ar. 19, 2012 - Leadership Development: The Shooting at Fish Technique

 A long time ago I was president of an organization that prided itself on diversity and on membership participation in all decisions.  That sounds like a laudable goal: however, ‘diversity” and ‘agreement’ do not work well together even in the best of times.  In this particular case my job as president was to steer the group to a decision about a new facility.  At the end of my leadership term we were housed in a different building, but I was totally exhausted.  I had no more energy to give.

That was 20 years ago and while I’ve retained membership in the group, my profile has been lower than an earthworm’s.  Until last week.  

“Won’t you serve on the Leadership Development committee?” they asked.  “All you have to do is find candidates who will run for the offices of president and treasurer.”

Why, I thought, would you have a nominating committee called ‘Leadership Development’?  If the job of the committee was just to find unwitting volunteers, why the development component of the title?  Intrigued, I went to the first meeting.

It was as I thought.  A nominating committee by any other name is still a nominating committee.  I’ve always hated them: committee members sit around pulling names out of a hat and then selecting candidates through the use of low level, uninformed gossip.  “Well, she is certainly good about keeping minutes, even if she never says a word during the meeting.  She’d be ok as President.”  

“Yes, but I heard her husband has a broken leg. She might be very busy taking care of him and the children.”

“That’s true.  Let’s think about somebody else.”

The second part of the Nominating Committee’s work is, of course, to strong arm the unfortunate candidate into accepting.  “The Committee thinks you’re the perfect person for the job.  You’ve never had a leadership role before, and it’s time you gave back.  Besides, it’s only for one year.”  (Common persuasive tactics, with heavy emphasis on guilt.)

In some organizations, the bylaws require two candidates for every open position.  It was that way in our state Realtor association for years.  The unspoken nominating committee dialogue went something like: “Well, we’ve got our candidate.  Now we need to get somebody to run against him—somebody disposable, because that person probably won’t win, and will be so discouraged he’ll never be heard from again.”

So what’s the answer?  In the case of the Leadership Development Committee on which I agreed to serve, the answer got a little complicated and the job became more than a  candidate selection process limited  to a single meeting (I am sure they are sorry they asked me to serve….).  To my mind following actions are necessary to solve a leadership black hole in any organization:

1.Write clear and complete job descriptions for each office (elected and appointed).  Specify the amount of time the successful candidate will be required to donate to the group.

2. Then describe the competencies the ideal candidate should have.  If the job as president requires a public persona, then include that in the skill set needed for the job. (As an aside, the association for which I worked once considered a candidate who left every membership meeting with her pockets stuffed full of food—rolls, butter, anything moveable and edible.  Not a desirable presidential image for a professional trade organization.)

3.Insist on a president-elect position with automatic succession.  The president will assume the leadership role with a year of experience and understanding, and the board and staff will be familiar with the president’s style, values, and issues. Also, have a clear set of operational policies which transcend leadership change, and a strategic plan with which everyone is familiar.

4.Make sure candidates for leadership positions know the roles and expectations BEFORE they accept the position.  I’ve known organizations that ask the candidate to sign a letter of understanding which articulates the expected duties and behaviors—a kind of pre-nup for elected leaders.

5.Create a climate of leadership management throughout the organization.  This last item is extremely important and is most often neglected by organizations.   Leadership skills are not delivered to a select few who stand on the mountaintops and receive stone tablets: leadership skills are teachable and applicable to all members at all levels of the organization.  And these skills are not handed down in a half-day ‘leadership retreat’, either—they are the result of a consistent program of training and awareness within the organization.

Here are some ideas for establishing a leadership training program:

1.Have a budget for Leadership Development.  The organization needs to put some financial resources into leadership sustainability.  In one association, the Leadership Development budget includes not only education programs and a leadership retreat, but also travel to state and national meetings by elected officers.  It’s important to call this item “Leadership Development”, by the way—that title indicates the priorities of the organization extend beyond martinis in the bar at the end of the day.

