It seems lately that Board members are tripping over themselves all over the place these days - I get so many calls from board members that need help because the Directors are fighting with each other or the hired help or the members. Sometimes a Board member is harassing employees, staff or owners. Sometimes they are threatening each other. Sometimes one or more is taking information from executive session meetings and attorney-client privileged information to the owners because they can't get the board to agree to what they want. Sometimes a Director comes to a board meeting drunk and obnoxious. Wow, seems Board mania is a contagious disease. What's up?and he discusses solutions:
From my view (of course taking into consideration that most of what I see are the problems Associations face) the position of serving as a Board Member in an HOA is getting ever increasingly complicated for many reasons including complicated laws, threats of lawsuits, shortage of money for the budget, discovery of serious problems, trying to conduct business in the face of insulting or difficult board members or insulting or difficult owners, and sometimes because of excessive meetings and time requirements when something big is happening. It seems to me that every year, the fights get more serious, the job of each Director gets harder and the pool of volunteers willing to serve is shrinking. The stress encountered in the thankless "job" wears good board members down and the burn out rate is high.
From our last meeting, we can see that some improvements have come our way--Show up and participate--the more reasonable members who show up, the better. Join us--and share what you see
I attended the last board meeting and was pretty upset that the president lost his temper with the secretary and would not let him speak during part of the meeting. In addition, Jim spoke about Tom, behind his back, in harsh tones before he arrived. (Tom was a little late) It was said that Tom didn't pick up the laptop, printer and mail as he was supposed to. When Tom arrived, he told Jim that he had been by his house several times but Jim wasn't home.
ReplyDeleteThe day following the board meeting Tom went to Roy's to pick up the laptop and Roy wouldn't give it to him! What kind of game is that?
Roy said it was not ready, that he needed files off it. Why would Roy sit in the board meeting and let Jim belittle a fellow board member, knowing that the computer was NOT READY?
WHY? I want to know why our trustees treat each other like that? Roy knew it wasn't ready and let Jim talk down to our secretary. Of course the ones who look small to members are the ones who tried to set Tom up--
And, what files on the HVPOA computer need to be taken off? if they are our files, then they need to stay on the computer so the secretary has them.
I don't know how we can ever get the unity we are working for when board members treat each other like that. The only person worth respecting in that scenario is Tom. Keep up the good work Tom.
I was at the same meeting and I had a very hard time watching Jim talk down to Tom and lose his temper. I don't know if Jim realizes this but when he acts like this it just shows his immaturity. When he loses his temper all he isn't doing is layiing on the floor and kicking and screaming. It's still a temper tandrum.
ReplyDeleteThe issue with the laptop is unacceptable for any board member. Roy knew it wasn't ready and just let Jim tell Tom off. MORE childish behavior. When will this board every grow up...
PS. the reason I am signing this anonymously is because of how board members treat people when they speak up. If you were wondering how they treat people they don't like, it's not very professional and not very nice. MORE childish behavior. I keep wondering if I not in junior high again.