By Crystal Brown for Chief Executive

As leadership visibility and social influence become core business skills, a dedicated executive communicator turns a leader’s ideas and judgment into trusted, high impact messaging across every audience—even in an age of AI.

Leadership and social influence are now critical skills. The World Economic Forum’s most recent Future of Jobs Report ranks these as the third-most-important core skills today, representing a massive 22-point increase in just two years.

In the digital age, attention is the new currency. Modern executives are the primary extension of the company brand. While the term “influencer” may cause some to cringe, the reality is that leaders have always been expected to influence. Today, leadership visibility, especially on social platforms, is a powerful vehicle for brand authority. When a leader speaks consistently and authentically, they build “attention equity,” turning digital presence into a measurable corporate asset.

This visibility is the bedrock of organizational trust. During the pandemic, weekly CEO updates became a corporate staple, fueling a rise in both workplace trust and employee expectations. This shift was underscored by the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, which found that 77 percent of employees trusted their employer more than government or media sources.

This shift didn’t happen in a vacuum. Communication platforms keep multiplying, and stakeholders expect more from leaders as the pace of change accelerates. Leaders need to be visible and strategic about how they show up. Every statement, post and public appearance matters, and there are far more of these moments than ever before.

The New Executive Office

Even with a high-performing executive assistant and chief of staff, today’s communication demands have outgrown the traditional executive office. That’s why a third role has become essential: the executive communicator.

This role ensures a leader’s voice breaks through the noise, reaches the right audience and advances organizational priorities at the speed of change. Working in tandem, these three roles support modern executives in unique and complementary ways: The executive assistant handles day-to-day operations and keeps things running smoothly. The chief of staff coordinates across teams and turns strategy into action. The executive communicator develops messaging that captures the leader’s vision and voice.

This partnership goes beyond messaging and provides strategic counsel. Years ago, I advised on a sensitive security program that corporate counsel deemed “completely legal.” I asked the room: “But will employees see it as ethical?” The next day, leadership shuttered the program. This level of stakeholder acumen is essential in sectors like tech, where innovation consistently outpaces the regulatory landscape.

A Role Built Around You

Most executives know what public relations and internal communications teams do. Executive communicators are different. Traditional communications teams serve the broader organization; this role serves you.

While core deliverables remain consistent (think talking points, executive briefings, presentation decks), the day-to-day work is hyper-tailored to each leader’s style and strategic priorities. If you’re a sales executive, your communications partner focuses on how you talk about pipeline, revenue and growth. If you’re a CEO with a highly visible public profile, they’re thinking about your thought leadership and how you represent the company in the market. If you’re an operations executive, they may help you translate a significant strategic shift into something the organization can rally around and execute. If you are picturing how you would partner with this person, think about the mission-critical priority for your success: I have to hit this number. This merger must succeed. The culture shift must hold. That is where your partner will focus most of their time.

Ultimately, an executive communicator should become an extension of you, just like your assistant and chief of staff. They learn how you think and help you influence others. They can build the platform for your thought leadership, but the insights have to come from you. Your expertise and experience make your messages authentic and impactful. This works best when you talk regularly, share what’s going on and both invest in getting the story right.

Finding the Right Person

Once you understand the value this role brings, the question becomes: How do you find the right person?

Executive communication requires a unique mix of skills. You need someone who thinks strategically, gets business and finance, can handle tough stakeholders and commands a room with clarity and confidence. Because the role spans so many audiences (like employees, analysts, press, customers, partners), most people don’t start here. They also don’t always have a communications background and can transition from roles across corporate strategy, investor relations, or operations.

While this role is more common in Fortune 500 companies, it’s often more vital for small and midsize companies, where the C-Suite is the brand. For organizations where budget is a limiting factor, consider one executive communicator who serves multiple leaders, focusing on mission-critical objectives.

When you’re hiring, focus on three things:

First, writing. Ask for samples or give them an assignment. This is standard practice. Look for clarity, strategic framing and the ability to adjust tone for the intended audience. If you have a strong public presence, ask them to try to capture your style.

Second, outcomes. Be specific. Are you trying to grow your social media presence? Do you need help with major organizational changes? Are you dealing with high-stakes audiences like board members or regulators? Say what matters most to you.

Third, fit. Skills matter, but so does chemistry. But notice I didn’t say personality. Chemistry is about finding the person who will operate in a way that accommodates your style. Are you looking for someone who can push back when needed, or someone to execute your vision? Be honest with your leadership style and ways of working.

Chemistry is the biggest point of failure I see in these partnerships. While trust takes time to build, you’ll usually feel a disconnect quickly. Give it six months, if the fit isn’t there by then, it’s likely not going to happen. And because this person will work lockstep with your executive assistant and chief of staff, include them in the hiring process from the start. If the chemistry doesn’t work for them, it won’t work for you.

A common question is where this role should sit within the organization. I’ve seen Executive Communicators report to public affairs, HR, strategy, marketing and more—and all can work. What matters less is the line and more is proximity: your communicator must have direct access to you, even if that’s a dotted line.

If they don’t report to you directly, establish clear role expectations upfront. Budget ownership typically sits with whichever function houses the role, but the key is ensuring your communicator has the resources and autonomy to operate at your pace, not get lost in departmental workflow. Equally important: provide regular performance feedback. Even if they don’t report directly to you, invest in their development and rewards as you would for any extension of your leadership.

What does success look like once the right person is in place? I once had an executive tell me: “I honestly didn’t know how I would work with an executive communicator; now, I’m not sure my team or I could ever be successful without one.” That level of integration is the goal. If the role feels optional, something’s wrong—either you don’t need it, or you haven’t found the right partner.

What About AI?

Everyone’s talking about AI, what will be automated versus augmented, and how work will change. AI is highly beneficial in content creation. You can generate messages quickly, test different versions and refine language. The best executive communicators will use it exactly that way: as a tool for speed and scale.

