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FOUR CHARACTERISTICS FOR SUCCESS
By
Rafael Aquino
Published March 4, 2020
Before you take on the responsibility of running for the board of
directors, you should have a clear understanding of your role. Many
times, members of the association believe the job is simple, and
everything takes care of itself; however, at times, the opposite is
true. While many factors play into your responsibilities as board
members, knowing some of your responsibilities will prevent you from
having to quit. While most documents do give you a
thirty-thousand-foot perspective of your role, the reality is there
is much more that goes into it. Below I've outlined some of the
items that aren't contained within your docs that you should have in
mind.
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Leadership Mindset - Being a leader means you must have the
willingness to make tough decisions, even when, at times, it may
not be popular by most. It's in those tough decisions where
boards are made or break in making a real change in their
community.
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Financial Understanding - Running a non-profit is no easy task,
especially if you are handed one that is struggling. In these
situations, you have to have the gut to clearly communicate the
situation with your fellow members, and hopefully, you have a
strong management partner that will help you create a plan to
get you through it.
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Community Upkeep - Upholding values and your community assets
must be your primary objective. In order to do so, you must be
prepared to understand the real conditions of your community and
what steps will be taken to maintain it properly.
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Community Involvement - A major part that is missed by many
board members is the importance of community involvement via
community events. The more a board does via community events,
the more its residents are happy to be part of the community.
While the above may seem elementary and simple, you'd be surprised
how many people forget to apply them. Unfortunately, the focus goes
towards keeping fees low and nothing else. In doing so, so much
potential gets missed.
I sometimes wonder if there were certain criteria required to sit on
the board if things would change? What would have if requirements
where added in the law where board members are required to attend a
board certification course, have some form of formal leadership
training/skillset, or require educational background to run for the
board? Would associations be run more effectively with this
approach?
I'd love to hear from our readers...
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As the Co-Founder and CEO
of Affinity Management Services, Rafael P. Aquino leads his team to
redefine excellence. They serve community associations
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and effectively with
dedication and passion. Rafael’s energy and positive
spirit is the foundation of Affinity Management
Services’ company culture, which instills enthusiasm and
excitement when providing expert advice to its board
members and relieving the day-to-day burdens of running
a community association.
Since 2007, Rafael has
developed a work culture that values responsive and
high-quality services. He has led his team by following
a proactive vs reactive philosophy. The same approach
Rafael instills in the day to day operations of each
association. Today, Affinity Management Services
maintains its success and benefits as a result of the
foundation Rafael has built and continues to foster by
providing educational seminars, continuing education
classes for association managers and board members
alike.
Rafael and his team help condominium and homeowners’
associations save money and improve their communities.
His calm, personable, and service-oriented nature helps
him to establish strong relationships with ease. Rafael
is known as a sincere and honest leader who looks out
for the best interests of his clients and communities,
and he strongly advocates for their needs. His role
requires coordination and communication, as such he
takes logical and intelligent steps to approach
challenges head-on.
As a graduate of Florida International University’s
electrical engineering program and a licensed community
association manager, Rafael’s education and skills equip
him with unique insights to tackle complex problems
through critical thinking. He understands how each
component within a system works together in order to
effectively arrive at solutions, techniques, and
conclusions. Therefore, as he manages the multiple
challenges of running a community association management
company, he understands how each property is its own
unique system and tailors’ specific services to assure
that all their needs are met.
For more information about Rafael P. Aquino and Affinity
Management Services please visit
www.ManagedByAffinity.com or call 1-800-977-6279
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Doral Office: 8200 NW 41st ST
Suite 200
Doral, FL 33166
Broward Office: 150 S Pine Island RD Suite 300
Plantation, FL 33324
O: 800-977-6279 ● F: 305-325-4053
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