The fastest growing form of housing in the United States today are common-interest-developments—properties governed by a homeowners association (HOA).
HOA board members are charged with enforcing community standards and implementing bylaws that serve the greater needs of the community. Maintaining a civil decorum can be challenging when community and individual interests fail to align.
Anyone who has ever served on an HOA board knows it is a thankless job, fraught with pettiness and stress.
Recently, a member of a HOA board was telling me about a controversy brewing in their community. The wiring to a large in-pond fountain near their development’s entrance had deteriorated and needed to be replaced.
Bids to repair the fountain came in considerably higher than expected and now many residents are lobbying to forgo the repairs in favor of eliminating the fountain. They feel that paying that much for what is tantamount to “eye candy” is wasting the community’s money.
However, the HOA board viewed making the repairs as the best use of the community’s money. In their opinion, fountains are more than just “eye candy.” Fountains provide aeration, reduce algae growth, eliminate odors, decrease insects, and give fish and other pond inhabitants a healthy habitat.
The HOA board believed the long-term financial benefits of repairing the fountain vastly outweigh the short-term savings of eliminating it.
Good teammates are a lot like fountains. They discharge positivity, which returns to the team and gets recirculated amongst the members. Good teammates also reduce toxicity, decrease drama, and facilitate a healthy team environment.
And, like fountains, the extent of their contributions tend to be overlooked and undervalued.
When it comes to team culture, the long-term benefits of having kind, caring, considerate good teammates vastly outweigh the short-term benefits of having talented, self-centered individuals on the team.
The former will see the team through tough times. The latter will inevitably cause tough times—and abandon the team as soon as that happens.
If you’ve got a good teammate on your team who is struggling with their performance, consider investing in their “repair” before you elect to eliminate them. Doing so may turn out to be the most rewarding investment you will ever make.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
