It's far and away the most common tale I hear from Management Company CEO's - that there are not enough talented managers in the hiring pool to fill the ever-growing need in the industry. It used to be ten years ago that the pool was shallow, but relatively manageable. Today, the pool is more like a puddle. The reasons why are as varied as there are local markets around the country - long hours, can't pay enough and so on. However - there is something that everyone can do if they invest the time: Hire for succession. Ram Charan, who you know is one of my 'go-to' guys on business, has authored a new book on just this subject. While the book revolves around CEOs of multi-national corporations, the principles are just as applicable to us. Take a look…

Leaders at All Levels - Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve The Succession Crisis by Ram Charan (2008 John Wiley & Sons). There is a parallel between the leadership crisis of CEOs and Association Managers - too often, we hire for the short term need and don't look to the long-term end. Ram addresses this is his simple, easy-to-understand style in "Leaders At All Levels." In order to meet the crisis, Ram applies one of the most ancient models - The Apprenticeship Model. Just as in vocations of yesteryear (and do some degree today), the key to having the right people in the right positions is to have a system in place that A) recognizes talent, B) gives them 'stretch' opportunities that test their capabilities under real-world conditions and C) has a cycle of consistent feedback from their boss on how they're doing and what they need to work on. As in all of Ram's books, there are ample examples from real-world companies and lots of step-by-step instruction on how to set up and run the Apprenticeship model.

Another great book from Ram Charan - a relatively short read at 164 pages, but jam-packed with great principles you can apply in your world today. 5 Stars

Rolf Crocker

Rolf Crocker is the VMS National Sales Manager for Community Association Banc. He can be reached at .