Why presence, not perfection, drives performance and resilience.
By Finn Janning Ph.D. for Psychology Today
Key points
Leaders who embrace vulnerability foster trust, creativity, and collaboration.
Presence—not perfectionism—drives performance, resilience, and clarity.
Self-emptying attention (Simone Weil) and contemplative openness enable wiser, more compassionate leadership.
We live in a culture of performance: business, sports, and education all expect leaders to be strong, certain, strategic, and always in control. Yet the paradox of high performance is this: striving to be invulnerable can make us fragile.
Neuroscience and sports psychology (for example, acceptance and commitment therapy) show that anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of mistakes shrink cognitive flexibility and creativity. The more we obsess over results, the more our attention collapses into the future. This focus makes us less present with what is happening now. As mental performance coach Graham Betchart puts it: “Stress is the absence of presence.”
This is not a new idea. Long before modern psychology, philosopher Simone Weil described attention as the most radical form of presence. She argued that attention is not controlling the world, but consenting to it. True attention, she wrote, requires self-emptying: standing unprotected in front of reality, without illusion or defense. Vulnerability is the precondition for wisdom.
Why Vulnerability Creates Better Leaders
Counterintuitively, leaders who dare to be vulnerable consistently outperform those who hide behind certainty and perfection. Research and practice reveal six recurrent themes:
Letting go of obsession with results When leaders fixate on outcomes, they move mentally into the future. This takes them away from presence, intuition, and responsiveness. Presence solves problems; anxiety does not.
Becoming comfortable with discomfort Growth requires friction. Leaders who avoid discomfort avoid learning. Carol Dweck’s “growth mindset” research shows that development depends on the willingness to not know.
Making — and sharing — mistakes Perfectionism doesn’t inspire respect — it inspires fear. When leaders say, “I make mistakes too,” teams take risks, innovate, and collaborate more freely.
Leading from thriving mode, not survival mode Fear activates defensive behavior. Trust and calm activate creativity, connection, and collective intelligence.
Recognizing energy is contagious People sense fear instantly. A tense leader produces a tense team. A grounded leader can regulate an entire room without saying a word.
Allowing vulnerability If you refuse to be vulnerable, you become rigid. If you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you become adaptable. Adaptability, not perfection, is what wins over time.
Empathy and compassion are central to these principles. The key takeaway: Leaders don’t inspire teams by appearing flawless; they inspire by making people feel seen and accepting their own limitations.
Vulnerability as a Spiritual — Not Only Psychological — Practice
Simone Weil believed that attention becomes transformative only when the ego loosens its grip. To pay attention without grasping or defending is an act of surrender. It is a form of self-emptying. From this emptiness, she argued, compassion, clarity, and action are born.
A modern contemplative practice echoes this idea: centering prayer, a method developed by Father Thomas Keating and colleagues. Rather than controlling thoughts or emotions, practitioners silently consent to reality—or to God, or to life—with the humble orientation: “Here I am.”
In a performance-obsessed culture, such surrender may seem counterintuitive. But centuries of contemplative wisdom and decades of psychological research converge on the same point: The strongest leaders are not those who control the most, but those who resist the urge to dominate.
Vulnerability is not weakness; it enables connection by ending self-protection. In this state, creativity, resilience, and trust can grow. Key takeaway: Embracing vulnerability fosters genuine relationships and personal growth.
Where Leadership Is Going
As artificial intelligence automates competence and efficiency, the unique value of human leadership is shifting. The future belongs to leaders who can foster trust, rather than fear.
In business, education, therapy, sports, or family life, the most transformative leaders learn the courage to say: I am here — not perfect, not certain, but present. That is vulnerability. And vulnerability is the foundation of leadership wisdom.
You can’t pick your neighbors, but if you could, wouldn’t you want them to be nice? How far would you be willing to go to try to ensure that was the case? Would you ask them to sign a document promising that they’d at least try to be kind to you and everyone else in the area?
This isn’t a hypothetical: In at least one planned community called Silverwood, the developer requires homebuyers to sign a “kindness pledge,” seeking to build a culture of listening to others, excluding hateful words, and engaging on a personal level.
The community, located in Hesperia, CA, argues that explicitly promoting civility can create better neighborhoods in an increasingly divided world.
But can developers, builders, sellers, or HOAs actually enforce being nice? And beyond the warm feelings, does living in a “kindness community” offer any real, tangible benefits for those looking to buy, live, and sell there? Here’s what prospective homebuyers need to know.
The legal reality: It isn’t enforceable
Before you get upset at the idea that you might truly have to be nice to your neighbors if you want to live somewhere, understand that a kindness pledge has virtually no legal weight. It’s more of an aspirational thing.
There are a few main reasons for this. One is that kindness is a vague concept that would be hard to pin down in any real way.
“Community covenants and restrictions must be specific, objective, and capable of consistent enforcement,” says Donna DiMaggio Berger, a Florida-based attorney who specializes in HOA and condominium law. “While associations can enforce restrictions related to property use, architectural standards, and certain behaviors, a vague ‘niceness’ requirement lacks clear legal standards.”
