Ian Adair

• Identify the critical leadership and management functions of the ED
• Board leadership takes responsibility for setting up a mutually agreeable departure date
• Address professional barriers associated with the departing ED, including, community acknowledgement of organizational change, donor concerns and insecurities, unfinished business/projects in the current job.
• Create a succession planning committee to provide oversight and to craft strategies/work plans for the board to review, ratify, and implement.
• Agree upon which functions should be covered by an interim director, limitations of their authority, and which functions a secondary manager should cover (resource development, internal operations, or programs/services).

Professional development is consistently mentioned as the area where many nonprofit personnel feel their organizations do not adequately provide or encourage. Retention in the nonprofit field is high already and many at the administrative level would rather change positions to take over a new organization rather than wait for leadership to step down at their current one. This trend leaves many nonprofits in an emergency state when an ED/CEO decides to call it quits. Often placing a board member into an interim role they do not want and existing management staff unprepared to take over. In a down economy professional development opportunities are usually some of the first line items cut from a budget. So how can nonprofits prepare current employees to become future leaders while at the same time plan for transitioning power within the organization, here are some ideas:

• Develop a cross-training plan for the identified back-ups that ensures they develop their abilities to carry on the ED’s key functions
• Encourage managers/directors/program staff to take advantage of professional development opportunities
• Include management team members in board meetings and make organizational decisions transparent
• Create a system of broadening relationships with grant makers and key donors to include key management staff

The generational groups following the Baby Boomers are very public in stating a preference for less hierarchy in an organization and for leadership structures to be more collaborative. They also say they will demand a better work/life balance, due in part to high levels of personal sacrifice and burnout they see in current executives. Organizations preparing for succession need to be aware that Generation X’ers and Millennials expect the latest electronic technologies to be available as a means to efficiency and productivity. If transitioning organizations cannot become flexible enough to change with this generational dynamic, younger leaders will bypass them for ones that will acknowledge their needs.