But it’s not replacing them. The stakes are too high at the executive level to rely solely on AI. Executive communicators bring human judgment that AI can’t. They ensure accuracy, cultural nuance, emotional intelligence, ethical judgment and strategic alignment that AI cannot replicate. They understand when to amplify a message, when to stay silent and how to navigate all the human messiness that comes with leadership.

By Don Yaeger for ChiefExecutive

When work swallows everything, it’s not a badge of honor—it’s a warning. In this week’s episode of Corporate Competitor Podcast, SailPoint CEO Mark McClain explains why regular life audits and firm boundaries are essential if leaders want intense seasons to fuel performance instead of permanent burnout.

f you are a CEO, founder or senior leader in a season where work has quietly taken over everything else, Mark McClain would tell you this isn’t a failure. But it is a warning.

McClain, the CEO of SailPoint, doesn’t buy the glossy version of work-life balance, the one where everything stays neatly aligned, week after week, like a perfectly tuned machine. He believes that idea sets leaders up to feel guilty for doing exactly what leadership often requires.

What he believes in instead is something far more honest.

It’s kind of a temporary healthy imbalance,” McClain told me on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “They’re never perfectly balanced, right? But you want that imbalance to be fairly healthy and constantly readjusting it…and by definition, it’s temporary.”

That one word “temporary” is where McClain draws the line between a demanding season and a dangerous pattern. Because intense work is part of leadership. So are family pressures, health challenges and crises you didn’t schedule. 

McClain uses a metaphor he’s leaned on for years to explain it: your life is a wheel. Each spoke represents a dimension that matters: Health, family, friendships, hobbies, faith, career and more. When one spoke weakens, the wheel doesn’t glide forward. It clunks. And most leaders don’t hear the clunking at first.

That’s why McClain regularly grades the major areas of his life on a one-to-ten scale. Not to chase perfection, but to spot drift early. As he put it, “If we correct early, then it’s not so hard to get back on track.” 

Small slippage is manageable. Long-ignored slippage isn’t.

To be clear, McClain’s message isn’t “work less.” It’s “stop pretending the wheel will fix itself.” Leadership requires boundaries in both directions: choosing what you will do, like exercise, quiet time and being fully present with the people who matter most; and choosing what you won’t keep doing, like mindless scrolling, energy-draining habits or letting small slips turn into permanent decline.

The SailPoint Technologies founder talks about this and more on our podcast:

• Culture is key. A career in business won’t always yield fruit, McClain says. Still, it’s important to create a culture to combat those lean times. “I think in the world of business, culture is what you are when bad things happen,” he says. “If you don’t value people, that will show up in the long-run.”

• Know your values. When hiring new employees, McClain says he looks for humility, hunger and emotional intelligence. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself than you should; it’s just thinking of yourself less,” the CEO offers. “Hunger is just like…do you! [And] emotional intelligence is huge. You’ve got to learn how to play well with others.”

• The 90/10 rule. At work, McClain says, balance remains key. It’s crucial to focus on the task at hand, he notes, but it’s also important to keep an eye to the future. So, the CEO says, spend 90 percent of your time on your job. But spend the other 10 percent on your career. You’ll thank yourself later.

By A.J. Sidransky For Cooperator News

As with most questions regarding the functioning of co-op and condo communities, the answer to who can or can’t serve on the board usually lies in the community’s governing documents. To explain that for us today we have Richard Klein, an attorney and partner at the law firm of Dorf Nelson & Zauderer in Rye, New York.  

COOPERATORNEWS: Welcome Richard, and thanks for your time and insight on this. Typically, who is eligible to sit on a co-op or condominium board in New York?  Are the rules different for co-ops and condos?   

RK: “To begin, you need to look at the governing documents such as the bylaws, and in the case of a co-op, also the certificate of incorporation. It should be noted that some bylaws are written so broadly and with so few (if any) requirements that my 93-year-old mother in Manhattan could potentially serve on the board of a Westchester County co-op or condo. Surprisingly, the only statewide restriction is that the person must be over the age of 18, and must also be an individual person—an entity such as an LLC cannot be a board member. The rules are not necessarily different for a condo. In the end, it all depends on the documents.”

CN: So the rules for individual buildings or associations are generally memorialized in the governing documents. Are they always to be found in the bylaws?  

RK: “The rules are dictated in the bylaws, though sometimes there are additional restrictions in a co-op’s certificate of incorporation that must also be observed, but may not be referenced in the bylaws. The issue for most buildings is that these documents were written by the original sponsor of the building, say back in the 1980s or earlier. A lot may have happened in the intervening years that these rules don’t address. Plus, many rules were originally written to keep the power with the sponsor, and that might not still be relevant at this point in time.”

CN: Can board eligibility rules be amended? If so, what’s the process? Are there any state or federal restrictions on amending these rules?  

RK: “Most if not all bylaws provide a process for amendment. Generally speaking, the board can make amendments as they deem necessary. However, one typical restriction is that a co-op board may not amend a bylaw passed by the shareholders. For example, if the shareholders voted to have a five-member board, the board cannot then amend the bylaws to make it seven directors. 

“A further restriction might be that the board cannot amend a provision that affects the sponsor, assuming the sponsor still owns units in the building. For example, the bylaws might have a provision that so long as the sponsor has one unit in the building, the sponsor is entitled to at least one seat on the board. Typically, the language would provide that such a provision cannot be amended. 

“Shareholders also usually have a mechanism by which they can amend the bylaws. The bylaws will dictate the notice that must be given regarding the proposed amendment, what constitutes a quorum, and how much of a percentage of shareholders are needed to pass the resolution to amend any particular provision.”

CN: Why would a co-op or condo vote to change the rules for board eligibility?  How often does that happen, and what are the long-term benefits to making such a change?   

