I learned some valuable life lessons from 4 years of parochial high school. I had no particular religious training coming into the situation, so I suppose I was probably more in tune to behavioral and societal issues than most guys as I was trying to figure things out. One gem I picked up was that, when it comes to people, control is an illusion. The more you try to control people, the more they find clever ways (and some of the fellas were REALLY clever…) to push against it. And the more they are likely to disrespect, even resent, your authority. The key for long-term buy-in for anything is always motivation. People need to understand The Why. It’s not about actions, it’s about the purpose for the actions. Huge difference. It takes a lot more work up front to engage hearts and minds, but it’s the only way to achieve long term success.

I’ve seen this reality play out big time in community associations. In the early years of the Community Associations Institute, the emphasis seemed to be on covenants compliance. Boards and managers alike fell into the trap of proficiency and efficiency in enforcing covenants and rules without going deeper. They acted more like technocrats following procedures instead of leaders seeking to help stakeholders appreciate the reasons for, and values of, the framework of governance. It was as if the people existed for the rules instead of the rules existing to benefit the people. The result? I think we see the impact in ego-based interactions, poor practices, unnecessary stress on association volunteers and managers disaffected community members, and a general feeling in some quarters that community associations are inherently evil.

Leadership becomes easily lost in the practice of governance. It’s expeditious to be autocratic and cold. Unfortunately, the practice of rule enforcement smells way too much like command and control, which we learned years ago is poor leadership. And that’s why it doesn’t work.

It…doesn’t…have…to…be…this…way!

Fortunately, in the late 90’s we started to see an awareness that the goal was building community. That it was about creating a space where willing compliance was the norm, not the negative and vicious cycle of rule enforcement. Successful community association volunteers and managers have found that effective leadership was the key. Great leaders see the bigger picture and help others to put themselves into it. Their communications reflect the values and vision of the community.
So how can we change the message to begin to turn negative cycles around?

Let’s talk about rules
I’m using the term ”rules” here, but the principle applies to any process, regulation, or bylaw amendment.

Common Mistake #1: The knee-jerk reaction to problems is to try and control the people involved. STOP! Remember, control is an illusion. If motivation is the goal, you’ll need to take the time to see what’s really going on. If a problem can be nipped in the bud with a one-on-one conversation, do it! If it turns out the condition could have an impact on the community as a whole and a rule might need to be created, there are tests you can apply to determine if a rule is good or not. Ask yourself, is the rule

1. Needed? Less is more. Really. The goal is building community. A rule may not be the answer.

2. Legal? If it violates your governing documents or prevailing law, you’re doomed.

3. Reasonable? You might be ticked off about bad behavior, but you can’t be punitive, AND you need to check your assumptions. Does the rule treat people unequally? Not only is that not reasonable, it may also be illegal.

4. Enforceable? Another Catholic school lesson: If a provision is unenforceable, it’s of zero value. In fact it erodes respect for authority as a whole.

5. Supported? If the membership doesn’t buy in, it’s just not going to work. This is where community can be broken down by rules.

I taught those standard 5 tests in leadership training for years. And then one day, a participant said “I think there’s a 6th one.” He was right.

6. Effective? Will the rule actually address the condition it was designed to tackle? It’s easy to get lost in the weeds in the rule creation process and end up with a result that makes no sense.

CAI has some great resources you can use, such as Kenneth Budd’s 1998 book Be Reasonable

Common Mistake #2: The second common mistake has to do with how a new rule is rolled out. If I read one more notice that starts off “As you are aware, we’ve had a problem with…” Click. I’m out. The nun just came at me with a ruler & I’m bolting. If you just came up with a good rule, it will enhance quality of life for the membership as a whole. Why not lead with that and help members to see why they should care and want to help?  How about, “The board of directors is pleased to announce a new feature that we believe will enhance the beauty of our community.” Then you explain how. The Why may be explicit or implicit, just make sure it’s in there. The fact that it’s a rule becomes far more palatable at the very least, and broadly supported at best.

Now what? Despite all best intentions, at some point a rule will be broken or a covenant violated. This will be covered in next week’s blog.