Being overly loud, leaving your trash cans on the street, threatening or stalking your neighbors—those are clear behaviors that an HOA could enforce. Kindness, as described by things like tone of voice or opinions, is less so.
Even if a pledge were more specific, enforcing subjective behavioral standards would open HOAs up to significant legal challenges around discrimination, selective enforcement, and potential violations of members’ rights.
“Enforcing it would be nearly impossible and potentially unlawful depending on how it is drafted and applied,” says Berger. “Even well-intentioned civility pledges could be used to exclude certain groups of people, especially if niceness is equated with conformity to certain cultural norms.”
So what’s the point of having one?
If kindness pledges aren’t enforceable, why do they exist? The answer lies in self-selection and community building.
Developers use these pledges as a screening mechanism. Homebuyers who are put off by the idea of signing a kindness pledge will likely look elsewhere, while those attracted to the concept will feel they’re moving into a community of like-minded neighbors.
“I find that young families with children often embrace this kind of environment because it equals a ‘safer’ or ‘more accepting’ environment,” says Kristen Conti, a Florida real estate broker.
The tangible benefits of ‘nice’ neighborhoods
Beyond the feel-good factor, however, research suggests that communities with stronger social bonds and neighborly interaction do offer measurable benefits.
“Generally speaking, community cohesion correlates with higher property values and fewer legal disputes,” says Berger.
This manifests in a few ways. For example, neighborhoods with higher social connectedness show lower crime rates.
And some of the tenets of a socially cohesive neighborhood may lead to higher home prices: A survey from the National Association of Realtors® found that over 30% of Gen Z and millennial respondents were willing to pay significantly more to live in walkable communities—neighborhoods where social interaction happens more naturally.
That said, these communities are likely more sought-after because of the knock-on effects rather than, say, a specific pledge to be kind.
“It’s not the behavioral agreements themselves that drive higher property values,” says Conti. “The reasons are tied to the community maintaining order, cleanliness, and safety—things like lawn care standards, noise restrictions, and care of community amenities.”
What homebuyers should consider about kind communities
If you’re evaluating a community with a kindness pledge or similar behavioral covenant, here are key questions to ask:
What happens if someone violates the pledge? If the answer is vague or nonexistent, you’re looking at an aspirational document, not an enforceable rule. That’s OK, of course, but in your conversations with neighbors or sellers, try to ascertain a sense of how “enforced” that idea is.
Are there specific behaviors that are enforceable? Look at the HOA’s CC&Rs (covenants, conditions, and restrictions) for actual rules around noise, property maintenance, and neighbor conduct. These are not kindness requirements, but they may lead to similar impacts.
What amenities and design features support community building? Pledges aside, does the development include shared spaces, walkable areas, and opportunities for neighbors to interact naturally? Physical design matters, perhaps even more than written promises.
Finally, what’s the community culture really like? Talk to existing residents. Ask about conflict resolution, HOA responsiveness, and whether people actually interact with their neighbors.
Pledging kindness is just one piece of the puzzle
Can your neighbors force you to be nice? No. Kindness pledges carry no legal weight and can’t be enforced like traditional HOA rules. Besides, kindness means different things in different places—what’s considered neighborly in Brooklyn, NY, may differ from Brooklyn, IA.
But that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless. These pledges serve as cultural markers that attract certain buyers and signal shared values. And while you can’t mandate kindness, research shows that neighborhoods with stronger social bonds deliver real benefits.
The key is looking beyond the pledge itself to evaluate whether a community’s design, amenities, and existing culture actually support the neighborly interaction the pledge promises.
By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column
Kelly, we thought it was not legal to use any HOA facilities or resources for political purposes. A HOA resident has announced their intentions to run for public office in a posting on our HOA website. In the past, no one else has been permitted to do this. Have there been changes in the laws that now permit this? Thank you, P.G., Menifee
Dear P.G.: The statutes regulating HOA elections (Civil 5100-5145) do not allow HOAs to take sides. There is another statute, Civil Code Section 4515, which protects the right of homeowners to hold meetings within the HOA regarding matters of public interest, including public elections. However, that statute does not authorize HOAs to endorse candidates in public election contests. Such an action could possibly be considered outside the Association’s corporate purpose. There is some authority that if there is a political issue that clearly affects the HOA’s interests – such as a proposed airport near the HOA – the HOA could support a side in that battle. I think your HOA management and board should stay out of public election contests, even if the candidate is one of the HOA neighbors. Sincerely, Kelly
Dear Mr. Richardson: Yesterday we had our annual meeting but ballots were not opened because we did not meet quorum. One of the candidates is not an owner. I called the Inspector to say that I’m contesting the election because one of the candidates does not meet the mandatory qualification. So far I have not heard back. The Inspector was sent a copy of the deed; the candidate is not on the deed. This doesn’t sit well with me. Y.R., San Diego
Dear Kelly: We have 5 board members. In the last election, a board member filed for reelection. Before the ballots were counted, he sold his unit. He won reelection and then resigned when his unit sold. To me, this invalidates the election, but management claims this is fine. The board operates with 4 members. Also, the board refuses to appoint a replacement. What is the law? M.D., Tustin
Dear Y.R. and M.D.: Per Civil Code Section 5105(b) candidates MUST be disqualified if they are not HOA members. So, Y.R., that candidate should not have been allowed to run, and could not serve because nominating requirements apply equally to directors (Civil Code Section 5100(d)(2)). If an ineligible candidate is allowed to run, it is a violation which could affect the outcome of the election and be subject to overturning per Civil Code Section 5145. Interestingly, subpart (c) of the statute allows elections to be challenged in small claims court, so long as any monetary demand does not exceed small claims jurisdiction. HOAs need to carefully confirm the eligibility of candidates to avoid possibly having to conduct an election twice.