2.Set up a clear and consistent leadership training program for all members.  Most organizations want members to represent them in the community at large as well as within the organization.  They want members to help effect change, carry the association’s mission to the public, and enhance the group’s image. Leadership training not only brings a skillset to the internal leadership of the group, it gives members the training and confidence to become community leaders as well.  Be the leadership hub for all of your members in their various roles.

3.Hold regular leadership trainings on how to run a meeting, how to read financial statements, how to use technology, how to manage volunteers.  Many of these skills are common to all leadership roles—you may develop training partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, a local non-profit network, or the community college in your area.

4.Make it a practice to separate leadership training from group issues and politics.  Many organizations hold leadership training sessions which are puffy presentations about membership benefits or current challenges within the group.  That’s part of leadership training, of course, but only a small part.  Groups are often held back because leaders don’t know how to place a Skype conference call, set up an email list, or use Google groups.  

The take-away lesson is this: An organization will advance its mission  by concentrating on two things—minimizing the changeover between one leader and another, and developing a membership base of skilled and confident leadership

craftsmen.  

Sure beats the heck out of the leadership development technique used by many nominating committees—called ‘shooting fish in a barrel.’

Mar. 7, 2012 - Seven Snowy Lessons in Association Management

Picture this:  by Friday at 5 PM the snow is falling—huge, wet, sodden glops of it.  It’s the kind of snow that happens in the spring when the weather is warming up, the ground has thawed, and folks see snowdrops budding at the corners of their yards.  Then the temperature begins to drop and the sky responds with a half-frozen thunderstorm which quickly ices roads, clings to tree limbs, and coats power lines with thick, glistening coats of frozen white.  It might have been easy driving when people started home from work, but by the time they reached home they knew Northern Michigan was in for a long weekend. By 10 PM the lights went off and the TV was silent. Early bedtime at my house, a night interrupted by the crack of tree limbs breaking under the weight of the snow and ice. By morning, the house was cold and there was no coffee.  The bagels were icy and the butter hard.  The driveway was buried under a foot and a half of heavy, wet snow.   Lucy the Wheaten Terrier didn’t get far from the house—she couldn’t even make the 25 yards to her favorite tree trunk.  It was a long weekend: the driveway wasn’t cleared for two days and the electricity wasn’t restored until a day after that.  Time to do a lot of thinking, eat a lot of peanut butter, and quickly learn to sacrifice style for practicality.  But the association manager in me never is quiet. Well, I thought, before my cell phone dies, I’d better call the power company in case they don’t know I have no electricity.  Using my handy dandy cell phone browser I went to the electric company website and found—ta da! The ‘Outage Emergency Line’ information is buried deep in pages of text about how responsive Cherryland Electric is in the case of an emergency. There’s the number!  Down at the bottom of page 2! Lesson 1: Prioritize your website design around what the user will want and need, and not about what you want to tell them.  (Sorta reminded me of the websites I’ve visited that give all kinds of information about the organization’s Code of Ethics without telling the reader how to find a remedy for an immediate problem.) Anyway, I found the number and called.  Of course the line was busy.  What good is one phone number to service 35,000 irate customers?  Lesson 2: Maintain adequate resources to provide effective services. So I thought, “Well, this is the age of social media.  I’ll visit the company Facebook page and  Twitter sites.”  Found those, despite a rapidly dying battery, only to read the messages from the 35,000 customers: “Please update your outage reports”, and “When can we expect heat, our house is very cold?”, and “My mother is on oxygen, please help.”  Lesson 3: Social Media means communication in real time.  The new technologies are worthless if used incorrectly. If you host a social media application, keep it current. Then my cell phone said, “No signal.”  No heat, no lights, no phone, no internet, no driveway. In the bottom of the storage closet I found a battery-operated radio and it still worked.  But where the heck could I find news about the storm?  Interestingly enough, nowhere.  News, I found, is relegated to a only few minutes, and no station had the capacity to provide in-depth local information.  I did find that there were several community shelters available if I needed them—and if I could get out of my driveway and/or phone for snowmobile rescue.  Lesson 4: Plan for a disaster, because one will someday happen.  Have a central information point.  Make sure that everyone knows where to go for information when it’s needed, especially in an emergency.  Technology makes it possible to provide prompt information services…so make sure you incorporate communication programs into your regular operations.  And Lesson 5: Make sure your support services are what the consumer/member really needs.  Shelters don’t do much good if I can’t get down my driveway (just as education and other opportunities in a trade association need to be relevant to the member’s business success). My rescue procedures began after two days of isolation: at 5 AM Sunday morning I realized that I could see lights shining on my frozen front lawn.  “Either the electricity is back on, or the moon is very bright,” I thought. Not so!  These were the headlamps of the snowplow stuck in my driveway as he tried to remove two days of heavy accumulation.  Too little, too late, and foolishly applied in the early morning dark.  He was joined by another snowplow and, some hours later by a front-end loader.  Soon, they were all stuck in my driveway and I was still a prisoner.  Lesson 6: Apply solutions quickly, using adequate resources to get the job done.  (I know, I know: this is especially difficult in an organization run by a committee.  It’s always more comfortable for volunteers to have another meeting, a survey, or a vote and further study. “Everybody needs to be on the same page” Is the common excuse for inaction.) And of course, the faulty execution of a solution leads to the inevitable:  Lesson 7: Maintain reserves.  Emergency measures will always be more costly than anticipated. Take the case of my snowplow guy: his initial timing mistake lead to three vehicles embedded in my front lawn, increased expenses for him, and—I’m assuming—a similarly inflated invoice to me.  Whether or not I protest his extra charges isn’t the point: somebody has to bear unexpected costs.  It’s just good business to be prepared. Well, this weather disaster all over now—the ice is melting; the lavender and yellow snowdrops have re-emerged; and my driveway is passable, even if it’s a soggy, rutted, muddy mess. I’ve stocked up again on batteries and peanut butter, because what we know in Northern Michigan is this: weather emergencies can yet happen.  It’s still early in March.