RK: “I see this happen frequently. I have seen boards require that board members must physically reside in the building as their primary residence. I’ve seen bylaws amended to make it so that a director must be an actual shareholder in the co-op, or the actual owner in title of the unit, in the case of a condo. I have seen boards try to restrict—unsuccessfully, it should be noted—certain professions from being on the board because of what is perceived as a potential conflict of interest, such as a residential realtor or somebody in the property management business. That said, the long run benefit of any change is hard to determine.”

CN: Could you give us an example?  

RK: “I had one co-op where the board president was concerned about a rival trying to unseat him. That rival did not live in the building, so the sitting president convinced the board to make residency a requirement for eligibility. However, one year later because of a growing family, he had to move out of the building, and reluctantly had to resign from the board.”

CN: That’s fascinating, Richard. Thanks so much for taking some time out to illuminate this for us and our readers. 

RK: “My pleasure. Thanks for having me.” 

Today’s guest post is by Andy Freed, author of ‘Lead Like The Boss: The Bruce Springsteen Framework to Elevating Your Leadership’ For Thought Leaders LLC

Few skills matter more for leaders than communication. Not because communication is flashy or new, but because it is how leadership shows up most consistently. Long before strategy decks or org charts matter, people experience leadership through words, tone, timing, and follow-through.

Communication is how teams align around goals. It’s how momentum builds. It’s how people decide whether they trust what comes next.

And yet, many leaders don’t put enough intentional work into improving it.

That’s rarely about effort or care. Most leaders communicate constantly. Meetings, updates, presentations, one-on-ones. The volume is high. What’s missing is often intention. Communication becomes something we do automatically instead of something we prepare for deliberately.

As we just entered into 2026, improving communication doesn’t require new tools or better slides. It requires a shift in how leaders think about their responsibility when they speak.

For me, that shift starts with a simple discipline I return to again and again: Think, Feel, Do.

It’s not a formula or a script. It’s a way to slow down before communicating and be more deliberate about how you want your message to land.

Start with intention, not slides

Most leadership communication happens in meetings. Small groups. All-hands. Boardrooms. And more often than not, the first move is to open PowerPoint and start building slides.

I’ve done this myself. A meeting is coming up, so I open the last deck, do a “save as,” and start editing.

Technology makes this easy. That’s exactly why it can get in the way.

Slides make it possible to create content quickly without first thinking through what’s needed. But what’s needed at the start of any communication isn’t content. It’s clarity.

Before opening PowerPoint, leaders should pause and ask three questions. These questions form the backbone of the Think–Feel–Do discipline:

Think: What do I want people to understand when this is over?
This isn’t about what you want to explain. It’s about what you want people to walk away believing. If they can’t clearly articulate what changed or why it matters, the message didn’t land.

Feel: How do I want this to land emotionally?
People’s ability to hear a message is shaped by how they feel while receiving it. Stress and uncertainty narrow attention. Calm and trust expand it. Ignoring emotion doesn’t remove it. It just means it will shape the message without intention.

Do: What do I want people to do next?
Every communication should lead somewhere. Something should be different when it ends. If people leave unsure of what’s expected, the message didn’t do its job.

Only after these questions are answered should slides or messaging take shape. At that point, the visuals support the intent instead of substituting for it.

Anchor to one clear message

As those Think, Feel, Do answers come into focus, they should point to a single central message. Every effective communication has one.

Without a clearly articulated central message, communication becomes unfocused and inconsistent. Leaders introduce nuance, updates, and variations that dilute what matters most. People lose their sense of direction and struggle to distinguish which actions count.

Leadership communication isn’t about novelty. It’s about clarity.

No one would sing along at a concert if the band changed the lyrics every time they played a song. Bruce Springsteen once said he knew he’d written a great pop song when he could hear the audience singing it back to him.

Leadership communication works the same way. When the message is clear and consistent, others begin to carry it forward. They repeat it. They reinforce it. They amplify it.

That’s not just being heard. That’s being followed.

Repeat more than feels necessary

Once isn’t enough to be heard.

Leaders often resist repetition. The desire to say something new pulls them away from their core message. Over time, this creates clutter. Slight variations. Competing signals. Reduced clarity.

The irony is that leaders tire of messages long before teams absorb them.

If something matters, it deserves repetition without apology. Repetition isn’t laziness. It’s how understanding is built and confidence takes hold.

Consistency creates stability. Novelty rarely does.

Rehearse and respect the moment

Musicians rehearse. Athletes practice. Actors run lines. Leaders often wing it.

Rehearsal isn’t about sounding scripted. It’s about removing friction. It helps identify awkward phrasing, unclear transitions, and moments where the message loses momentum.

I’ve learned this firsthand. There are phrases I’m comfortable writing but avoid saying out loud because I know I’ll stumble over them. Rehearsal surfaces those issues before the message matters.

Closely related to rehearsal is sweating the details. Technical glitches happen, but if people can’t hear you, they aren’t listening. No rock band takes the stage without a sound check. Leaders shouldn’t either.

Preparation is a form of respect. For the audience. For the moment. For the message.

Bringing it together

Communication and leadership are inseparable. Improving how you communicate is one of the most practical ways to improve how you lead.

Think, Feel, Do isn’t a checklist. It’s a discipline. One that helps leaders slow down, prepare with intention, and take responsibility for how their words shape understanding, emotion, and action.

As leaders head into 2026, the opportunity isn’t to communicate more. It’s to communicate with greater care and clarity. That’s where trust is built. And that’s where leadership becomes felt, not just heard.

Andy Freed is the Chairman of Virtual, Inc and has more than 30 years of experience leading organizations through growth and transformation. He is the author of Lead Like The Boss: The Bruce Springsteen Framework to Elevating Your Leadership. For more information, please visit, https://wwww.andyfreed.com.