M.D., Candidates who sell and cease ownership before vote counting lose eligibility, and votes for that person cannot be counted. He could not resign since he was not re-elected. The next place vote recipient should have been declared elected. If there were no other candidates then the board could appoint to fill the vacancy. Check your HOA bylaws. Some bylaws require filling vacancies while others leave it as optional until the next election. Best, Kelly
Michelle P. Quinn is a partner at the law firm Gallet Dreyer & Berkey. The statements and views in this article, which appeared in the February issue of Habitat magazine, are her own and not necessarily those of the firm.
Co-op and condo boards cannot afford to forget one of the more curious aspects of running a building in New York City: While the city owns most of the sidewalks, it isn’t responsible for taking care of them. A recent court case illustrates why boards cannot sidestep their duty to maintain all sidewalks adjacent to their buildings.
In August 2017, a seemingly ordinary summer day turned into a major event for one unfortunate pedestrian — and into a long-running legal saga for the Jamaica East Condominium. Maria Valleda tripped and fell on the sidewalk adjacent to Jamaica East. She briefly lost consciousness and suffered a broken toe. The incident spurred her to take legal action, and she did so in 2018, filing a personal-injury suit against the condominium, Villeda v. Bd. of Mgrs. of Jamaica East Condo.
As the legal showdown unfolded, Valleda filed a motion for summary judgment, honing in on the defendant’s liability for its failure to maintain and promptly repair an uneven sidewalk adjacent to the condominium. Under the New York City administrative code, a property owner has an ongoing obligation to maintain the public sidewalk that abuts its property.
The condominium wasn’t going down without a fight, however. It claimed that the sidewalk’s condition was “open and obvious,” suggesting that it was the pedestrian’s responsibility to take care. The court quickly debunked this notion, emphasizing that the issue of whether a condition is obvious did not, in anyway, excuse the condominium from its duty to comply with its ongoing obligation to maintain the public sidewalk.
The courtroom battle intensified when the condominium sought to shift liability onto the contractor it had hired for repairs prior to Valleda’s fall. The court deemed this argument futile, ruling that the duty to maintain the sidewalk could not be outsourced to a third party. This left the condominium solely accountable for the maintenance of the sidewalk. Adding fuel to the fire, the condo board’s president admitted during her deposition that the association had noticed the tripping hazard of the sidewalk. Not exactly a winning hand.
With the cards laid bare, the decisive moment arrived. In 2023, the court granted summary judgment in favor of Valleda, holding the condominium liable for its failure to reasonably maintain the hazardous sidewalk, which had caused her injuries. After nearly five years, the case can now move to trial, with the issue of comparative fault, if any, and damages to be determined at that time.
This legal saga serves as a reminder for co-op and condo boards that property owners bear not only the responsibility for their buildings but also for the safety of the adjacent public sidewalks. This crucial duty cannot be delegated or brushed aside. Regular and thorough inspections, coupled with prompt repairs, are paramount in limiting the risk of personal-injury claims. This story underscores another crucial point: No matter how obvious a hazardous condition might appear, it doesn’t absolve property owners from their duty. The safety and well-being of pedestrians cannot be compromised.
What’s the No. 1 thing employees want from you as a leader? As Greg Brenneman—who led turnarounds of Continental Airlines, PwC Consulting and Burger King—put it at the first virtual Scaling Up event after Covid hit, “The job of a leader is to absorb fear and exude hope.” Just released research from Gallup bears him out.
That’s especially true in times of crisis and chaos. Ask Christine Assouad, CEO of Dunkin’ Donuts Lebanon. Assouad, a member of Young Presidents’ Organization, launched Dunkin Donuts in her country in 1998 and plans 50 stores by year’s end.
You think you’ve got it bad…
Consider what Assouad was up against: She scaled operations despite a popular revolution in 2019 followed by capital control and currency devaluation, a deadly ammonium nitrate explosion at Beirut’s port in 2020 that displaced more than 300,000 people and a 14-month war that ended in a ceasefire in November 2024. “We were in survival mode for a few years, seeing most international chains exit or close stores,” says Assouad.
However, that chaos gave the company an edge. As the late Brazilian racecar driving legend Ayrton Senna put it, “You cannot overtake 15 cars when it’s sunny, but you can when it’s raining.” After opening six stores in 2024, including a flagship with a podcast studio, gaming room and meeting room, Assouad just signed another 10, with plans to hire 25 percent more team members and her sights set on reaching 100.
