2012

Have you ever had an opportunity to review minutes of a meeting, and from what is written, you are able to create a mental picture of who was actually speaking and what they were saying? Not only that, from the words written, you can glean the emotion with which everything was said and delivered. That’s all well and good for writing a novel, but it is the exact opposite of what should be done when preparing minutes.

Minutes should be minutes, not hours. That’s what we say when we are provided with a copy of the minutes of a board meeting or members’ meeting and they go on for pages and pages, with a transcription of everything said and the demeanor in which it was said.Continue Reading Minutes Should Be Minutes, Not Hours

In my posting yesterday, I blogged on 2012 New Year Resolutions for directors of HOAs with an emphasis on their personal development as leaders of their communities. In that posting, I invited board members to provide me with governance topics they would like us to blog on. One of the first responses I received was a great one that dealt with the often misunderstood topic of executive sessions. Continue Reading HOA Boards and Executive Session: What You Need to Know

Last year at this time, I blogged on recommended New Year Resolutions for HOA boards. In that posting, I focused on boards taking a serious look at the fiscal health of their communities and their plans to fund reserves. While that posting was based upon policy issues, I thought it would be worthwhile this year to address the individual development of directors with a focus upon excellence. With that in mind, here are some New Year Resolutions directors of homeowners’ associations (“HOAs”) may want to consider:Continue Reading 2012 New Year Resolutions for HOA Directors