Latest adventure from Gertie Cranker....

Last week, Inman News released its annual list of 100 of the Most Influential Real Estate Leaders of 2011.  This is a pretty prestigious list in the industry, as befits a significant real estate voice and commentary.

I think AEs should fully recognize and celebrate the names of our peers in Realtor association management who are on the list*:

• Mark Allen, CEO, Minneapolis Association of Realtors,  and 10k Marketing
• Bob Bemis, CEO, ARMLS and MLS Domains Association
• Russ Bergeron, CEO, MRED, Ltd.
• Art Carter, CEO, CRMLS, Inc.
• Dave Charron, CEO and President, MRIS
• Merri Jo Cowen, CEO, MFRMLS and Chairperson of CMLS
• Bob Hale, President and CEO, HAR
• Rebecca Jensen, CEO and chair, UtahRealEstate.com MLS

That these names are included is important to all AEs: it means that the larger industry recognizes the importance of the work we do as association MLSs and the contributions those associations make to the industry.  I know I can look at each one of these people and respect their individual contributions to the success of our members.  They are, in the eyes of the world, some of the practitioners of Best Practices of real estate trade association management. As commentator Bill Fowler recently observed in his blog article “MLS in 2012”, “Creating something vital to REALTORS in MLS technology requires leadership in our organizations.” 

Inman has recognized many of these leaders.

However, without detracting one bit from the applause due these individuals, I’d also like to kick the Inman group in their collective kneecaps.  Why?  Because the MLS isn’t the only area of successful performance by association execs: there are other areas of management leadership and influence besides MLS and its derivative products, the only criteria seems to Inman recognize.  Other programs are equally influential in the world of organized real estate: let’s salute the AEs involved in the RAMCO development work and the successful implementation of some of the great Game Changer programs.  Let’s look at a collection of stunning association professional education innovations, international real estate outreach programs, cooperative infrastructure efforts between associations to produce better services and efficiency, and some outstandingly innovative state association programs—all influential real estate accomplishments in 2011.

Perhaps Realtor AEs need to do a better job of recognizing our own innovators and leaders.  How about an annual collection of best practices? An AE Innovator recognition program?  Another Game Changer program?