In the meantime, she’ll be one of the Sharks on an upcoming season of Shark Tank Lebanon. She also runs Empowering Tribe, a group she founded in 2023 to support female leaders in the Middle East, and the Semsom concept, a Lebanese casual dining concept with restaurants in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.
Leaders have a choice: to be winners or whiners. Here’s how she keeps her eyes trained on winning
Stay focused on purpose
Assouad turned her stores into destinations where employees come in early to write positive “notes of happiness” on each coffee cup. “The main point is to constantly remind our team of our purpose, the fact that we’re here ‘to spread happiness,’” she says. “I call it the ‘smiling business.’”
Show you’ve got it covered
Hopefulness will only inspire a team if it’s grounded in reality, especially in wartime. “The first day of the crisis, we listed all the possible scenarios and had an action plan for each,” Assouad says. “Being prepared made the whole difference.”
Stay ready for good times
Assouad also kept her team excited about what was coming after the crisis. During slow periods, Assouad arranged for large-scale trainings in how to use AI and had her team build out an ERP system. “We used dead time to do things we didn’t usually have time to do,” she says. One added bonus: With many employees seeking educational opportunities, it gave them a reason to stay.
Make time for fun
Assouad makes play a priority. Recently, she brought her team together in Beirut to have fun designing their own Dunkin’ concept stores. Everyone forgot about job titles and let their imaginations run wild. “At the end of the day, business is not just about serving customers,” she reflected in a LinkedIn post. “It’s about connecting humans. When your team feels safe, seen and inspired, magic happens.”
That doesn’t mean ignoring the trauma team members experienced during the war. To support mental health, she arranged weekly team meetings, group therapy sessions and retreats for different layers of managers.
Ultimately, we have a choice as CEOs—to suck it up in challenging circumstances or to give in to whining. As Assouad continues to prove, winners know that growth is always possible, even during a war.
We had the privilege of gleaning many insights from Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, into this particular topic. She is the community association manager for A Pocono Country Place, a 4,500 self-contained, private residential community located in the Pocono Mountains, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania and is a member of the CAMICB Board of Commissioners.
Managing vendors is a critical component of a community association manager’s role and is essential for maintaining the physical condition, financial health, and overall satisfaction of a homeowners association, which in turn reflects the professionalism and competence of the community association manager. Properly managing and overseeing vendors ensures quality of services, cost management, legal and contractual compliance, residence satisfaction and supports efficiency and problem resolution.
“In the ever-evolving landscape of community association management, the role of reliable and vetted vendors in homeowners associations (HOAs) cannot be overstated,” said Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM. “From maintenance and landscaping to public safety and technology services, vendors are pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation and enhancement of our communities. Further, the importance of thoroughly vetting and implementing the best vendors is both a strategic necessity and a fiduciary responsibility that falls to the community association manager.”
Quality of Services Has A Lasting Impact
When essential services such as landscaping, maintenance, security, and repairs are not carried out properly, the effects can have a lasting impact. Ensuring that these vendors perform their tasks effectively and to a high standard is crucial for maintaining the community’s appearance, safety, and functionality. Poor vendor performance can lead to dissatisfaction among homeowners and potentially costly repairs in the future. Said Dunn, “Vendors responsible for maintenance, repairs, or landscaping must deliver work that meets high standards to maintain the appeal and functionality of the association. Subpar performance can lead to dissatisfaction, decreased property values, an increase in complaints, with members feeling they are not getting their money’s worth.”
Legal and Contractual Compliance Matters
Vendors operate under contracts that define the scope of work, payment terms, and performance expectations. Community association managers must oversee these contracts to ensure vendors meet their obligations. This includes handling disputes, ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, and protecting the association from potential legal issues. “Choosing vendors with a proven track record and proper certifications minimizes the risk of legal issues, accidents, or compliance violations,” said Dunn. “The reputation of your homeowners association is influenced by the vendors you employ. High-quality vendors contribute positively to the community’s image.”
Efficiency, Problem Resolution And Risk Management
Vendors must be well-managed to ensure they are responsive to the community’s needs. Whether it’s addressing an emergency repair or completing routine maintenance, community association managers coordinate with vendors to resolve issues quickly and efficiently, minimizing disruption to residents. Further, poorly managed vendors can pose risks to the association, such as safety hazards, liability issues, or financial losses. By carefully selecting, monitoring, and managing vendors, community association managers help mitigate these risks and ensure the community operates smoothly and safely.
Ensuring Resident Satisfaction
The services provided by vendors directly impact the quality of life for residents. For example, well-maintained common areas, timely snow removal, and responsive repair services all contribute to a positive living environment. Effective vendor management ensures these services meet residents’ expectations, which helps maintain high levels of resident satisfaction as well as property values.
Cathleen Dunn’s Tips For Properly and Thoroughly Vetting Vendors
Always establish comprehensive criteria for evaluating potential vendors. This should include not only cost but also experience, references, reputation, compliance with industry standards, financial stability, and licenses (if appliable). A well-defined set of criteria ensures that all vendors are assessed on a level playing field and helps in making informed decisions.
