Page 13 - CooperatorNews New York 2022

COOPERATORNEWS.COM
COOPERATORNEWS —
AUGUST 2022
13
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to provide their resume or bio in advance
of the annual meeting. Each person should
also be given the opportunity during the an-
nual meeting to present their background
and qualifi cations to the shareholders or
unit owners in an open forum and explain
how they will add value to the community,
the board, and its work. Th is allows for the
community to see how that individual com-
municates, their energy, and their enthusi-
asm for the impending task at hand.”
Wollman, by contrast, makes an impor-
tant observation based on his own years
of experience: “It’s not necessarily fair to
vet board members,” he says. “It’s an open
election, so the board can’t really vet the
candidates, and in certain respects, that’s a
good thing. Boards made up of people with
divergent backgrounds are better boards.
You don’t want a board made up only of at-
torneys or accountants. You want diff erent
types of representation within a building. If
you live in a condo, and 20 percent of the
units are rented, someone who rents out his
or her unit should be on the board. It’s the
same with families with children. You want
them on the board as well. You want a di-
verse board, both in terms of make-up and
skillset. You don’t want fi ve lawyers or ac-
countants—you want balance.”
Board Service 101
How common is it for a building or as-
sociation to have a formal onboarding
process for their board? “It varies widely,”
says Marks. “Some buildings have a more
prescribed way of onboarding new board
members, while others—the vast majority
in my experience—are less formal. I think it
depends on how a particular board has done
things in the past. When I fi rst joined the
board of my own co-op, there was no for-
mal onboarding. I had to learn on the job,
so to speak. When I became president, and
we onboarded new board members, I took
it upon myself to take the time to speak to
all prospective board members in advance
of the elections to get to know them, and
then aft er elections to sit down and walk
them through the issues the board was ad-
dressing, and what we would like to see from
them.”
Marks goes on to explain that his ap-
proach was more a function of how he likes
to do things personally than any formalized
process. “I feel that it is important for them
to fi t into the group dynamic of the board
and that they are in alignment with our
goals and objectives for the community. As
management professionals, we oft en make
“Boards made up of
people with divergent
backgrounds are
better boards.”
—Dan Wollman
suggestions to the board. Ultimately, how-
ever, it is up to the board members to decide more everyday issues not related to bylaws members for vacant board seats who they
whether they would like to take the lead or and so forth—perhaps a construction or lo-
whether they would like us as property man-
agers to do so.”
Wollman likes the idea of onboarding,
though says he doesn’t see it much. He rec-
ommends inviting board members-elect to cess. “Benefi ts include ensuring that the new not necessarily common, or even necessary,
sit in on a couple of meetings before they board member is aligned with, and working it’s smart policy. It’s of the utmost impor-
assume their new positions. Having them in lockstep with, the rest of the board from tance that new board members have a good
observe the board in action, he says, “is the day one,” says Marks. “At the same time, clear grasp of the tasks ahead of them and the
best way to integrate them. You can read expectations are set at the outset regarding community to best serve both their own and
the text of the bylaws, house rules, etc., but their expected level of involvement and the the community’s interests.
those documents may not be the issues fac-
ing the board at that time. New board mem-
bers need practical exposure to the building’s cess is an interpersonal chemistry that is
problems and issues—practical experience. hard to predict, points out Wollman. “It’s no
Th e things that come before the board are secret that boards like to recommend new
cal law issue, for example.”
Moving Forward
Th ere are obvious benefi ts to adopting a sent the interests of everyone in building.”
formal onboarding or board orientation pro-
division of responsibilities.”
Another important factor in board suc-
think they will work well with,” he says. “Th e
board should be a collegial group. Overall
boards must work well together and repre-
So while a formal onboarding process is
n
A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for
CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. He
can be reached at alan@yrinc.