CAI CT - Common Interest Articles One Hour Board Meeting

Not since King Arthur set quest for the Holy Grail has there been such a need to find something so badly.

I had the honor of moderating the President’s Club breakfast at the recent CAI-CT Trade Show. Mr. Craig Huntington, President of Community Association Banc, presented a fascinating program entitled “The One Hour Board Meeting.” Craig is a noted speaker who has made this presentation before numerous groups of community association leaders across the country. He set out to give the audience all of the tools they would need to control their lengthy Board Meetings. The attendees left the session with all that and more.

At the heart of his presentation are the three core responsibilities of the Board of Directors, which are to maintain, protect, and enhance the communities in which they live. Spending time on any items that do not fall into one of those three categories essentially eats away at the time that should be used specifically for those duties. He proposed that by eliminating the non-essential items from the agenda, any BOD can handle the community’s business in the allotted time of one hour.

Craig’s presentation made use of fantastic visual aids which he presented in the form of a PowerPoint Slide Show. Various slides depicted an array of topics including job descriptions of the various BOD members and the importance of creating an agenda for the meeting before it begins so as to give the meeting structure and keep others on topic and on focus. The ultimate purpose of a Board Meeting is to make decisions which will positively impact the value of the community’s assets. It is important that all attendees are aware of this purpose and keep it in mind while serving on the Board.
Craig suggested that every community is different and that a “one size fits all” approach will not work for every community. However, he was adamant that certain practices will yield better results for all communities. He advised the Board Presidents to observe the elements of an effective meeting by making sure that the Agenda and Reports were submitted to attendees 3 to 5 days prior to the meeting. He suggested that contacting all BOD members prior to the meeting was a good idea to acknowledge their attendance and assure their participation. He showed an example of a timed agenda that allowed for Homeowner input as well as the business of the Board in a meeting format that lasted only one hour.

Finally, Craig reminded everyone of the importance of celebration. The best use of a President’s hands is to pat a community volunteer on the back and lead a round of applause for those members that have contributed to the community. When a community member takes on a project, like planting a community garden or leading a litter pick-up day, don’t forget to reward them by heaping on the praise.

(Editor’s Note: Speaking of heaping on the praise, here is a special note of thanks for Craig Huntington. You didn’t have to cut your vacation short and fly in from Utah to be with us here in Connecticut on March 10, 2007 but we are very thankful that you did. The standing ovation you received from the CAI CT audience was well-deserved. Thank you for showing us how to conduct our own “One Hour Board Meeting.” The time we invested with you will be returned to us many times over.)