Solicit detailed proposals and quotes from multiple vendors. This not only provides a clearer picture of the costs involved but also offers insight into the vendors’ understanding of your needs and their approach to fulfilling them. You can then compare them – apples to apples – on a spreadsheet.
Craft clear, comprehensive contracts that outline the scope of work, performance expectations, deadlines, and payment terms. Include clauses for accountability, dispute resolution, impact fees, and termination conditions. A well-drafted contract protects both the association and the vendor, ensuring mutual understanding and agreement.
Engaging with unreliable or underperforming vendors can result in hidden costs, such as the need for frequent repairs, and additional oversight expenses. Conversely, high-quality vendors, while sometimes more expensive, often provide long-term savings through durability, efficiency, and fewer complications. A thorough vetting process helps to identify vendors who offer the best value and fit for your association’s budget.
Once a vendor is engaged, establish a system for monitoring their performance and documenting satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Open communication and addressing issues promptly will ensure a high level of standard is maintained.
While vendor management can be a challenging part of the job for a community association manager, when done correctly and effectively it’s a mutually-beneficial relationship with material results for all parties involved – the vendors, community association manager, and residents who reside in these condominiums, housing cooperatives, resort communities, and commercial tenant associations.
In the community association management industry, the selection and management of vendors are integral to operational success and community member satisfaction. By implementing a rigorous vetting process and engaging with high-quality vendors, the community association manager can ensure that their communities receive the best possible service, manage risks effectively, and uphold the association’s reputation.
Added, Dunn “As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to prioritize vendor excellence and to continuously strive for improvement in all aspects of community association management and oversight.”
Resource Corner
Making use of the wide variety of professional development resources available to managers is critical to staying on top of industry news, trends, best practices and any changes arising in the profession. Below is a sampling of industry resources.
CAI’s Research Library – a CAI members-only library that contains over 3,000 articles on community and homeowner association, and condominium and cooperative issues https://www.caionline.org/LearningCenter/ResLib/Pages/default.aspx#k=vendor%20management. For example a search for “vendor management” retrieves an article that ran in Community Manager entitled Playing Matchmaker by Shirley Haskew, CMCA, AMS with a helpful preview that states the following: Matching up vendors with the various communities in your portfolio can be a little like playing Cupid: “Five-member board seeks caring, reliable landscaping company for long-term relationship.” While some managers recommend using the same vendor to do similar work at multiple communities, sometimes at discounted prices, I’ve received the best results when I was able to match communities with complementary vendors.
and VendorSmart, https://vendorsmart.com/vs/#/public/home. Note: some of these companies provide free blogs with relevant articles that offer tips on a wide variety of topics from preparing your HOA for Spring, to determining the best time to explore snow removal vendors.
CAI Exchange – An online forum that allows members to collaborate and connect with colleagues. These informal discussions are extremely helpful in sharing innovative approaches to common and uncommon situations as well as best practices and advice. Additionally, this forum is often helpful when managers need a quick question answered: For example, this recent question was answered within hours of its posting: Q: “We hired a painter. We didn’t know he was going to use a sub-contractor(s) painter. Should we ask for lien waivers from the sub-contractor(s)?” A: “Yes, always get a lien waiver from both the contractor and subs before you make your (final) payment.”
Proper Vendor Management – A Strategic Necessity is the fifth in a series of articles, produced by CAMICB staff, that delve into the important issues and topics affecting community association managers.
Lydia Pelliccia is a freelance writer.Matthew Green is executive director of Community Associations Managers International Certification Board.
For professionals pursuing the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) certification, exam preparation is a critical—and sometimes daunting—step on the career journey. Recognizing the challenges candidates face, the Community Association Managers International Certification Board (CAMICB) is excited to launch a new, comprehensive CMCA Study Pathway Plan available at www.camicb.org . Alongside it, an optional, user-friendly Self-Assessment and Study Timeline tool will empower candidates to personalize their preparation from the start.
Navigating the CMCA Exam with Confidence
Effective preparation is more than just reviewing content—it’s about having a clear study plan and strategies that fit your unique needs.
The CAMICB’s new Study Pathway Plan offers an eight-week roadmap broken into digestible phases:
Pre-study Phase (Weeks -2 and -1): Orientation and knowledge assessment to evaluate where you stand and identify priorities.
Active Study Phase (Weeks 1-6): Focused study sessions targeting high-, medium-, and lower-priority knowledge domains through us CAMICB’s free study tools including the Quizlet digital flashcards, the E-Learning course modules and targeted readings,, and practice exams from the CMCA Study Guide. This phase also incorporates targeted readings, for example the FCAR Community Association Best Practice Reports and CAI’s Guides for Association Practitioner’s (GAP) .
Final Preparation: Confidence-building reviews and test-taking strategies to approach exam day ready and focused.
This flexible plan respects varying experience levels and learning styles. Whether you’re entering the community association management field anew or leveraging years of experience, you can tailor your study time—spending more hours in domains where confidence is low, such as governance or compliance, while breezing through areas like financial management if you’re already strong there.
