CAI-NJ October 2020

MANAGEMENT TRENDS

In the Middle of Difficulty Lies Opportunity By Kristina Munson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, CPM, RCP Management Company, AAMC, AMO, CAI-NJ Managers Committee Chair

A lbert Einstein once said that “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. This year has certainly seen its share of difficulties, but as we (hopefully) come out the other side of one of the most significant human and economic events of our lifetime there are countless lessons to be learned and an abundance of opportunities, perhaps greater than in any time now referred to as “pre-COVID”. From quarantine and remote learning for school children to new Radburn Regulations courtesy of the NJ Department of Community Affairs and too many Governor’s Executive Orders to count, it has been quite a challenging year of learning to adapt and acquire new skills to navigate personal relationships and com- munity management in a virtual world. While managers were still adjusting to remote work arrangements, and in many cases in the role of teachers navigating the new world of remote learning since March, every community manager in New Jersey was faced with the challenge of learning a completely new pro- cess for elections and meetings thanks to the DCA’s updat- ed Radburn Regulations. Forget everything you thought you knew, everything you had learned over many years of professional education and on the job training, everything changed. Just like that. And thus, began the manager’s education revolution of 2020. Several industry attorneys led the way with webinars and virtual seminars to help managers and communities get equipped to deal with the new government mandates relating to Radburn. It was no-doubt overwhelming in those first few weeks but what we saw come out of that time was perhaps the most prolific advancement of manager education ever. Industry professionals and business partners found a way to connect with managers while we couldn’t get together as we had before. Online seminars, webinars, and of course virtual happy hours became the “new” nor-

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“What do we need? Family, friends, and community.”

mal and, seemingly overnight, managers had more oppor- tunities for continuing education than ever before! In the early weeks of summer, when it became evident that things were not going back to the way they were any time soon, companies re-evaluated, re-aligned and re-fo- cused on not just “dealing” with the circumstances at hand but rather seeing the opportunities presented to become catalyst of change. CAI-NJ has been an incredible resource for managers and all industry members throughout the pandemic. From Cyber Trivia presented by the F.A.S.T Committee with trivia and networking for a good cause, to the critical LAC (Legislative Action Committee) updates and the latest Webinar Wednesdays, CAI-NJ has brought our community together while we are apart. The first ever CAI-NJ Virtual Conference and Expo will assuredly be no different. We don’t quite know what to expect, but we are excited about it! From a young age, trying new things is always a mix CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 25

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