And for the benefit of all, let’s make our judgments not only on the program or product, but also highlight answers to the following questions as key learning opportunities for all association managers:

• ·         How did you foster overall management focus on results?
• ·         How did you create a governance structure to move your organization forward?
• ·         What techniques did you use to back your programs with strong, accountable, transparent financial management?
• ·         How did you motivate and structure available human resources?
• ·         What communications program and technology did you employ?
• ·         How did you manage resource development and fundraising to support the project?

Congratulations to the Inman honorees.  You’ve moved beyond IDX policy hysteria to develop practical programs for real estate professionals.  My hope for real estate in 2012 is that AEs continue to recognize skillful leadership and expand our opportunities learn from each other.

 

 

*Note, I didn’t include the NAR or ISC staff—they are also well represented on the Inman list.

 

ec. 10, 2011 - Making Lemonade: Building capacity in changing times

Well, this is interesting: the ever-optimistic NAR economist Lawrence Yun recently observed that 2012 won't see a robust recovery in the housing market. In fact, Yun says that as rents climb in the multi-family housing market and as the stigma of renting is disappearing, it will be the commercial real estate sector which will see the greatest increase in activity.

And noted economic commentator Barry Ritholtz states that the slow motion crash in housing will continue for another 5-10 years and predicts that the US are only in the 5th inning of a 9 inning game in which values may continue to drop. Additionally he says that"following a debt crisis, consumers spend a decade or more deleveraging, and tend to downgrade purchases that involve taking on more credit - like a mortgage."

What does this predicted trend indicate for real estate association managers? It's an uncomplicated answer: it simply means that our more aggressive members will go where the money is. And in turn, that means the association needs to provide those members with adequate support services to get them there.

Even the smallest real estate associations need to sit up and take note: if we are to remain relevant as trade organizations, we must understand that our membership no longer consists of 90% used home salespersons. In order to make a living in the real estate market, members need to respond to consumer trends-and according to the observations of Yun and Ritholtz, the markets are trending toward commercial real estate. That's where the action will be.

So how must real estate associations react? Most Realtors won't become full-fledged commercial specialists flashing their CCIM designations-a majority of US real estate market areas simply won't support many exclusively commercial specialists. What members will want to do is gain the skills and the tools to support an increase in their commercial activities, particularly in the rental property market for multi-family housing. And fortunately, there are some pretty robust existing programs that associations can use to build capacity to support these emerging member needs. Here are some suggestions for the association executive:

1. Encourage members to participate in a commercial overlay board. Many existing support services are already in place in these organizations-- you don't have to reinvent them and spend down your association resources. Becoming a secondary member in a commercial overlay board is a good answer for many Realtors who don't want to exclusively specialize but do want additional education and marketing networks.

2. Form a commercial marketing group in your own board. It could begin as an informal 'haves and wants' meeting over coffee and doughnuts. If the need is there, it will grow on its own-with the association acting the incubator.

3. Examine NAR's Commercial Services Accreditation program for local associations. While your association may not wish to pursue the actual accreditation (which may seem unnecessarily elaborate for your immediate purposes), this program does offer some very useful ideas on how to develop association support capacity in the commercial services area. Think about

a. A dedicated commercial page on your association website. It might feature member's commercial listings, statistics, and useful information about topics of interest-even some data from the local economic development organizations.

b. A website link to NAR's commercial home page, its commercial advocacy page, and the commercial education page. And don't forget NAR's commercial blog, "The Source.", as well as the Commercial Research department--members need easy access to this information.

4. Ask your commercial marketing group what kind of education programs its members need and develop an education series using local or regional experts-commercial developers, economic development corporation representatives, taxing authorities, and others. Again, remember that your target member market is probably not interested in becoming specialists in commercial real estate-but they do want information which will help them expand some specific skills in new areas. (There's a difference.)

a. Offering a regular (monthly?) commercial education program followed by an informal marketing session is one of the best ways to develop member awareness in the commercial area, assuming your association doesn't have the audience for anything more elaborate.

b. This activity might be one which could be shared with neighboring associations as well. Commercial real estate practitioners aren't always productively confined to geographical boundaries-a commercial program will possibly be more successful if your board can partner with other associations in this effort.

