waste! Negativity. Negativity surrounding organizations, including HOAs. Negativity in business. Negativity in government. Okay...over and out for now.

When there's news about HOAs on TV or in newspapers, it's mostly the same old news over and over again. Someone puts up a flag, changes something on their home, has hens, roosters or pigs on their property, maybe playground equipment. Things like that. If reporters happen to call, what happens? Lots of scrambling around, probably. An OMG! moment.  There's a reporter calling, emailing or knocking on the door! What are we going to do? What comes in handy, sometimes, is having some kind of general response in mind. So, when a reporter asks: What are you planning to do about this? (The THIS being one of those things like flags, roosters, etc.), the response might be: We hope to be able to address this situation through discussions involving the homeowner, our homeowners association and concerned neighbors. Something that says a little something, without saying more than should be said, especially when you're under pressure.

Writers are a dime a dozen. People in communication and PR hear that every so often. But there's more to it than writing. There's the ability to see potential problems. To see what might go wrong before something bad happens. Something bad for an organization like a homeowners association or a business. That's what people in communication and PR bring to the table. They do what they can to keep problems at bay. People experienced at seeing problems before they materialize are not a dime a dozen.

Emails can get you in a mess. Your choice of words in memos and online, too. You don't want to think about it when you're volunteering on an HOA board. You're volunteering!! Who wants to work so hard on words? But they do cause problems. And misunderstandings. And angst. Even lawsuits.

"Fuzzy, terrible writing" is "costing American businesses nearly $400 billion every year," reports the Daily Beast. "Poorly written emails and documents...can result in lawsuits," according to a Georgia newspaper, The Monticello News. These costs slip up on organizations like homeowner associations and their property management companies. We see potential problems all the time in meeting minutes, emails, newsletters and website content. With a word or two causing confusion and misunderstandings. You know how this works. Spotting red flags is what we do. Reach us at hoastrategic@gmail.com