Study Smart with Domain-Focused Priorities
The CMCA exam covers six core knowledge domains weighted by their relevance to day-to-day community association management:
Governance & Compliance (23%)
Financial Management (20%)
Meetings & Events (18%)
Risk Management (15%)
Property Maintenance (14%)
Contracting (10%)
By aligning study efforts according to these weights, candidates can maximize their efficiency and effectiveness, focusing attention proportionally on what matters most.
The Power of Self-Assessment: Know Your Strengths and Gaps
In parallel with the Study Pathway, CAMICB’s Self-Assessment and Study Timeline tool encourages candidates to reflect deeply and strategically on their current understanding of the various topics to best gauge baseline knowledge. Based on the exam’s Knowledge and Task Statements (KSAs), it guides users to:
Rate their confidence on a 1 to 3 scale for each knowledge area and job task.
Identify high-priority weak spots that need extra attention.
Set personalized study goals and timelines.
Use proven learning strategies like active recall to solidify knowledge.
This metacognitive approach—thinking about one’s own thinking—has been shown to improve retention and exam readiness significantly, allowing candidates to avoid passive rereading in favor of active engagement.
Equip Yourself for Success
Both tools are designed to complement each other, supporting a structured yet customizable preparation experience that recognizes the diverse backgrounds and schedules of CMCA candidates.
With these resources in hand, community association managers will be better equipped to master the finer points of governance, finance, risk, and more—moving confidently toward earning the only internationally accredited certification in the profession. Get started today! bit.ly/46vh7RM
By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column
California’s over 51,000 HOAs house at least 36% of California’s population (Foundation For Community Association Research, 2024 Factbook). That figure continues to grow as developers and municipalities generally favor the use of common interest developments (“HOAs”) for new housing projects.
As this column is the 801st since starting in May 2005, one might ask, what is the need? Here are 8 ways the column still seeks to help HOAs and their members.
Increase education and information to the real estate owning public. While organizations such as the Community Association Institute (CAI) and the Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO) are very active in California; unfortunately, most owners do not avail themselves of their educational offerings. This leaves vendors or other special interest groups a platform to inform, or misinform, homeowners.
Elevate HOA governance – in competency, reasonableness, and ethics. HOA owners deserve the best volunteer governance. Unfortunately, there is no education or competency requirement to serve on HOA boards – no matter how large the HOA. HOAs can impose only a very few minimal eligibility requirements. Requirements that the candidate has read the governing documents, has no legal disputes against the HOA, or has any HOA governance education, are not among the permitted requirements.
Provide information for professional managers. Because California managers are not licensed, there are no reliable statistics on exactly how many professional managers serve HOAs. Many HOAs lack professional managers, relying often instead upon unqualified volunteers. Hopefully, the column helps professional managers by supplementing CAI and the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) manager education, while demonstrating to HOA boards the critical importance of competent and ethical professional management.
Encourage a cultural shift towards appreciation of shared ownership. Americans are very independent, resisting authority and interdependence. However, interdependence and cooperation foster more effective and positive HOA communities. Those who lack these qualities can make HOA life undesirable for those who resist the reduction of independence in exchange for benefits HOAs provide.
Promote neighborly behavior and tolerance within associations. The greatest rule of all – the “Golden Rule” – also applies to HOAs. It’s important to remind ourselves to treat others as we want to be treated – treating neighbors with respect, running respectful meetings, and handling disagreements respectfully.
Promote conflict resolution and especially avoidance of legal disputes. Internal dispute resolution is a valuable tool to derail conflict. Lawsuits between neighbors should be avoided if reasonably possible. They not only sap the finances of the participants, but the residue of hostility and division can haunt a community for many years. Keeping legal counsel informed is important, but it’s often better to delay getting counsel involved in the discussion – sometimes premature threat letters from counsel escalate conflict too quickly.
Educate the Legislature. HOAs come in many forms and sizes. Legislators need to understand that a law may not work for a 4-unit HOAs the same as 400-home associations. Their abilities, resources, and challenges are completely different.
Work toward increasing awareness of the need for a credential in HOA knowledge from the California Association of Realtors® or National Association of Realtors®, so Realtors® can better advise homebuyers.
Thanks for reading the column for some part of these past 800 articles. Let me know if any of these priorities resonate with you also.
Below, co-authors Suzy Burke, Rhett Power, and Ryan Berman share five key insights from their new book, Headamentals: How Leaders Can Crack Negative Self-Talk.
Suzy, president and co-founder of the leadership consultancy Accountability Inc., is an organizational psychologist and seasoned executive with an exceptional track record in a diverse array of businesses, from a Fortune 20 technology company to a highly successful beverage start-up. She is also a National Institute of Mental Health scholar and member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches Agency.
Rhett is the CEO and co-founder of Accountability Inc. and was named the #1 Thought Leader on Entrepreneurship by Thinkers360. He is also a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach. His expertise has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, and on CNBC.
Ryan is the founder of Courageous and host of the Courageous Podcast. For over 25 years, Ryan has helped corporations who are stuck, scared, or stale to choose courage. He has counseled many companies, including Google, Proctor & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, LA Galaxy, and Snapchat, to name a few.
What’s the big idea?