The take-away point here is that the changing real estate market is influencing member needs-and our associations must respond, even if only in a modest way. Most Realtors don't want the Commercial Member Golf Outing, or even a commercial ethics process or trade show (as the NAR Commercial Services certification application suggests). Reinventing the association model with the word "Commercial" attached to it is not what most of our members need or even care about-nor is that something that probably two-thirds of local Realtor associations have the resources to provide.

What members do want is practical, efficient access to the skills sets and useful information which the changing real estate marketplace is demanding. It's our job as AEs to start with what the member needs, and set about providing those tools.

(PS: How do you fund this stuff? Try charging the members to showcase their commercial listings on the association website, soliciting underwriting from developers of rental income properties, advertising sales, commercial affiliate member programs, to name a few ideas.…The opportunities are endless.)

Nov. 4, 2011 - Creating Communities: the Future of the Real Estate Association

Associations have a primary purpose: to create a community. In a real estate association, the primary purpose is to create a business community centered on the business of property ownership and transfers. It’s really that simple.

Let’s examine that word ‘community’. In many Realtor associations, the community is really quite limited: it consists of brokers and salespeople involved in the transfer of pre-existing homes. Oh, I know: lip service is often given to other groups—commercial specialists, appraisers, property managers, and a small number of affiliated business interests—but by and large the emphasis is on license-holding real estate practitioners. (Of course it goes without saying that the community is further limited by geographical restrictions, in many cases.)

Realtor associations build most of their programs and services around that limitation: licensed salesperson or broker, located in an assigned geography.

Frankly, there’s a problem here: in reality the real estate community is much more extensive and the desire to be a part of that business community much more far-reaching than the current operating definition would have us believe.   In addition, our existing membership is becoming specialized in other areas besides used-home sales: members are finding business in the rental and rehab market and personal investments for themselves and their clients. They are becoming more conversant in online marketing techniques, technology tools, foreign transactions, and finance.

The real estate community is also expanding well beyond the current limits of license holders, with a second tier of bankers, mortgage companies, and title companies. As members expand their interests and activities, they are partnering with an array of business interests never before included in real estate circles—marketing specialists, technology experts, website designers, foreclosure experts, and economic and development analysts.  

It’s easy to say “Not MY members—they just want to make sales. And, the  Realtors I know don’t read, anyway.” That’s a familiar litany, of course. And of course, in many cases it’s true: statistics show that well over half of current members don’t make a living at real estate. They are dilettantes, retirees, and folks who also have a ‘real job’ and just want to make a little extra income on the side.

The caution here is in thinking that these are the sum total of members, that this is the real estate community our association must serve. If we as trade associations fall into that trap, we are contributing to the erosion of our industry as surely as if we ourselves were the lions coming over the hill (“We have seen the enemy, and they are…).

Certainly this class of member is real and currently accounts for over half of our association dues income. “Ah,” you say, “doesn’t that make the non-productive majority our association’s target market? They are a majority of the association members. If it weren’t for them we wouldn’t exist. So let’s continue producing remedial level education programs, keep our dues and costs low, and direct our collective energies and resources at servicing these members.

I think there’s another answer: if the members in your community by and large don’t make a sustainable income from real estate activity, enlarge the community. Think about it: if your association is to become ‘The Voice for Real Estate’, for whom would they speak? Professionally, your organization would speak for all your industry partners—builders, remodelers, community planners, environmentalists, financial partners, attorneys, estate planners, and property owners. These are some of the areas of the real estate business community who share an interest in the business climate relating to real property.

There are many opportunities to enlarge a reasonably small and circumscribed audience and build a powerful community voice. These doors don’t necessarily depend on an MLS presence, either—they open onto a larger world of business interests, shared knowledge, and valuable networks and coalitions. It’s here that the real estate organization will find its future direction, I believe. There’s not a lot of reason to waste much more effort in locking the barn door after the MLS horse has gone elsewhere, but there is much to be gained by thinking about the kind of community that can be built through a real estate organization which is inclusive rather than exclusive, and which involves using technology tools and other resources to transcend the current limited organizational structure.

