HOAleader.com - Tip of the Week - September 23, 2016
Published: Fri, 09/23/16
=================================================================
Stop Bullying in Its Tracks at Your HOA
=================================================================
In this week’s tip, we hope to help you reduce conflict in your community by explaining how to identify an adult bully who’s gone beyond just voicing an opinion within your community.
Bullying is a daily issue for Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of STARS Nashville, a nonprofit behavior and mental health organization whose roughly 80 staff conduct training in schools and workplaces across the country on bullying and harassment prevention.
“We kept hearing in the bullying field that adults are deeply problematic on this issue,” he says. “It’s not an uncommon situation.”
That’s because people hate conflict, reports Dinwiddie. “Conflict-avoidant people often turn into people who use their power indiscriminately to bully,” he says. “They don’t mind being direct and abusive, but they don’t know how to manage that conflict situation.”
Dinwiddie says there are three kinds of people who bully:
1. The chronic bullies. “These people are often referred to in the literature as just mean, cruel, and nasty,” notes Dinwiddie. “And they’re chronic. If you’re feeling like you’re being bullied, there’s a pretty good chance others are feeling that way, too. This type also often exhibits narcissism.”
2. The opportunistic bully. “The most likely kind of bullies in the workforce or any association environment are this type,” he states. “These are the people who kind of pile on. They may not start it, but they join in. If they think a group has power, they may cling onto it and support it. They’re followers.”
3. The accidental bully. “These people are often very benign in terms of the way they bully,” says Dinwiddie. “They may come forward and may be so angry, they may resort to bullying. But the moment the person in that power seat says, ‘Time out. I’m hearing you. I understand what you’re saying, but we don’t need to go to that place,’ the person will say, ‘Hey, I got it. We can work this out.’ These people apologize and legitimately mean it.”
Dinwiddie adds that four tactics are common in bullies. “The difference between difficult people and people who bully is that the person who bullies does it with an intentionality to degrade someone, to intimidate someone, to humiliate that person, or to undermine that person,” he says. “That’s significantly different than when people have legitimate disagreements.”
Find out how situations can escalate, how to identifying bullying in the moment, and most importantly, how to shut it down safely in our new article: http://www.hoaleader.com/members/1435.cfm
Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President
=================================================================
Upcoming Event
HOA Reserves and Other Funding Options
How to Be a Smart HOA Money Manager
An Exclusive HOAleader.com Webinar
With Practical Tips for Condo and HOA Boards
Thursday, September 29, 2016 -- NEXT WEEK!
2 p.m. Eastern
Learn more or register now:
http://www.hoaleader.com/products/how-to-be-smart-hoa-money-manager-a.cfm
Members save $30!
=================================================================
Recent articles posted at HOAleader.com:
=================================================================
The Difference Between Honest Dissent and Bullying at Your HOA
Disagreement is common in homeowner associations--and everywhere that humans co-exist. But sometimes behavior goes beyond disagreement and crosses over into bullying. Here we explain how to identify a bully who's gone beyond just voicing an opinion within your community. We also provide tips to disarm bullies to reduce tension and conflict within your community.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Difference-Between-Honest-Dissent-Bullying-at-Your-HOA.cfm
=================================================================
Is This HOA's Rule on Occupancy Permissible?
An HOAleader.com reader writes, "Senior (55+) condo in California. New CC&Rs state that only married or registered domestic partners can live in the units. Can this be enforced?" Very good question. Here our experts discuss whether this rule is necessary and constitutional.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/This-HOAs-Rule-on-Occupancy-Permissible.cfm
=================================================================
Update on Reporting to Credit Agencies: The News Isn't Good
In this week's tip, we circle back to update a story we reported on last month with even more troubling news. Equifax says it will soon begin reporting HOA owners' payment history on credit reports, much to the dismay of the majority of the HOA experts we interviewed. Nearly all of them insist this.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/Update-on-Reporting-Credit-Agencies-News-Isnt-Good.cfm
=================================================================
Update: New, Troubling Info on Equifax's Reporting of HOA Assessment Payments
Last month, we reported that Equifax says it will soon begin reporting HOA owners' payment history on credit reports, much to the dismay of the majority of the HOA experts we interviewed. Nearly all of them insist this will increase HOAs' risks and liability but not improve collections. Last month, Equifax didn't have answers to all of HOAleader.com's questions about how the program will be implemented; it referred questions to its partner in this effort, the data aggregation company Sperlonga. However, in August, Sperlonga noted it was scheduled to launch the credit reporting service by the end of that month and declined an interview at that time. Despite that, we've since learned more about Sperlonga's pitch to management companies that makes our experts even more uncomfortable. The upshot? Our experts are recommending their boards run fast and far away from this new service.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/members/Update-New-Troubling-Info-on-Equifaxs-Reporting-HOA-Assessment-Payments.cfm
=================================================================
New Law Simplifies FHA Condo Certification
In this week's tip, we report on a new law signed by President Obama in late July easing restrictions on condos seeking to qualify for Federal Housing Administration-guaranteed financing. In case you're new to the issue of FHA certification, here's a quick rundown. The FHA guarantees home loans offered through conventional lenders, making the loans more appealing to buyers. The loans typically require less of a down payment and offer more liberal credit-score minimums for buyers than non-FHA mortgages.
Click here to read full article:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/New-Law-Simplifies-FHA-Condo-Certification.cfm
=================================================================
Get your own copy!
Subscribe to the HOAleader.com Tip of the Week at:
http://www.hoaleader.com/public/department49.cfm
=================================================================
Please feel free to forward the *entire text* of this email to others.
Copyright 2016, Plain-English Media, LLC
(866) 641-4548
http://www.hoaleader.com