By CAMICB Executive Director, Matthew Green, CAE

During a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, CAMICB engaged with community management professionals in conjunction with the World Realty Congress and events hosted by CAI’s Middle East Chapter. The visit included time in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi and was approached with a clear sense of responsibility. The purpose was not comparison or promotion, but observation. We wanted to listen, learn, and better understand how community management is practiced in a rapidly developing region, recognizing that local context shapes professional practice.

Our time with CAI’s Middle East Chapter provided an opportunity to engage directly with local professionals, including many early-career community managers. I had the opportunity to present on the CMCA credential to both CAI members and non-members, focusing on the fundamentals: what the credential represents and what it takes to earn and maintain it. The conversation was intentionally practical, emphasizing professionalism and the role a credential can play in establishing credibility.

Those discussions reinforced an important reality for CAMICB as we consider international engagement. While core elements of community management remain consistent across markets—financial stewardship, communication, accountability, and ethical practice—the day-to-day execution of the role can vary significantly. Local norms, regulatory frameworks, relationships with developers, and interactions with government authorities all shape how community managers operate and how their expertise is recognized. For me, the visit reinforced that professional standards gain strength not by assuming sameness, but by understanding difference.

One of the most striking aspects of visiting the UAE was observing the rapid pace and massive scale of its development. Across the communities we visited, this growth is supported by a large and diverse workforce drawn from many parts of the world. Their efforts make possible a level of building and expansion that isn’t feasible in most other contexts. Alongside this workforce is a growing population of young professionals entering community management roles. These managers are ambitious and motivated, seeking pathways for professional growth. Our interactions, though necessarily limited, offered valuable perspective and underscored the importance of continued listening and observation.

In both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we spent time with large management organizations that operate in close alignment with government entities. These organizations approach community management holistically, considering not only operational needs but long-term planning, accessibility, and infrastructure coordination. One organization, in particular, emphasized thoughtful accommodations for residents with disabilities, embedding accessibility considerations into both planning and management practices. These examples reflect a specific segment of the market, but they offer valuable insight into what is possible when development, governance, and stewardship are closely coordinated.

Government alignment emerged as a defining feature of the environment. The level of coordination between developers, management entities, and public authorities appeared intentional and forward-looking, enabling comprehensive planning across entire districts rather than individual communities. Observing how coordination occurred across developers, management entities, and public authorities illustrated how long-term planning and cross-sector collaboration can influence community outcomes.

Experiencing community management at this scale also reinforced an important boundary for CAMICB. The CMCA is designed to establish a professional foundation for community managers, particularly those early in their careers, by assessing core competencies, ethical responsibilities, and standards of practice. Exposure to highly specialized, development-focused roles underscores the profession’s diversity, but it also highlights the importance of understanding where the certification provides the greatest value and where continued listening and learning are needed.

Ultimately, the value of engaging with professionals in the UAE was not in drawing conclusions, but in sharpening perspective. Seeing the breadth of how community management can be practiced across cultures, governance models, and scales of development reinforced the responsibility of stewarding a professional certification. For CAMICB, that responsibility means advancing standards thoughtfully, growing deliberately, and ensuring that the CMCA remains grounded in the purpose it was created to serve: supporting competent, ethical community managers wherever they practice.

UVA Darden Ideas To Action

Life is full of negotiations. At work, we negotiate contract terms and conditions, flex time and pay raises. At home, we negotiate where to go on vacation, what to order for dinner — and how much screen time is too much screen time.

Given how frequently we negotiate, it’s perhaps surprising that one of the most important skills of effective negotiation is often overlooked or undervalued: listening.

“The stereotype of a great negotiator is skewed,” says Allison Elias, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. “People tend to think the more competitive and selfish you are, the better you’ll do. What they overlook is that some of the most astute negotiators actually use listening as part of their competitive strategy.”

Elias teaches courses about communication and negotiation in Darden’s MBA and Executive MBA programs, as well as for executive education audiences. But over the years, she found there was little practical guidance on how to listen well in a negotiation.

Until now.

Her new technical note, “Listening: A Negotiator’s Playbook,” introduces a three-phase listening framework designed to make listening teachable and actionable. And it’s not confined to work or business settings — it can be applied to everyday life.

“We tell people in class to listen to the other person,” she says. “But how do you really do that well? What’s the purpose? And why should you care?”

The note, she adds, fills a gap in the curriculum. “Renewing my mediation certification recently really emphasized the importance of listening in conflict resolution. And in negotiation too, you cannot be a great negotiator without listening well.”

Elias will be teaching the note in her fourth-quarter elective, “Negotiation.”

Her goal is to get students to think about how intentional one needs to be as a listener.

“When we prepare for negotiation, a lot of times we tend to over-focus on our own interests, our own planning, what we’re going to say,” says Elias. “But there could also be real value in preparing to listen, and brainstorming questions to ask the other person to try to understand them better and really listening to their answers.”

Why Negotiators Need to Listen

“Listening is not just a nice thing to do,” says Elias. “It has cognitive and affective benefits.”

In other words, when you’re listening intently, you’re learning new information that can help create or claim value in the negotiation. Listening also engenders a positive feeling between the parties and helps with relationship-building. “The consequence is that the other person feels respected,” she says.

Yet often, listening is easier said than done. When asked to describe a good listener, most people jump instead to what makes someone a bad listener, says Elias. They point to traits such as interrupting, responding vaguely or illogically, being distracted and fidgeting.

Being a good listener means more than just avoiding these behaviors.

“High-quality listening requires psychological presence, cognitive attention and emotional responsiveness,” Elias says.

How to listen: A Three-Phase Framework

Phase One: Prepare to observe and absorb.

Elias says one of the biggest obstacles she encounters when she teaches negotiation is a lack of curiosity about the other person’s perspective and world view.

