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How to be an effective Chairperson

How to be an effective chairperson

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BCsystems works very closely with the chairperson, secretary, and treasurer of the body corporate committee. Our goal is to support all committee members, maximising the effectiveness and efficiency of their role.

In this series we examine each committee position, their responsibilities, and our tips for success.

The role of the chairperson

The chairperson of the body corporate often plays a leading role in the committee and within the general body corporate community. It is a volunteer position which can be very rewarding, but can also take a considerable investment of time and effort.

Owners who become elected as chairperson often come into the role with:

  • A professional leadership background like a school teacher, police officer, business owner
  • A strong vision for the body corporate community
  • Leadership skills in a particular area
  • Experience in other chair roles
  • Or sometimes, just because no other owners put their hand up for the job

Even though the role often attracts good leaders, there are no prerequisites for the job. Every building needs a chairperson, and every chairperson has a first time in the role.

What does the role involve?

Under the legislation, the role of the chairperson is actually a very simple, but specific one.

The chairperson ‘chairs’ or runs the body corporate meetings, and has the power to sign documents on behalf of the body corporate. The chairperson generally:

  • Works closely with the body corporate manager
  • Works closely with the on-site manager or caretaker if applicable
  • Leads the general agenda for the committee
  • Leads the conversations in committee meetings
  • Delegates specific projects to committee members to work on
  • Speaks at the AGM to give owners a general overview of the activity of the committee

These are not formal requirements of the role of chairperson, however, they are a fairly accurate summary.

Naturally, each body corporate is different, and the amount of work often depends on the size and complexity of the building, the owners, and the body corporate, plus the specific projects or objectives for that year.

Tips for an effective body corporate chairperson

1. Rely on expert advice

Your role as chairperson is not to know everything about your building or body corporate management. Think of yourself as a coordinator of experts. It is perfectly reasonable to ask your body corporate manager, on-site manager, lawyer, or other consultants for advice and support – as much as you think is beneficial for the owners as a whole.

Expert advice does not come for free, but when you engage it:
  • The burden on you is reduced
  • All owners share a small percentage of the cost, instead of one person being weighed down with the workload
  • The outcomes should be better – experts are experts for a reason
  • You will naturally take a guiding and coordinating role
For example
You spend days researching a particular topic to provide advice, or each owner contributes $3.00 in their levies to engage a lawyer for one hour to give an expert answer on the same topic. Consider which one of those outcomes better serves the interests of all owners in the long term.

2. Delegate to the other committee members

Committee discussions often stall due to a lack of volunteers willing to manage tasks. To overcome this, the chairperson can assign specific tasks to members, setting clear expectations and timeframes for completion.

This proactive approach not only ensures that progress is made but also provides structure and accountability. The chairperson can then facilitate smoother operations and more efficient meetings.

3. Communicate with owners

Owners can sometimes become disgruntled with a lack of progress, especially if they haven’t been involved with a body corporate committee before and don’t understand the time and work that goes in on a volunteer basis.

It is crucial for the committee, and the body corporate as a whole, to keep owners informed and on board with the committee’s agenda.

A successful approach can be a regular email, update, or newsletter, summarising current projects, their status, and personal feedback on the work and time commitment involved.

Communication directly from a volunteer chairperson is often better received than the same message from an on-site caretaker or body corporate manager.

4. Know you can’t solve everything immediately

Body corporate decision-making is naturally slow, with the law ensuring owners are given ample opportunity to be involved in every part of the process. Even strong committees very rarely see immediate improvements from their actions.

So, while it might feel frustrating to not have ticked items off your project list in the first quarter, it can take months before progress starts to show.

This is again where communication with owners and reiterating the goal is important.

5. Take on challenges one at a time

Some projects take a lot of planning and focus to achieve a resolution. When faced with two or more important objectives, it may be a better long-term outcome if you deal with one at a time, instead of together.

This, of course, depends on a range of factors including the cost of the work and how it will be funded. It is worthwhile having a planning discussion with your committee members and strata manager at the start of each year, so everyone is on the same page about the goals of the body corporate.

Having too much on your plate can make it harder to get anything done.

6. Think about the bigger picture

It’s easy to become distracted by new issues as they arise. Some projects, however, will be more important to the overall viability of the community than others. For example, a deteriorating roof may not get as much attention as a unit having constant parties, but only one of those is likely to increase in significance and cost if it is not addressed immediately.

It can be difficult to quarantine what gets the committee’s attention first, and what can be managed by others.

7. Separate home life

This is for all chairpersons, particularly if you also live in the community you are serving.

Even if you are very active in your role, you are still entitled to ‘switch off’ from your committee duties. You are under no obligation to respond to all owners or take up all issues immediately.

8. Hand over the reins when you are ready

When it’s time, hand over the reins to a new committee chairperson.

It’s common for a chairperson to start as an ordinary committee member and move into the role after demonstrating the leadership and organisational skills required. With new owners coming into your body corporate all the time, someone else might have a new perspective, different skillset, or a renewed passion for the role.

You may decide to step back from the committee altogether, take on a different position, or perhaps even offer mentoring advice to the new chairperson.

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