Political Tactics  

Beware of board members that use political tactics to garner power in order to control the board. Some common tactics include attacking and blaming others versus making everyone a "winner," reducing uncertainty and using objective information; being irreplaceable and in a central position; and building coalitions and alliances. 

The first approach is to attack and blame others. When pursuing an attack and blame strategy, the board member might spread the word to others that particular homeowners are the source of all of their problems. The implication is that these homeowners are trouble makers and if they would merely follow this board member's suggested course of action, everyone would be better off.  

Sometimes the attack-and-blame tactic occurs face-to-face in a meeting in which one board member comes under attack from others. If the other board member cannot defend their position, the member leading the attack will then find it easier to pursue his or her objectives. 

A better approach is to make everyone a "winner." When board members pursue the make-everyone-a-winner tactic, they try to find a way to make a proposed course of action benefit all the parties involved. The stakeholders in a community are the individual homeowners and it benefits everyone to build concensus instead of alienation.

Other political tactics used by board members include:

• Be irreplaceable and in a central position - convince others they are the expert and the only one that has the answers.
  
• Build coalitions and alliances - garner support from others before launching attacks.
  
• Act unobtrusively and control the agenda - board member tries to be inconspicuous when trying to control the board.
  
• Reduce uncertainty and provide objective information - A veteran board member imposes undue influence over new, untrained board members. This creates followers instead of community leaders.
  

 

Homeowner Apathy

Apathy is a lack of interest or concern. Imagine entrusting strangers with your most valuable asset, your home, and never checking in to see how they are managing the value of this asset. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Yet it happens in communities every day.

It is prudent for homeowners to get involved, attend meetings, review financial statements, and ask questions. After all, it's your money and your property values at stake. However, people are busy with their own lives and usually don't want to get involved unless there is a problem. Consider all of the HOAs that have funds embezzeled and no one, not even board members, are aware of it until it's too late.

Some board members count on the fact that homeowners are apathetic. This gives them the green light to do whatever they want and not be held accountable for their decisions and overall management of the community.