“A lot of times I see people rush through the negotiation too fast, and students will say, ‘If this were real, I would have spent more time on it’,” Elias explains. “But if you’re really trying to understand another person, you’re trying to talk to them at length and ask them a lot of questions.”

She adds, “Sometimes we take too narrow of a view of what would be relevant in the negotiation, only focusing on the main issues on the table. If you can develop a curiosity about the other person, you’re going to be a better listener and more expansive about what you’re considering in the negotiation.”

The first phase of the framework is understanding that gaining leverage in a negotiation can begin before any words are exchanged.

“Effective negotiators prepare well by doing their research,” Elias says. “As they gather information and reflect on what they know, they also embrace the fact that there is a lot that they do not know.”

The core aim of this phase is to create conditions for openness. And to do that, Elias says, you must center yourself to quiet powerful cognitive traps, including confirmation bias.

Skilled negotiators bring an authentic curiosity to the discussion. “Embrace what you do not know,” she adds.

Phase Two: Engage and Interpret Signals

This phase is about being present during the conversation and taking note of various signals, including the dynamics of who’s who in the room.

“As effective listeners enter into a conversation, they take note of nonverbal cues such as the physical positioning of others in the room and their emotional states,” says Elias. “These observations provide additional information, perhaps about what has unfolded previously, to guide a communication strategy.”

Negotiators can absorb valuable information from all of these signals.

Doing so requires listening beyond words, attending to emotions and group dynamics, mirroring and paraphrasing conversations, and asking open-ended questions.

Phase Three: Monitor the Agreement as Partners

Elias says that negotiation courses tend to focus mostly on securing an agreement and neglect what happens next.

“Listening should not end when agreement is reached,” she says.

On the contrary.

“A lot of where value is created is in the phase after an agreement is created,” Elias says. “During the implementation phase, you need to continue to have curiosity, flexibility and awareness of the other person because there might be ways you need to tweak the agreement, or things that you hadn’t thought of before that need to be considered.”

You should also broaden your audience as the implementation phase unfolds. “Additional stakeholders who were not parties during the negotiation might emerge as critical to a deal’s success,” she adds.

The key takeaway from this phase is to maintain contact with more parties and remain open to adjustments.

Talk Less. Listen Better.

While listening is one of the most powerful tools a negotiator can bring to the table, we can all benefit from being good listeners. That means listening carefully and purposefully to other people.

Professor Allison Elias is author of the new technical note, “Listening: A Negotiator’s Playbook,” published by Darden Business Publishing (December 2025).

By Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. CCAL, HOA Homefront Column

Advising HOAs used to occasionally be very stressful, when directors would sometimes argue with me or a board would disregard my advice. However, a defining moment in my HOA law career came with the realization that my role is to tell boards the truth and provide to them my best advice, but compelling the board to follow my advice was not my responsibility. Once I had a better understanding of my role, law practice became less stressful. Each other member of the HOA team also has their own boundary, and everyone staying within that role helps the entire HOA team.

Managers – Managers manage the association, carry out board directions, and provide important advice helping boards operate within the Business Judgment Rule. Managers don’t make decisions except those specifically delegated to them by the board. 

Boards – The board decides things but doesn’t implement its decisions. Boards provide direction to management and approve contracts with other HOA vendors.  Boards should not co-manage the HOA but should allow their managers to carry out board directives. Boards normally don’t oversee vendors – management does that.

Vendors – Service providers (including managers) should faithfully and competently perform their contract and avoid HOA politics. Endorsing or opposing board candidates is outside their role and is unethical – they must stay neutral.

Officers – in HOAs, officers (even Presidents) have little individual power. Everything they do is only upon the board’s express authorization. HOA officers occasionally confuse their limited non-profit role with the more powerful role of officers in for-profit corporations. 

Individual Directors- A single director has no power except the power to cast votes on board decisions – the power rests in the board.  Well-intentioned directors can usurp the board’s role by acting without board authority; usually justifying it by claiming action was needed. But the well-intentioned director becomes a “renegade” by taking actions which are reserved for the board, such as instructing the manager or other vendors, or making contractual commitments for the association.

Committees – Except for architectural committees, most committees are advisory to the board and do not act.  Committees typically are assigned an ongoing important subject, and advise the board by issuing “reports,” hopefully written, suggesting certain board actions.  Committees do not make commitments to association vendors, and their meetings are less formal.  Boards should avoid doing committee work in the board meetings, just as the committee avoids doing board work.

Committee Members – A committee member should be part of a team. However, sometimes extremely interested and active committee members step outside their role by speaking for the committee when the committee has not met.  A committee of one is not a committee! 

Individual Homeowners – The governing documents list certain matters that are subject to membership vote where individual homeowners can participate. Beyond these, let the board handle things because they are legally responsible. Non-directors should not participate in board discussions except for open forum input. Another common homeowner boundary issue arises when homeowners instruct HOA vendors, because that is the manager’s role. One of the great benefits of association living is that the board, manager, and vendors handle many community matters – so let them!

Check YOUR boundaries and stay within your proper role. When everyone does THEIR job and allows others to do theirs, the HOA wins.

By A.J. Sidransky  For COOPERATORNEWS

At the bedrock of a shared interest community, like a co-op or condo, is how and by whom the property is managed. While self-management may make the most economic sense for smaller communities, and there are certainly good examples of effective self-management in larger communities, most co-ops and condos of any size engage professional on-site management.

In most cases, those services are provided by a management company. Like all businesses, property managers seek a profitable provider/client relationship, and their services are generally subject to a contract designed to protect both the management and the community, laying out all the responsibilities and obligations assigned to both parties.

The Same, But Different 

“A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two parties bound by promises they make to each other,” says Jeremy Kay, an independent attorney located in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. “In the case of a management contract, it is an agreement for the manager to perform services for an association in exchange for payment by the association. The scope of services and the amount of the payment are up to the parties to determine. Putting the agreement in writing is done to memorialize the terms of the agreement and allow both sides to revisit what was agreed upon. The goal should be that the written contract is clear on its terms and that the management company’s obligations are clear. Clear terms help resolve disputes and avoid potentially expensive litigation.”

