SPRING 2008 39 APPRENTICE YOURSELF FOR LEADERSHIP Ram Charan C risis may be an overused word, but it’s a fair de- scription of the state of leadership in today’s cor- porations. CEOs are failing sooner and falling harder, leaving their companies in turmoil. At all levels, companies are short on the quantity and quality of the leaders they need. Businesses could fill the leadership vacuum from their internal ranks if they know how to spot and develop their potential leaders. But they don’t, despite the enormous resources and thought they pour into the task. In other words, traditional leadership prac- tices are not working. In my recently published book, Leaders at All Levels, I describe an approach to leader- ship development that transforms it from a discrete ac- tivity run by the human resources staff to an everyday activity that is fully integrated into the fabric of the busi- ness and in which line leaders play a central role. I call this approach the Apprenticeship Model, and it is based on the premise that leadership ability is devel- oped through practice and self-correction (see sidebar: Apprenticeship Model Building Blocks). Companies I work with, such as General Electric and Colgate-Pal- molive, are bringing this model to life, as are other or- ganizations. But you do not need to wait for your orga- nization to adopt the Apprenticeship Model. You can apprentice yourself. Individual leaders can and should embrace the Appren- ticeship Model, even if their companies don’t, and take ownership of their own development. Those who be- lieve they have leadership potential that is undiscovered should take charge of their own learning and develop- ment. They should make their own luck. Think of luck as what happens when an opportunity matches a person’s God-given talents. A leader can cre- ate her own luck by figuring out when and where that opportunity lies. Every leader should be looking for- ward, aware of her specific talent and whether it is being fully utilized and developed. If not, the leader should search for a place where her talent can be used, recog- nized, encouraged, and developed better than anywhere else. Leaders who are persistent in that search will likely find a match between their talent and the opportunity. That becomes luck. The search, which will continue throughout your ca- reer, is a three-part undertaking: First, identify what your potential is. Second, find ways to nurture that po- tential. Third, be aware of those things that can derail you as your potential develops. EXECUTIVE FORUM Adapted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from Leaders at All Levels: Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve the Succession Crisis, by Ram Charan. Copy- right © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.