Your Duty to Serve

As a member of a Board of Directors, you are charged with several duties. You might be familiar with your duty of care and duty of loyalty, however, have you ever pondered your duty to serve? What is your approach to service within your community association’s Board?  How often do you think about the duty you have to serve your association’s membership without fail? Did you educate yourself regarding the requirements and expectations to serve and give your very best?

Let’s talk about the Access Management Group approach to the HOA industry.  Looking back over the last decade, perhaps the most profound evolution when it comes to any company and it's workplace culture is the makeup of the individuals - who are essentially the company.  At AMG, our essence is providing client communities access to the best management professionals! Without you, we would not exist and without a community association management company, you would not have the tools necessary to be a truly successful and effective board, organization, or association. We LOVE to work with quality Board members who WANT to serve and who take their duties seriously.

As a Board member of a community association, your calling is a bit higher than that of other homeowners. Being a part of the board sets you apart from other association members because of your duty to serve. You are not just thinking about your own individual home ownership, you are now thinking about maintaining and enhancing the value of the entire asset, and this requires a duty to serve the association with integrity. Also, there are many challenges for a new Board (and occasionally even for a seasoned one). There are new people within the community to meet, getting to know your community association manager, the learning curve of leading a non-profit organization and probably most importantly - becoming familiar with the community's Bylaws and covenants. There are lots of rules. Are you familiar with them?

For Boards of Directors who have already learned what it takes, consider your duty to serve as a contribution to the history of your community association. There are always homeowners who want to serve, but can’t, and homeowners who have the time to serve, but choose not to serve. No matter what, if you find that you no longer feel the gusto that comes with leading the community association, reflect on your duty to serve. It is with this service that you are making your community better than it was when you became a member of it and it is with this service that you have helped to create a future for your homeowner association. 

Board members, consider your service to your community.  Do you serve above self? What caused you to be interested in serving your community? Do you find your call to serve fulfilling?   When you ask these questions as a Board reflect on this “food for thought” - while an associations’ primary duty is to maintain community value, what are you doing to see it actually grow? 

We challenge you, both Board members and managers, to recommit to your duty to serve. Consider why you are in your position, and what ways you can tap into undiscovered strengths and abilities to create a clear vision for your community. 

Finally, know that serving your best makes you a better individual and makes those around you better - resulting in a more positive neighborhood culture. And last but not least, appreciate the growth you experience as a result of fulfilling your duty to serve your community and the HOA industry!