The pools at Captain’s Cove in Greenbackville, Va., serve as far more than summertime retreat spots. They are vibrant gathering places that bring the community together. Thanks in part to a junior lifeguard program, the community has woven pool safety into the fabric of daily life.
What community managers do can seem thankless and like our goals are forever out of reach, but we can support well-being and find success. There are low-cost, high-impact steps we can take to improve culture, restore meaning, and improve community associations and management companies.
For years, community association management has focused on strengthening its foundation of technical skills. While those capabilities remain essential, they are no longer what differentiates excellence in community management. Emotional intelligence is.
When my wife and I moved into our community association, I was simply excited to be part of a new building. As I got to know my neighbors, attended board meetings, and saw how deeply people cared, I realized how meaningful it would be for me to help guide our community transition from developer control to homeowner-led governance.
I moved into my first community association at age 11 in 1991. That transition — a new city, new school and a new neighborhood — could have been intimidating. Instead, it became the backdrop for some of my fondest childhood memories and ultimately shaped how I think about community today.