It also means assuming that the target market for a real estate association is based on skilled practitioners with skill and commitment to the many facets of the real estate business.

ct. 19, 2011 - MLS Questions? Who has the answers?

 

 

     Sometimes I feel like I'm standing in an empty room and all I hear is the echo of my own voice. This is one of those days.

     Two MLS-related news stories are bouncing around the internet this morning-one is about the NAR IDX policy proposed changes, and the other is about FSBOs.

     (Well, let's face it; they're pretty much about the same thing…)

     In a nutshell, the NAR IDX issue is this: "The big news, as many have already heard, is that the Franchise IDX policy will be repealed in its entirety. The overall thrust of the proposal appears to be one aimed at restoring the status quo ante." The quotation is taken from this morning's blog post by one of my regularly-read industry voices, The Notorious Rob. Rob proceeds to examine what this proposed policy change will mean, and then asks the question, "just what percentage of the Directors of NAR, who will be voting on this proposal on Monday in Anaheim, understand the issue? How many will have studied the issue? How many will have thought about it at all?.... Could someone explain to me how hundreds of NAR Directors are not in violation of their fiduciary duty as a director of nonprofit organization?"

     The other topic has to do with what's happening in the world that exists outside of the pre-meeting hysteria of an NAR convention. In this case I'm referring to Zillow's recent announcement that it has added 45,000 'for sale by owner' listings to its database of existing FSBO web and mobile real estate shopping , allowing independent home sellers to distribute their listings free of charge. Zillow obtains these listings through individual home sellers as well as listing feeds from ForSaleByOwner.com™, HomesByOwner.com®, owners.com® and Postlets® . The latter is a Zillow company, by the way, which allows home sellers, real estate agents and landlords to generate one listing and dispense it to Zillow's more than 24 million monthly unique web and mobile users, as well as 13 other sites including Yahoo!® Real Estate and craigslist®.

     We're not talking peanuts here--Yahoo Real Estate is a formidable challenger to realtor.com. But what really set me back was the association manager who, upon hearing of the Zillow announcement, shrugged and said (somewhat disdainfully), "I don't keep track of Zillow."

     Holy leaping ostriches! How can you disregard the competition with such insouciance? Oh, wait-I know! It's because you're busy word-smithing the following NAR proposal:

 

 

Associations of REALTORS® and their multiple listing services must enable MLS participants to display aggregated MLS listing information by electronic means. Electronic display subject to this policy includes display on participants' public websites, displays controlled by participants on other websites, display on social media sites used by participants, RSS subscription, and applications for mobile devices. All electronic display of IDX information conducted pursuant to this policy must comply with state law and regulations, and MLS rules. Any display of IDX information must be controlled by the participant, including the ability to comply with this policy and applicable MLS rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     And I bet you're thinking: "Now how am I gonna enforce THIS on a budget that has been shrinking as members are dropping away?"

     Well, don't worry about real estate buyers and sellers: they may be looking elsewhere. As Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff says, "Our integrated approach to marketing all types of real estate listings, creates the most comprehensive and data-rich shopping experience for web and mobile."

     Oh, and don't worry about the MLS subscribers either. They want to be where the consumer goes. That's where the money is.

Ari Weinzweig co-founded Zingerman’s Delicatessen in 1982 with a $20,000 bank loan. Today, the company is an Ann Arbor institution, and Weinzweig has branched out into a number of other businesses. We approached him recently to learn more about his leadership philosophy and his approach to innovation.

Describe your leadership philosophy.

There are many elements to it, but above and beyond all else, it’s centered around Servant Leadership. It’s the philosophy we learned from reading the work of Robert Greenleaf. The approach is based on the belief that our responsibility as leaders, first and foremost, is to serve the organization, not the other way around. One key element of it here is that it means that we—the leaders—view the staff as our customers. We need to give them great service every day to the people who work in our organization. The service that the staff gives to our front line customers will never be better than the service we give to them.

A great article....

