Hidden beneath our daily activities is a world of secret rules and hidden causes, the real reasons things happen. And now, for the first time, it's possible to look at the covert understandings that underlie homeowner associations and why they work the way they do....

1. A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the pants.

2. Don't be irreplaceable. You'll never get off the board.

3. The more abuse you take, the more abuse you'll get.

4. You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.

5. Never raise two issues in a business letter. The reply will discuss the one you are least interested in, and say nothing about the other.

6. If at first you don't succeed, quit. No sense in being a fool about it.

7. Dad said there would be days like this. He just never said there would be so many.

8. Everything can be filed under "Miscellaneous."

9. Never delay the ending of a meeting or the beginning of cocktail hour.

10. Error free correspondence will develop errors in the mail.

11. Success is just a matter of luck. Just ask any failure.

12. There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but always enough time to do it over.

13. If you're good, you'll be given all the work to do. If you're really good, you'll get out of it.

14. People are always available for committee work in the past tense.

15. If it wasn't for the "last minute", nothing would ever get done.

16. You always get the greatest recognition for the things you did wrong.

17. All difficult problems can be solved by asking, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"

18. All vacations create management problems, except for yours.

19. The former Board President will be held responsible for everything that goes wrong...until the current Board President quits.

20. If any unit has a leak, it will be the one above you.

For more information on this subject, see www.Regenesis.net.

Published: October 24, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Richard Thompson owns Regenesis, a management consulting company that specializes in condominium and homeowner associations. He is a nationally recognized expert on HOA management issues. Regenesis publishes The Regenesis Report, a monthly newsletter for HOA boards, developers and managers. To subscribe, go to Regenesis.net. He can be contacted by email at .