About a year ago I purchased a condo. The previous owner completely renovated the unit and then flipped it to me. Everything was brand new – appliances, flooring, bathroom fixtures – everything. I was bound and determined to keep everything looking as new and fresh as possible – for as long as possible.
As part of that plan, I made sure I had a daily shower spray to keep all that soap scum off the shower walls and door. I used it after every shower. At least I did for a while.
And then I lost focus on that part of the plan and went about a month without spraying the shower after I used it. And, sure enough, soap scum.
So, I became diligent once more and started spraying after every shower. But, sure enough, the now existing soap scum didn’t go away. To get rid of the unwanted scaling, I soaked the walls with scale remover and used some good old elbow grease. Turns out, the shower spray is good to prevent, but not remove, soap scum build-up.
I’ve seen boards in situations like this with their code of conduct. I’ve had boards call me up and say something like, “Some board members are behaving badly and we don’t know how to deal with it.”
Always, the first question is, “What have you said about this board behaviour in your policies?”
And usually the answer is, “We haven’t written anything in our policies about this behaviour.”
At this point, it is dangerously close to ‘too late’ to do anything about it. Without policy to point to, it is very difficult to determine that any board member behaviour is off limits.
Attempting to make this kind of ‘ruling’ after the cat is out of the bag often appears as if the board is targeting a particular member (or two) for being unpopular or asking difficult questions. Trying to have a conversation about the particular behaviour at this point often leads to intense conflict, hurt feelings and board disfunction.
If the board had sprayed its own shower walls early and often, this kind of issue may either be prevented or more easily addressed.
Here are some considerations for your board when it comes to board behaviour and code of conduct:
- Have the conversations about acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour before there is an issue. It may appear that the behaviours identified are obvious and you needn’t write them down. Write them down anyway. Be clear.
- Keep returning to your policy language in a regular way in the months and years ahead. Ensure your policies continue to reflect the board’s expectations of its members’ behaviour. (This is part of spraying the shower wall.)
- Regularly set aside time to evaluate your behaviour against your policy. The temptation here is for the board to quickly pat itself on the back and say, “We are doing a good job!”. You will be better served to have honest and frank conversations even if the matter seems trivial – or if it causes an uncomfortable feeling when you bring it up. Guaranteed that if you let unwelcome behaviour go, it will become more difficult to address the matter in the future. (Keep spraying the shower walls).
- Write a specific policy with the steps individual board members – and the board as a whole – will take when there is a perceived violation of the code of conduct. This typically begins with a one-on-one conversation with the board member who is potentially behaving counter to the board’s policy. And after that, identify further steps to escalate the necessary intervention.
Write the policy – and use it. It’s not enough to buy a bottle of shower spray, put it in the shower, but never pick it up to spray the walls.
If you are looking for some ideas where to begin on this road, I invite you to book a Discovery Call. We have had the privilege of walking with many boards on this journey.
Believe me, spraying the shower walls is far easier than trying to remove the scaling later. Be diligent. It’s worth it.