Most modern management contracts are fairly similar, says William McCracken, a partner with Moritt, Hock & Hamroff, a law firm with offices in New York and Florida. “Paragraph 1, we appoint you…,paragraph 2, these services will be provided…,etc., etc.  Everything is covered there, but it’s initially a boilerplate document, so it needs clarification. It’s important for the board to look at this closely to make sure the management company understands the board’s expectations. Then there are other typical provisions about money, term, and length of contract, indemnification, etc. That’s the heart of it.”

That said, every community is different, and each has its own specific menu of expectations and requirements. In today’s highly diversified and increasingly case-specific world, management contracts are tailored to the specific needs of a community—and they’re evolving as a result.

“Basic terms depend on the needs of the association and conversely, that’s what the management company is contracted to do,” says Michael Simone, an attorney and principal of Simone Law Firm, located in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. “For example, some associations are only seeking assistance for the financial aspects of their operation. Other associations may be more interested in the physical maintenance of the property or the management of tenant relations. Each should be handled in specific clauses in the agreement outlining the details of management’s responsibilities.”

Nuts & Bolts

Regardless of what specifics your community may require, there are certain basic components that should be reflected in all contracts. These include very basic things like the terms of the contract, the parties’ names, delineation of responsibilities, fees and charges, and reasonable expectations for things like how and when meetings are held, or who should attend. 

Other important clauses include protocols for providing a smooth transition in the event of a management change (a next clause provision), the circumstances under which a contract can be terminated, who has access to computer programs, banking logins, proprietary legal information, and any other systems used by management. “It’s all about who owns what,” says Simone. “One of the main issues that should be clear and protected is always for the association to have ownership of their own products. The association, not management, should own its website, accounting software, and any other related computer products.”

In terms of how long a typical contract is, McCracken explains that it varies.  “Anything from one to five years; most typically they are year-to-year. At some point they all become a year-to-year arrangement. They don’t just expire; typically, they roll over. The reason why there is a longer initial term is because it’s expensive for a managing agent to start up a new client relationship. The management company doesn’t want to be terminated after six months; they need to make back their initial investment. From a legal point of view, from the board’s side, you want the ability to exit the agreement on reasonable terms at any time.  Boards need to be able to terminate without cause on 30- to 60-day notice. To be able to say it’s not working, and we are moving on. That makes the term requirements in the contract nearly moot. The ability to exit is what’s important—not the length of the term in the contract.”

When it’s Time to Part Ways

Like some marriages, client/management relationships don’t always work out. When that happens, what’s to be done? And what are some of the reasons why a building or association might feel it’s time to cut ties with their management company and take their business elsewhere? 

Breach of contract is a big one, say the pros. Kay explains that “breaching a contract is when a party fails to perform their obligations under the agreement. But there is a distinction to be made between breaching a contract and terminating it. If a party breaches a contract, it can become liable for damages caused to the other party. Massachusetts General Laws, c. 183A, Section 10(e), provides that any contract between a manager and an organization of unit owners can be terminated by the organization of unit owners for cause with 10 days notice, during which time the manager has an opportunity to cure any default. In any case, the organization of unit owners can terminate the contract with 90 days notice without cause.”  

Simone adds that in New Jersey, “In any contract [dispute], you look to see if there was a duty breached that would be considered material. No company is perfect, and they will make mistakes. The question is, how egregious were the mistakes? If a board determines that an action on the part of management was a material breach, that’s when the association puts in writing why there’s a provision to cancel. Typically, the contract will have recourse for either party, since sometimes it’s the association that has breached their duty, and the manager will want out.” 

In other words, says Simone, the door swings both ways. If a client community doesn’t uphold their side of the contract, the manager or management company doesn’t have to stick around; “They can quit.”

Kay concurs. “The management company can terminate the relationship as is permitted by the terms of the contract,” he says. “Were a manager to terminate the relationship in violation of those terms, that would be a breach of contract and potentially result in the manager becoming liable to the association for ensuing damages.”

That said, Kay continues, “Most disputes between management companies and associations tend to arise contemporaneously with their disengagement.  Accordingly, I advise that the management agreements be as clear and unambiguous as possible when it comes to their respective obligations. This is especially true when it comes to terminating an agreement before its term is up.”

Advise & Consent

Given the stakes, it’s vital to involve your building or association’s attorney in reviewing and negotiating your management contract. After all, it’s a legal document, and as such, it makes good sense to get some expert eyes on it before signing on any dotted lines.  

“As attorneys,” says McCracken, “we always talk to our clients about their specific goals with respect to their management contract, new or renewal, and which goals might be particular to their building. For instance, did they have a problem in the past with an agent, and want the new agreement to reflect that experience, for instance?  Generally, the things we are looking for are agreed-upon duties, and that the agreement covers the field. We want to make sure the management will do what needs to be done. Sometimes you have to add in specifics. It’s also very important to avoid the hidden charges in an agreement. Typically an agreement will say if ‘X’ happens the manager will get paid ‘Y.’ We want to make sure that that only happens if the board agrees to it. For instance, upon the refinancing of an underlying permanent mortgage for a co-op, whether the management company earns a mortgage brokerage fee. Did they actually earn it ‘with the board’s consent?’ Those terms and conditions should be clear in the contract.”

Management contacts should always be reviewed by counsel, and should contain language that adequately outlines and delineates the manager’s responsibilities and fees. They should reflect the needs of each specific community, and provide a path out for that community if issues arise that can’t be fixed. Effective management contracts are a vital administrative and legal component for shared interest communities, and boards should take them seriously.

A.J. Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. He may be reached at alan@yrinc.com.