 

 

As you may be aware, I serve on the Board of Directors for the MLS Domains association—because it’s a cause I believe in (well, ok, I have several causes…and I’m not very quiet about my enthusiasms). But as an association exec I was always frustrated by the ‘MLS thing’: the public appreciated an MLS but couldn’t define the term, and our members were equally confused—and thought every collection of housing information was ‘the MLS’. Whatever an MLS was, everybody knew they wanted one, including all the folks who weren’t an MLS but appropriated our name—like ‘FSBO MLS’ or ‘luxury home MLS’.

The 2012 opportunity to introduce new top level domains into the world wide web seem to me to be an ideal method to define the term ‘MLS’  and to control who can use it. If the MLS Domains Association is  granted the exclusive use of .mls by its members only, we will have come a long way to stabilizing the use of the term and protecting our organizations’ investment in being the source of the most accurate and timely data available in the US housing market.

Dot MLS (as I fondly call it) is an idea whose time has come—but not necessarily because the organized real estate is ready for it. The urgency was introduced by outside events: the international internet naming association has set January 2012 as the date that applications for new top level domains (TLDs) will be considered, “Big corporations, nonprofits, and governments are expected to scramble to claim the new TLDs,” says the Washington Business Journal. 

The MLS Domains Association will be standing at the head of the line, application and check in hand. 

But getting there is a bit of a battle. The biggest problem is that top level domains aren’t on everybody’s radar screen—and by the time the opportunity becomes  clear, it may be too late to be considered by the great domain naming authority in the sky (ICANN). The second TLD round may not be available for several years—opportunity lost!

The point of this long introduction is to set the stage for my comments on the recent Council of MLS conference held in Tucson. The conference itself was outstanding in its speakers, its format, and its opportunity to meet vendors and have meaningful hallway (and lobby bar) discussions. To my delight, the issue of ‘MLS branding’ was center stage during many sessions and informal conversations..

“What’s ‘branding’ mean?” my friend JoAnn asked me. “I’m an MLS financial person—I don’t know these things.” 

The clearest answer is in this quotation: “…understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.” To that point, it was clear at the conference that in a world where real estate information is everywhere, the MLS brand is increasingly important as a way to tell our audience (members and the public) that our information source is timely, accurate, and as trustworthy as they’ll find anywhere.

If the CMLS agenda is any indication, the topic of branding is under consideration of MLS leaders across the country. They are asking, “How will we help the public understand that housing information from the MLS is the most reliable source? How can we motivate our members (who are the collectors of the data) to do the best job possible in conveying accurate data to the MLS in a timely manner? How can we repackage our data products so that they are valuable to the real estate community and their clients and customers?”

These questions formed much of the substance of the conversations at CMLS—and the work of the MLS Domains Association was often cited as one of the obvious solutions. 

To explore this topic further, CMLS is hosting a half day session on branding on November 9 at the NAR Annual Conference in Anaheim. MLS CEOs and decision-makers should make every effort to attend this important education event.

You can be sure the efforts of MLS Domains Association will be on the agenda.

Sep. 23, 2011 - Last in the Series: The Interim AE Job Description

 

I recently attended a meeting of several association execs and MLS CEOs where we spent a couple of days brainstorming and fantasizing about our jobs, our roles in organized real estate, and the state of the industry in general. At the end of the session, we asked each other the question “What will you take back with you to the Real World? How has this two day discussion influenced you professionally?”

I had to think about that for quite a while. What I know about my position as a retired AE/current consultant is that I don’t have the power to make the Big Changes in the real estate industry. I am never going to make the Forbes list, or even the Inman list.  What I can share is some practical knowledge and a perspective that comes from the outside looking in on the association’s daily management activities. What I can do is drop a few breadcrumbs here and there and hope that they will be helpful to you on your path to your goals.

During these most recent think tank meetings, one of the participants turned to me and asked, “So Judith, what’s behind these last couple of blogs you’ve written? Why are you thinking about interim association managers?” 

Good question. In part, it’s because I was recently asked if I would consider being an interim AE for three months and I had to answer the question, “If I were to do this, how would I go about it?” The other part is that my church just engaged an interim minister, and I began to understand the value of a well-defined breathing space for an organization which is undergoing some significant transitions.