Leaders aren’t failing because they don’t have a strategy or skill. They are stuck because of their internal battles—their self-talk—not because of the challenges happening with customers or in the market. Headamentals is about directing that inner voice so that it becomes a competitive advantage and helps you build great teams. Once you fix that conversation in your head, you fix how you lead, connect, and perform. Leading others starts with self-leadership.
1. Self-talk is the hidden saboteur of leadership.
We’ve always had societal-scale worry wars, but we like to refer to the pandemic as Worry War I. Now we are in Worry War II, which confronts the rising cost of food, the emergence of AI, the erosion of empathy at work, and political division.
If Worry War I was the pandemic, fueled by isolation and fears of illness, then Worry War II is pandemonium. It is all these forces—pushing us, nudging us, spiraling us out—and each of us is dealing with it in our own way. Layer on top of that the things we told ourselves as kids, what our parents might’ve said, which have stuck in our minds. You start to see why we’re spiraling and where our self-talk comes from. Think of that voice inside your head: Where does yours come from? That voice triggers how you show up in different situations.
Sometimes a self-talk spiral is triggered by what’s happening in the world right now, like when you try to watch the news. Or other times, even as an older adult, your self-talk can spiral when something reminds you of a challenging experience or feeling from your childhood. Self-talk, unbeknownst to those around you, can spiral out of control and become a hidden force holding back yourself and your teams.
2. Every leader has a monster.
The hardest part of being a leader isn’t the market pressure. It’s not the late nights, the impossible deadlines, or even your fiercest competitor. The hardest part is the voice in your head that makes you rewrite an email at midnight because of how it might land, pause before you speak (even when you’re the expert in the room), and turns every compliment into a question mark. This voice is the one that whispers, or sometimes roars, that you don’t belong.
That voice doesn’t just shape your day, it shapes everything. It determines whether you share your thoughts in that high-stakes meeting or let the moment pass; whether you inspire confidence or let doubt leak into the room; whether your team feels a calm, steady presence or the weight of uncertainty. It shapes the culture your team breathes every single day. What gets celebrated, what gets overlooked, and what never gets said out loud.
“Your self-talk becomes team talk.”
If you want a team that’s bold, resilient, and innovative, it doesn’t start with your strategy. It doesn’t start with your offsite. It starts with a conversation happening in your head—that’s your monster. And almost every leader has one. What matters is whether this voice is left in charge, because when your monster speaks, your team listens. Your self-talk becomes team talk.
According to the National Science Foundation, we have up to 60,000 thoughts a day: 80 percent of them are negative, and 95 percent are repetitive. That’s 48,000 mental reruns of doubt every single day. Given that reality, it is no surprise that most of us wrestle with imposter syndrome: 62 percent worldwide, 71 percent in the U.S. If you’re a high achiever, that percentage is even greater.
Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientific minds in history, once confessed that he felt like an involuntary swindler. The man who reshaped our understanding of the universe worried that he was faking it. Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, has also admitted to feeling like a fraud. She once said in a speech, “I’m always looking over my shoulder, wondering if I measure up.” And Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, admits that very few people get into the CEO seat and truly believe they belong. If Einstein can doubt his brain, Sotomayor can doubt her success, and Schultz can doubt his right to the corner office, then self-doubt isn’t a glitch. It’s the default. Your monster doesn’t care about your resume, titles, or trophies.
3. Your mindset isn’t fixed.
Your mindset is programmable, and you are the programmer. To program it, it’s important to understand why we’re plagued by our monsters in the first place. The answer is evolution. Our brains are wired for survival, not growth. Our brain’s default mode fixates on past threats to help us avoid future danger. If you were laughed at for speaking up in class, your brain filed that away so that now, when you’re thinking about speaking up in a meeting, that same voice might whisper don’t. If your first boss pounced on every small slip, your inner critic learned that imperfection equals incompetence. Years later, it still sounds the alarm.
“Don’t try to ignore your monster.”
Conventional wisdom says to cast your inner critic as a bully and either ignore, suppress, or conquer it. But our monsters are trying to protect us, not destroy us. The moment you step outside of what’s familiar—giving tough feedback, launching a bold idea, taking on a new role—you invite risk and vulnerability. That’s when your monster pipes up, saying, What if you fail? But staying safe trades impact for comfort and progress for predictability. The irony is that true psychological safety doesn’t come from avoiding risks, but rather from knowing that you can take them and still be okay. Don’t try to ignore your monster. Get curious about it.
The 3-C Maverick Method as a tool for reframing negative self-talk in real time: Catch, Confront, Change. When you think about something, it shapes how you feel about it, which in turn shapes how you act. When you recreate the story you tell yourself, you change the outcome. If you see setbacks as invitations to grow, then feedback stops feeling like criticism and begins building confidence. That’s the power of changing the conversation in your head. You often can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you think about it and respond. This is the essence of cognitive reframing and our antidote to negative self-talk, and the cornerstone of our three-step method:
Catch yourself when your mind is saying you’re not smart or tough enough to succeed. Your emotions are an alarm system. Anxiety is often the first indicator that the monster is moving in. Tune in, identify the counterproductive thought.