Shrinking focus, not motivation, is undermining productivity.

By Ashley C. Jordan Ph.D. for Psychology Today

Attention spans have systematically shrunk across time.

This is reflected in changes in how we consume media. In 1986, song intros for Billboard’s Top 100 averaged at 23 seconds before vocals began. By 2015, the average intro had shrunk to an average of five seconds. This is a reduction of more than 78 percent. Similarly, TV show intros also got shorter, reflecting viewers’ decreased attention spans. As an example, the show Bewitched, highly rated in the late 1960s, had an intro of 45 seconds. In contrast, Young Sheldon, the highest-watched comedy in 2020, has a show intro of 20 seconds—less than half the length.

Researchers have studied this huge change in attention span at work. In 2004, the average time spent on any screen before task-switching was 2.5 minutes. By 2012, it was only 75 seconds. Since 2020, it’s about 47 seconds. It makes you wonder how we get anything done at work.

Enter the Age of AI

A recent study found that 74 percent of Gen Zs (those born between 1995 and 2006) and 77 percent of millennials (those born between 1983 and 1994) “believe Generative AI will impact the way they work within the next year.” Importantly, these groups are generally optimistic about that impact. More than three-quarters report that AI “has improved the quality of their work (78 percent of Gen Zers and 82 percent of millennials), and that it has helped to free up their time and improved their work/life balance (77 percent of Gen Zers and 73 percent of millennials)” (Deloitte, 2025).

Many say artificial intelligence has helped with simplifying routine tasks to improve efficiency and productivity, which allows them more time to focus on strategic work, and report that it has enhanced creativity and innovation.

So how can we harness the powers of AI to help offset our shrinking attention spans at work?

Redesign Workflows for Depth

AI is great at handling shallow work and can help to free up time for work that requires more critical thinking or creative abilities. For instance, lean into using AI to help create agendas, summarize key takeaways from meetings, or create first drafts of routine reports. While AI should always be double-checked and not relied on for a final draft, it’s a great time-saver for rote tasks. This allows you to block your time for longer chunks of deep work that requires creative problem-solving or strategic thinking.

Use AI to Protect Focus Time

Attention spans easily die a death of a thousand pings. Constant interruptions make it impossible to do any deep work. How many of us have ended the day feeling like we were constantly busy and “doing things” only to realize that none of the things that really mattered were accomplished? This is the difference between what’s urgent (e.g., constant pings, emails, and interruptions) versus what’s important (often larger projects or tasks that require sustained attention).

AI can help with that. If you’re having trouble distinguishing urgent tasks from important ones, feed your to-do list into AI and have it help create a schedule. Then, use AI to block deep work time across calendars so you aren’t being constantly interrupted from email, Slack, or other workplace communications. Constant task-switching lowers productivity and erodes attention. With fewer interruptions, you’re able to focus on more high-value work.

Retrain Attention as a Workplace Skill

Source: Chitokan/Pexels

Focus isn’t a fixed trait—it’s a skill you can build. Treat focus like your fitness goals: Consistency matters more than intensity. Set a timer for 30 minutes and stick to one deep work task at that time. When the timer goes off, you can reward yourself with a little break or reset it for another 30 minutes if you’re in a flow state. Not only will the timer help to give you a manageable goal, but it also gives you permission to task-switch when it goes off (checking email, grabbing a coffee, etc.).

Over time, you can work to increase the timer to 40 minutes, 50 minutes, an hour, or more. With practice, you will train yourself to dive straight into the task at hand rather than being pulled in many directions.

AI can help you accomplish this. AI tools can act as smart focus timers, gently nudging you when it’s time to start, break, or reset. They can also reduce cognitive friction before you begin by summarizing what you worked on last, outlining next steps, or helping you decide which task deserves your attention during your focus block. By lowering the mental effort required to get started, AI makes it easier to build and sustain attention across time.

Measure Results, Not Responsiveness

In many workplaces, busyness can be mistaken for productivity. The smart boss will shift attention toward outcomes (i.e., what got accomplished) rather than how quickly someone responds to an email or a ping. AI can help to track progress, summarize milestones, or highlight achievements so you can focus on results instead of constant activity. This reduces the pressure to always be “on” for employees and allows for deeper, distraction-free work.

Use AI to Spark Creativity, Not Replace It

AI is great for helping to generate new ideas or offer fresh perspectives. Just don’t fall into the trap of letting it do the thinking for you. People fatigue faster in the “blank page” stage of work. Use AI for brainstorming multiple perspectives or solutions, which the team can discuss and refine. Have it offer brainstorming prompts, reducing cognitive load while expanding options. Instead of feeling that attention is thinly spread, you can channel it into deeper, more creative outputs.

AI can be polarizing, but it doesn’t have to be the enemy. While tasks may shift, organizations will always need humans. When used thoughtfully and intentionally, AI can help people work more efficiently and create space for the work that benefits most from human judgment, creativity, and connection. With the right approach, AI can be part of the solution to shrinking attention spans at work.

By A.J. Sidransky  for Cooperator News

At the bedrock of a shared interest community, like a co-op or condo, is how and by whom the property is managed. While self-management may make the most economic sense for smaller communities, and there are certainly good examples of effective self-management in larger communities, most co-ops and condos of any size engage professional on-site management.

In most cases, those services are provided by a management company. Like all businesses, property managers seek a profitable provider/client relationship, and their services are generally subject to a contract designed to protect both the management and the community, laying out all the responsibilities and obligations assigned to both parties.

The Same, But Different 

“A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two parties bound by promises they make to each other,” says Jeremy Kay, an independent attorney located in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. “In the case of a management contract, it is an agreement for the manager to perform services for an association in exchange for payment by the association. The scope of services and the amount of the payment are up to the parties to determine. Putting the agreement in writing is done to memorialize the terms of the agreement and allow both sides to revisit what was agreed upon. The goal should be that the written contract is clear on its terms and that the management company’s obligations are clear. Clear terms help resolve disputes and avoid potentially expensive litigation.”

