When a board is considering a new rule, policy, program, contract, or other significant change, much of the discussion naturally focuses on the immediate question:
Can we do this, and how do we get it implemented?
Those are important questions.
But there is another question worth asking before moving forward:
What will this look like six months from now?
A decision that seems straightforward at the board table may have very different implications once it is being administered day after day.
Who will be responsible for enforcing it?
Will management have the time and resources to administer it?
What will it cost; not just to implement, but to maintain?
Will owners understand what is expected of them?
What happens when the first exception is requested?
And perhaps most importantly:
Will the solution actually address the problem the board set out to solve?
None of these questions means the board should avoid taking action. In fact, thoughtful boards make decisions all the time that require change, investment, and additional work.
The goal is to look beyond the initial decision and consider what the decision will require from the association over time.
Sometimes the best decision is the one that solves today’s problem.
Sometimes the better decision is the one that solves today’s problem and still works six months or six years from now.
For volunteer directors, that’s not always easy. You’re making decisions with the information available to you, often while balancing competing concerns and trying to do what is best for the community.
A few minutes spent thinking about the future can help make that responsibility a little easier.
Before a board asks, “How do we implement this?” it may be worth asking, “What will success look like six months from now?”