The Cordillera Ranch POA Presents Operational Changes
By Kevin Koether
During my years in the Property Owners Association Management industry, I have arrived at a belief that at its core, the Association should be a resource for the Property Owners. To indeed be a resource, the POA must take complete ownership of its role in the community by communicating clearly, prioritizing and executing, and serving with empathy.
Communication
We are working to improve communication with property owners so that it’s more timely and responsive to critical concerns that affect the community. We must communicate clearly and disseminate information with a frequency that is balanced and appropriate. Our recent resurfacing project on Cordillera Trace is an example of our commitment to frequent and timely communication. Hopefully, it helped to set appropriate expectations and allowed Property Owners to modify their travels to, from and within the community in order to more efficiently conduct their lives and daily activities.
New Project Management Tools
Management begins and ends with the ability to hold a person or entity accountable. We recently added project management software to help facilitate and manage the execution of our projects. Over the next eighteen months, we plan to move at least 70% of the POA internal processes to this new platform. This is cloud-based software accessible from anywhere internet connection is available. We recently moved the ARC processes to the platform and are already seeing success in tracking the highly detailed and involved activities associated with the volume of projects in our community.
Restructure, Prioritize, Execute
We have restructured our various responsibilities and will continue to evolve as the team undergoes more training. I believe a key element of management is acknowledging capabilities and playing to each team member’s strengths. The restructure will allow for more focused roles and enable each to further develop their expertise. We’re already seeing dividends internally and externally. Clearer communication of expectations to Property Owners, designers, builders and other service providers is streamlining and expediting the ARC process. Developing expertise among our team members is enhancing our ability to better serve everyone.
The number of moving parts within the Cordillera Ranch POA is dynamic and will continue to evolve. Our ability to prioritize and execute is vital and critical. We are working diligently to prioritize current and future projects to ensure execution is completed in a quality and manner typical of Cordillera Ranch. We’re better managing the execution process to ensure the final product is delivered correctly and completely. We’re analyzing each process meticulously in order to implement more thorough training for our team on how projects should be completed and why they should be completed in a particular manner.
Serving with Empathy
Empathy, by definition, is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I have been asked before, “What does empathy have to do with operations success?” I believe that empathy is a core element of success in the management of a POA. I have impressed upon my team that every interaction, question or concern should begin from a place of empathy. When a Property Owner brings any concern to our office, there is added weight to the situation due to the financial investment and the emotional investment when speaking about their home and community. Understanding a Property Owner’s feelings allows the POA to communicate more clearly, help educate when needed and build a relationship of trust.
We are becoming more operationally effective and will become a greater resource for the Property Owners of Cordillera Ranch. By leading every interaction with intentional empathy, taking ownership in our community role, communicating clearly, and prioritizing and executing, the POA is improving to better serve you. We appreciate the feedback, kind words and patience that you have shared with our new team. We are highly honored to have the opportunity to serve each of you.
Kevin Koether is the General Manager of the Cordillera Ranch POA. He can be reached at kkoether@cordilleraranch.com or 830.336.3501.