Most modern management contracts are fairly similar, says William McCracken, a partner with Moritt, Hock & Hamroff, a law firm with offices in New York and Florida. “Paragraph 1, we appoint you…,paragraph 2, these services will be provided…,etc., etc.  Everything is covered there, but it’s initially a boilerplate document, so it needs clarification. It’s important for the board to look at this closely to make sure the management company understands the board’s expectations. Then there are other typical provisions about money, term, and length of contract, indemnification, etc. That’s the heart of it.”

That said, every community is different, and each has its own specific menu of expectations and requirements. In today’s highly diversified and increasingly case-specific world, management contracts are tailored to the specific needs of a community—and they’re evolving as a result.

“Basic terms depend on the needs of the association and conversely, that’s what the management company is contracted to do,” says Michael Simone, an attorney and principal of Simone Law Firm, located in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. “For example, some associations are only seeking assistance for the financial aspects of their operation. Other associations may be more interested in the physical maintenance of the property or the management of tenant relations. Each should be handled in specific clauses in the agreement outlining the details of management’s responsibilities.”

Nuts & Bolts

Regardless of what specifics your community may require, there are certain basic components that should be reflected in all contracts. These include very basic things like the terms of the contract, the parties’ names, delineation of responsibilities, fees and charges, and reasonable expectations for things like how and when meetings are held, or who should attend. 

Other important clauses include protocols for providing a smooth transition in the event of a management change (a next clause provision), the circumstances under which a contract can be terminated, who has access to computer programs, banking logins, proprietary legal information, and any other systems used by management. “It’s all about who owns what,” says Simone. “One of the main issues that should be clear and protected is always for the association to have ownership of their own products. The association, not management, should own its website, accounting software, and any other related computer products.”

In terms of how long a typical contract is, McCracken explains that it varies.  “Anything from one to five years; most typically they are year-to-year. At some point they all become a year-to-year arrangement. They don’t just expire; typically, they roll over. The reason why there is a longer initial term is because it’s expensive for a managing agent to start up a new client relationship. The management company doesn’t want to be terminated after six months; they need to make back their initial investment. From a legal point of view, from the board’s side, you want the ability to exit the agreement on reasonable terms at any time.  Boards need to be able to terminate without cause on 30- to 60-day notice. To be able to say it’s not working, and we are moving on. That makes the term requirements in the contract nearly moot. The ability to exit is what’s important—not the length of the term in the contract.”

When it’s Time to Part Ways

Like some marriages, client/management relationships don’t always work out. When that happens, what’s to be done? And what are some of the reasons why a building or association might feel it’s time to cut ties with their management company and take their business elsewhere? 

Breach of contract is a big one, say the pros. Kay explains that “breaching a contract is when a party fails to perform their obligations under the agreement. But there is a distinction to be made between breaching a contract and terminating it. If a party breaches a contract, it can become liable for damages caused to the other party. Massachusetts General Laws, c. 183A, Section 10(e), provides that any contract between a manager and an organization of unit owners can be terminated by the organization of unit owners for cause with 10 days notice, during which time the manager has an opportunity to cure any default. In any case, the organization of unit owners can terminate the contract with 90 days notice without cause.”  

Simone adds that in New Jersey, “In any contract [dispute], you look to see if there was a duty breached that would be considered material. No company is perfect, and they will make mistakes. The question is, how egregious were the mistakes? If a board determines that an action on the part of management was a material breach, that’s when the association puts in writing why there’s a provision to cancel. Typically, the contract will have recourse for either party, since sometimes it’s the association that has breached their duty, and the manager will want out.” 

In other words, says Simone, the door swings both ways. If a client community doesn’t uphold their side of the contract, the manager or management company doesn’t have to stick around; “They can quit.”

Kay concurs. “The management company can terminate the relationship as is permitted by the terms of the contract,” he says. “Were a manager to terminate the relationship in violation of those terms, that would be a breach of contract and potentially result in the manager becoming liable to the association for ensuing damages.”

That said, Kay continues, “Most disputes between management companies and associations tend to arise contemporaneously with their disengagement.  Accordingly, I advise that the management agreements be as clear and unambiguous as possible when it comes to their respective obligations. This is especially true when it comes to terminating an agreement before its term is up.”

Advise & Consent

Given the stakes, it’s vital to involve your building or association’s attorney in reviewing and negotiating your management contract. After all, it’s a legal document, and as such, it makes good sense to get some expert eyes on it before signing on any dotted lines.  

“As attorneys,” says McCracken, “we always talk to our clients about their specific goals with respect to their management contract, new or renewal, and which goals might be particular to their building. For instance, did they have a problem in the past with an agent, and want the new agreement to reflect that experience, for instance?  Generally, the things we are looking for are agreed-upon duties, and that the agreement covers the field. We want to make sure the management will do what needs to be done. Sometimes you have to add in specifics. It’s also very important to avoid the hidden charges in an agreement. Typically an agreement will say if ‘X’ happens the manager will get paid ‘Y.’ We want to make sure that that only happens if the board agrees to it. For instance, upon the refinancing of an underlying permanent mortgage for a co-op, whether the management company earns a mortgage brokerage fee. Did they actually earn it ‘with the board’s consent?’ Those terms and conditions should be clear in the contract.”

Management contacts should always be reviewed by counsel, and should contain language that adequately outlines and delineates the manager’s responsibilities and fees. They should reflect the needs of each specific community, and provide a path out for that community if issues arise that can’t be fixed. Effective management contracts are a vital administrative and legal component for shared interest communities, and boards should take them seriously.

A.J. Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for CooperatorNews, and a published novelist. He may be reached at alan@yrinc.com.