Confront that thought. Challenge your monster with facts that prove it wrong.
Change the narrative by reframing the story your monster is telling you.
4. There is more than one type of monster.
Sports coaches say you practice 95 percent of the time for the 5 percent of the time that you actually play. In business, it is almost entirely the opposite. Think about how long the orientation phase is as a company: you’re given an hour of orientation to find out where you’re supposed to go, and then practice is over. But we need more practice, specifically for retraining the brain to have stronger tools for dealing with self-talk.
There are five monster archetypes holding us back that we need to practice dealing with. We call these cognitive distortions CAMOS, because they camouflage or conceal your truth:
Catastrophizer – assumes the worst will happen, even if it probably won’t.
Always Righter – needs to be right, no matter what.
Mind Reader – tries to tell you what you’re thinking, before you even know what that is.
Over-generalizer – takes one bad thing and paints everything with it.
Should-er – lives by unrealistic “should” and “musts,” creating unnecessary pressure.
5. Self-talk can be your leadership plutonium.
All leaders eventually discover that self-talk is their most powerful, volatile energy source. It can fuel extraordinary growth or cause quiet, invisible damage. Every day, there’s a voice running in your head—evaluating, judging, predicting, doubting, encouraging—and it never stops. As a leader or founder, that voice becomes the unseen soundtrack for your company.
We tend to think of our thoughts as private, but they’re not. They leak out in our body language, decisions, energy, and how we communicate. When a founder walks into a room and he’s full of stress, teams don’t just hear it; they feel it. If your self-talk is full of fear, your team starts to operate out of fear. If your self-talk is reactive, your team becomes reactive. But if your self-talk is grounded in belief and clarity, then your team learns to respond the same way. You can’t create a calm, confident, accountable team if you’re running around with a chaotic inner dialogue.
Culture starts with what you say to yourself in those private moments before the big decision, before the investor pitch, or before the tough conversation. Leaders who have built billion-dollar companies share the quality of disciplined thinking. They don’t let the wrong stories take root. They challenge their own narratives and are intentional about what they say to themselves because they know it shapes how they show up for everyone else.
Plutonium, like the power of self-talk, can power cities or destroy them. The teams that are winning are not just on the same page strategically, but are also on the same page emotionally and mentally. They’ve built shared language and a rhythm of confidence and clarity that amplifies everyone’s performance. That alignment is leadership plutonium. When your self-talk and your team’s talk are synced, you’ve created an unstoppable force.
By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column
Dear Kelly: Can a California HOA have a “no rental” policy? Our HOA is small, and an owner recently expressed interest in renting out their unit. In my experience, renters don’t have the same commitment to the community as owners do. J.R., Redondo Beach
Dear J.R.: Civil Code Section 4740, enacted in 2012, provides, among other things, that rental prohibitions could only apply prospectively to owners who purchased their HOA property after the prohibition was put in force. This reinforced the notion that HOAs could completely ban rentals, with such bans only applying to subsequent buyers into the HOA. In 2021, the Legislature enacted Civil Code Section 4741, banning complete rental bans. However, Section 4741(b) allows a limit or “cap” on rentals of no lower than 25% of the residences. Since Section 4740 is still law, rental caps only stop future owners of HOA residences in the HOA from renting if rentals are already at 25% or more in the complex. Thanks, Kelly
Hello, Kelly: We are considering limiting the number of rentals in our condominium complex. We currently have about 36% rentals. Is there a way we can legally limit the number of rentals? We have noticed the more rentals we have, the more damage is done to our property and the more trouble we have in common areas. We are also concerned we will lose our FHA/VA approval if we have too many rentals. Can you address the rental/owner occupied issue in an upcoming article? T.E., San Diego
Dear T.E.: As mentioned in the above answer to J.R., Civil Code 4741 allows HOAs to have a rental cap as low as 25%. Many HOAs desire a reasonable limit on rentals not only to have a balance between owner-occupiers and tenants, but also to ensure the owners qualify for FannieMae or FHA guaranteed loans – which generally do not approve condominium projects for loans if non-owner-occupied homes exceed 50%. A rental cap should be part of an amendment to the CC&Rs, voted upon by the members. The impact of Civil Code Section 4740’s “grandfathering” of all current owners (regardless of whether they were already renting their unit) will usually slow the effective impact of the cap. Many of my clients have voted to approve caps ranging from 25-45%, and the caps are usually approved once owners understand that the cap only applies to future owners per Civil Code 4740. Sincerely, Kelly
Hi Kelly, I live in a HOA with a 25% rental cap. The waiting list is large and growing and nobody has come off that list in over a year. I have requested several times an update on if the HOA has any verifiable numbers and they said they were going to send a mailer to owners and ask if they were renting their unit. The rental moratorium is having a negative impact on sales in our community. M.A., Oceanside
Dear M.A.: If rentals exceed the rental limit when a rental cap is adopted, it may take some time before enough units turn over so that rentals drop below the maximum. Under Civil Code Section 4740(c), landlords must in advance give the HOA their prospective tenant’s name and contact information. Your HOA may need to begin disciplining owners who violate this statute. Best regards, Kelly
