Hiring the executive leader is the most significant impact a board has on an organization, I help you get it right.
Without visualization to the day-to-day work and current operational state, it’s difficult to hire the leader with the best skills to lead the organization into the future, and nearly impossible to conduct a transparent executive search and hiring process. As if that isn’t enough pressure, executive leadership transition represents one of the most vulnerable points in your organization’s lifecycle.
From overwhelmed…
When an organization’s leader submits their resignation, is asked to leave, or is expected to retire in the near future, the Board of Director’s role feels like much more than a volunteer position. Feeling overwhelmed is normal. You want to do the best thing for the organization, but it’s hard to even know where to start.
At the same time, uncertainty and anxiety are threatening to consume your organization’s leadership team, as they imagine the extra work it will take to cover the leader’s absence, and feel the pressure to show-up with optimism for their team, while facing the uncertainty we all feel when learning we’re getting a new boss. They now have to trust the board of directors, a group of people they may not know well.
That’s where I come in.
Like most interim leaders, I perform the day-to-day work of the CEO or Executive Director, supporting the leadership team and ensuring operations continue as usual. This peace of mind helps the board focus on the search, rather than the organization’s functioning and supports the leadership team, protecting their workload and letting them focus on their teams.
But, there’s more.
To opportunity.
My approach will not only get you through this critical time, I will help you thrive. While often unexpected and stressful, leadership transitions represent an incredible opportunity for organizational development, my process will help you fully leverage this opportunity, leaving your organization stronger than before.
At the end of our partnership, rather than coming into a team of leaders who are exhausted, and just relieved to have someone in the role, your new leader will be welcomed by your key staff with energy, ready to embrace the unknown and move into the future.
How it works
1) Assessment: As part of the engagement, I conduct a thorough assessment of the organization’s current state, providing the board with visualization to the inner-workings of the organization so you can hire the person with the right skillsets for the position and provide candidates with a transparent understanding of the role they are being hired to fill. I leave behind the full assessment and a “playbook” for the new leader to use as they orient to their role and team. As a result of my work, the board and new leader will start with the same base understanding of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, accelerating their partnership and increasing the chances of a successful tenure.
2) Organizational development: In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations, I will lead your team through a process that will leave the organization stronger and excited about the opportunities a new leader will bring. My expertise and unique skills in transitions management enable the team to pause to reflect on the past, take stock of the current state, and dream about the future. This process enables them to experience their own professional development and welcome the new leader with curiosity and positive, forward thinking energy.
work this in? In the absence of the executive leader, senior leadership team members often end up putting in more hours, and absorbing the impact of the transition, leaving them exhausted and maybe even curious about the steady stream of LinkedIn headhunter requests they normally ignore.