What this latter process also taught me is that ‘interim’ doesn’t mean ‘placeholder’. It suggests using the transition period to regroup, get healthy, heal wounds, find direction, and move forward. An interim minister in our church setting is a specialist at being ‘interim’. He or she is not expected to fill the permanent position—the interim is a trained  expert in the techniques of transition and the job description is clear.

With that in mind, I wrote a hypothetical job description for a transitional AE. The following is just meant to be a template—feel free to use it and/or modify it to suit your needs.

INTERIM ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE

SAMPLE POSITION DESCRIPTION

Sample Job Description

I. POSITION

Interim Association Executive (GM)/Chief Executive Officer)

II. JOB SUMMARY

Serves as interim general manager/chief operating officer of the association on a temporary basis. The interim AE is responsible for all aspects of the association including its activities and the relationships between the organization and its members, employees, community, government and other tiers of the Realtor organization. Sustains and administers the association’s policies as defined by its bylaws, policies and direction of the board of directors. Directs the work of all department managers; monitors the budget; oversees the quality of the association’s products and services and ensures maximum member satisfaction unless otherwise directed by the board of directors. Secures and protects the organization’s assets, including facilities and equipment.

III. JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Implements general policies established by the organizations Board of Directors, and directs the implementation and execution of those policies. Plans, develops and approves specific operational policies, programs, procedures and methods in concert with the general policies of the NAR and/or the association’s local board of directors. Coordinates the development of the association’s operational plan, and prepares a 90-day transitional action plan in concert with the board of directors prior to the hiring of a permanent AE. Develops and administers a sound organizational plan and initiates operational improvements and structures a plan for their implementation. Monitors policies relating to personnel actions and training and professional development programs. Conducts a human resources audit.  Ensures that the association’s current policy handbook covers all necessary topics such as sexual harassment, conflict of interest, and whistleblower policies. Maintains an active and informed relationship with the State and National Realtor organization, and oversees the implementation of appropriate mandated policies and activities. Attends conferences and professional education sessions as approved by the Board of Directors of the Association.

Coordinates development of operating and capital budgets according to the organizations calendar, and monitors monthly and other appropriate financial statements.   Takes corrective action as required. Upon arrival, the interim AE evaluates all budgets to ensure that they are supported by appropriate details, and conducts an audit of existing organizational resources such as buildings, equipment, and financial reserves.

Coordinates and serves as ex-officio member of the board of directors and of association committees.

IV. SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION

·         Provides advice and recommendations to the president and appropriate committees about materials, supplies, equipment and services not provided in approved plans and/or budgets

·         Ensures that the organization is operated in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws

·         Oversees care and maintenance of all the organizations physical assets and facilities

·         Coordinates marketing and membership relations programs to promote the associations services and programs to present and potential members

·         Develops a membership marketing program for members and affiliates

·         Ensures the highest standards are met in enforcing professionalism within the organization

·         Monitors compliance with state and national Realtor organization policies

·         Analyzes financial statements, manages cash flow and establishes controls to safeguard funds, if needed.

·         Reviews income and costs relative to goals and takes corrective action as necessary.

·         Attends meetings of the organization’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee

·         Participates in other activities judged appropriate and approved by the board of directors to enhance the prestige of the organization

·         Broadens the scope of the association by fulfilling its public obligations

·         Serves as liaison between the staff and the board, as appropriate

·         Implements policies concerning employee-employer relations

·         Develops and maintains a basic management philosophy to guide association personnel toward optimal operating results, employee morale, and member satisfaction.

·         Prepares reports and other supporting material for committee and board use.

·         Negotiates and recommends Board approval for contracts

·         Establishes and approves workloads, work methods, and performance standards

·         Gives direction to and works closely with vendors, outside contractors, firms and individuals providing service to the association.

·         Directs the association’s communications programs

·         Performs other duties as directed by the president and the board.

·         Assists in the search for a permanent AE

V. REPORTS TO President and Board of Directors

VI. SUPERVISES All Staff