Colorado Real Estate Journal - December 3, 2014
It can be a little frightening to raise your hand and volunteer for leadership in your professional organization. The obvious deterrent is the lack of disposable time that we all experience in our everyday lives. Who wouldn’t hesitate to raise their hand for more responsibility? The less obvious obstacles to volunteering have to do with the uncertainty of the job, the team and the future. What will I be asked to do, and who will I be working with? How can I commit when I don’t know what next year might bring? The following is a given: Life eventually will get in the way of a volunteer’s ability to fulfill long-term commitments. It is not productive to try and avoid it. Instead, it is better to focus on how an organization can continue to serve its members and the industry when a volunteer is distracted by life. As my year as president of the IREM Greater Denver Chapter comes to a close, it seems prudent for me to address this issue. This year represented my fourth year in leadership of IREM Greater Denver. I was installed as president in November 2013, and in January I started a new job, which increased my travel beyond my expectations. In April, I began the process of moving my family to San Diego, and I joined them in September. Life threw me some of those unpredictable curves, and my availability and accessibility changed overnight with respect to my volunteer commitment. I was present for teleconference board meetings and managed to complete my national obligations as president, but I relied on my team to maintain the everyday leadership of the chapter. It was very gratifying to see that this team was up to the task. It is important to note that because the Denver chapter spent the previous years developing a strong administrative structure and attracted a team of volunteers that represented exemplary skill and commitment, my unforeseen absence did not require the chapter to detour the strategic plan. The team was able to carry on with business as usual with zero impact to the members. Providing seamless service to our members was a direct result of the following: 1. Employing or contracting a professional administrator who ensures the administrative structure and maintains continuity. 2. Implementing a clear strategic plan that propels the organization forward in a way that serves the organization as a whole. 3. Attracting engaged volunteers to understand and grow the strategy over time, rather than leaning on the ideas of a new individual every year. 4. Developing and enforcing policies that provide guidelines and boundaries that keep new and existing volunteers from having to re-create the wheel. The ability to navigate around the curves that life throws volunteers requires planning and dedication to a process. I am humbled to be on a team with stellar professionals. I have every confidence that they will continue to grow the IREM Greater Denver Chapter and the property management industry as they fulfill new roles in 2015. The 2015 IREM Greater Denver Chapter leadership includes: • Mark Polatsek, CPM, president • Julia Paluka, CPM, presidentelect • Patricia Hutchison, CPM, treasurer-secretary • Judy Houchins, CPM candidate, member at large • Scott Goldammer, CPM, member at large • Lori Moore, ARM, member at large • Justin VanLandschoot, CPM candidate, member at large As you welcome in the New Year, don’t be afraid to raise your hand and volunteer to serve your professional organization. Even when life gets in the way, the rewards can be limitless!