The Essential Guide for Managing Leadership Turnovers A leadership
transition can be a time of high vulnerability for a nonprofit
organization. On the other hand, an executive turnover offers unique
opportunities for renewal and fresh thinking. Managing Executive
Transitions shows how this state of transition can give board and staff
members a chance to put things back together in new and creative
ways--to discard some old pieces and to bring in fresh elements.
Nonprofit boards and executive directors will find practical advice on
how to manage leadership turnovers in ways that can heighten mission
impact while avoiding potential downsides. Author Tim Wolfred recommends
a transformational process of three phases: Prepare, Pivot, and Thrive.
In the Prepare phase board members, staff, volunteers, and funders
engage in an efficient process for updating the agency's strategic
directions and crafting a profile of the skills needed in the next
executive. In the Pivot phase a search ensues, conducted by a board
reinvigorated and excited about the agency's future impact. In the
Thrive phase the board engages the newly hired executive as a leadership
partner and gives him or her clear performance priorities derived from
the strategic directions. Engaging case studies and hands-on tools such
as planning agendas, timelines, sample letters, and communication tips
will smooth the transition to new executive leadership.
