Career Intensity by David V. Lorenzo, Business Coach and Advisor

May 25, 2007

So You Wanna be a Big Shot…

Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

This is an opportunity for everyone to learn from a big mistake I made recently.

A few months ago a few residents in my condo building asked me to run for a seat on our association’s Board of Directors. I was flattered by the requests and the problems in our building seemed relatively easy to address. Also, since I was new to the building I thought becoming a board member would be a great way meet my fellow residents.

I have been on the Board of Directors a little more than one month and in that time:

Our manager has resigned.
Several issues involving the construction of the building have surfaced.
The residents are calling and e-mailing me several times each week because we have increased maintenance fees to match the ever escalating insurance rates in Florida.
I have one resident who literally calls me daily, late at night, about a patch of grass that is missing from our playground area.
We have one board member who loves long board meetings, has no job and would love to meet every week. In addition, this person serves to agitate the building residents, makes emotional decisions without analyzing the facts and is pushy beyond what is necessary.

The most disturbing of all of these issues is the behavior of the overly zealous board member.

Volunteering is great but we should all pick and choose our opportunities carefully. This choice was clearly a poor one for me.

When I ran for this position I expected that I would receive an occasional call from a resident. I also expected that there would be personality conflicts and emotional issues that may influence decisions. I guess I never expected irrational behavior and unrealistic expectations.

I’m not a quitter so I’ll try to stick it out. I may need to change my phone number, e-mail address and wear a disguise to get in and out of the building.

Filed under: Executive Suite
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