t indicates tool
acting executive directors, 123, 149–153
Adams, Tom, 1, 23–24
agencies in decline
described, 18
and time frame, 25
transition needs of, 18–19, 130
application process, setting, 70–71
assessments
of agency needs, 42
board of directors self-, 48t
of first transition committee meeting, 44
of new executive director, 25, 108–109, 110t–113t, 118
sustainability audits, 121
background checks, 90, 92
beginning phase (Bridges), 11
behavioral interviewing, 84, 85t
benchmarks, establishing, 54
boards of directors
and departing executive director, 28, 140–141, 143–145
and emergency leadership plan, 123
hiring decision-making meeting, 95t, 96–97, 97t
and leadership agenda, 56–57
member as candidate, 35, 125–126
member as interim executive director, 129–130
new executive director’s assessment by, 25, 108–109, 110t–113t, 118
new executive director’s relationship with, 10, 29, 104, 114–115, 146
personal story of transition, 135–137
recruitment efforts of, 3–4, 27, 29, 72t, 74t, 75
relinquishing management duties, 14–15
screening of finalists, 94–96
staff trust in, 4
strategic directions/plans survey of, 46–47, 47t
and transition and search committee, 27
See also communication by board of directors
Bridges, William
importance of, 2
on staff morale, 62–63
transition phases of, 10–11, 12, 28
budgets, 42
candidate profile
creating, 54, 55t, 56, 58–59
and embracing diversity, 128–129
relationship to strategic directions/plans, 28, 54, 56
sample, 60t
and screening, 29
candidates
acknowledging, 77, 79t
attracting, 29, 71, 72t, 73, 74t, 75, 143
community ties of, 76
internal, 35, 125–126
maintaining confidentiality of, 70–71, 76–77, 81, 125
pool diversity, 75–76
promoted by departing executives, 4, 127–128, 144
rating, 86–87, 88t–89t
references, 29, 82, 86
rejection notification, 80, 87, 100, 100t, 126
screening, 29, 77, 78t, 79–81
sources for interim executive directors, 130
See also finalists
capacity-building
and benchmarks, 54
during candidate search and screening, 61–62
for departure of long-tenured executive directors, 120–123
determining needs, 28, 42, 46–47, 47t, 49, 52t, 53–54
case examples
City Center Homeless Services, 16–17
Main Street Services, 20–21
New Beginnings, 18–19
Treasure Island Memorial Foundation, 14–15
change elements, described, 12
City Center Homeless Services, 16–17
clients, gathering information from, 53
communication by board of directors, 43–44, 45t
with departing executive director, 124
with funders, 142–143
importance of, 139
with new executive director, 114–115
with staff, 28, 141–142
community. See funders
CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, 1, 2
compensation
exit packages, 43, 126–127
and finalists’ references, 87
in job announcement, 70
researching, 43
confidentiality of candidates, 70–71, 76–77, 81, 125
consultants
choosing, 132–133
contract with, 42
feedback from, 133–134
information gathering by, 53
reasons for using, 131–132
control issues, 123–124
courtesy interviews, 126
Dams, Tom, 1
departing executive directors
and board of directors, 28, 140–141, 143–145
candidates promoted by, 4, 127–128, 144
closure with, 11, 25, 28, 32, 144
exit packages for, 43, 126–127
and orientation of new executive director, 107
recruitment efforts of, 75
role of, 35–36, 94, 123–125, 144–145
strategic directions/plans survey of, 49
unplanned, 6–7, 123, 149–153
See also long-tenured executive directors
departure-defined succession planning, 120–122
diversity
of candidate pool, 75–76
and candidate profile, 128–129
and comfort zones, 87
preparing for, 143
donors
communicating with, 43–44, 45t
and long-tenured executive directors, 121
emergency succession planning, 6–7, 123, 149–153
emeritus executive directors, 122, 125
emotions, role of, 12–13
ending phase (Bridges), 10, 11, 28
evaluations. See assessments
executive directors
acting, 123, 149–153
and agency vision, 63
average tenures of, 7
feedback needs of, 109
first-time, 14–15, 25
sudden departure of, 6–7, 123, 149–153
turnover rate, 2
See also departing executive directors; interim executive directors;
longtenured executive directors; new executive directors
Executive Transition Management model (ETM), 9–10, 12–14
exit packages, 43, 126–127
finalists
background checks, 90, 92
and departing executive director, 94
interview sample agenda for, 95t
job offer, 98, 99t
references, 87, 90, 91t
rejection notification, 100
selecting, 87, 88t–89t, 93–96, 97t
Following the Leader (Redington and Vickers), 124
funders
communicating with, 43–44, 45t, 142–143
developing new, 14–15, 17
and search, 75
strategic directions/plans survey of, 51–52, 52t
support during transition, 4
Gilmore, Tom, 2
Guidestar, 43
high-performing agencies, shifts in goals and strategies of, 16–17
incumbent executive directors. See departing executive directors
interim executive directors
advantages of, 11–12, 130, 131
for agencies in decline, 18–19, 130
board member as, 129–130
sources of candidates, 130
internal candidates, 125–126
interviews, courtesy, 126
interviews, first-round
behavioral interviewing, 84, 85t
conducting, 86
documenting impressions after, 86
location of, 82–83
questions, 82t–83t, 83–84
and references, 81
role assignments for, 84
scheduling, 82
selling position during, 66
interviews, second-round
background checks, 90, 92
board of directors screening, 94–96
departing executive director involvement, 94
reference checks, 90, 91t
sample agenda for, 95t
selecting finalists for, 87, 88t–89t, 93–96, 97t
staff involvement, 93–94
job announcements
and diversity of candidate pool, 75–76
drafting, 66
information contained in, 70–71
posting, 71, 73
sample, 67t–69t, 71
as selling tool, 63, 65–66
Jones, Karen Gaskins, 2
leadership agenda
and board of directors, 56–57
and candidate profile, 58
importance of, 57
sample, 56t–57t
steps to arrive at, 54, 55t, 56
and Thrive committee, 107–108
updating agency’s, 44, 45–47, 47t, 49–54, 50t–51t, 52t
and vision, 46, 53, 54
long-tenured executive directors
challenge of replacing, 19–20, 119–120
coaching for, 28
and departure-defined succession planning, 120–122
exit packages for, 43, 126–127
and interim executive directors, 131
personal story of replacement of, 135–137
and strategic leadership development, 122–123
time frame for, 119
Main Street Services, 20–21
Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, 10
mission. See vision statements
morale. See under staff
multiculturalism. See diversity
NeighborWorks America, 1, 23
networking
importance of, 66
as professional development component, 117
role of, 72t, 73, 74t, 75
neutral zone (Bridges), 10, 11
New Beginnings, 18–19
new executive directors
assessment of, 25, 108–109, 110t–113t, 118
and board of directors, 10, 29, 104, 114–115, 146
groomed by departing executive director, 127–128
hiring announcement sample letter, 105t
and leadership agenda, 107–108
offer letter template, 99t
orientation of, 104, 106t, 107, 146
performance goals, 107–108, 108t, 118
professional development for, 116–117, 146
resignations, 141, 145
and staff, 64t
start date of, 61
terms of employment, 43, 87, 98
nonprofit agencies
addressing funding issues, 14–15, 17
addressing organizational issues, 25
assessment of needs, 42
culture of, 146
in decline, 18–19, 25, 130
high-performing, 16–17
importance of, 3
updating leadership agenda, 44, 45–47, 47t, 49–54, 50t–51t, 52t
Pivot phase
overview of, 10, 25–26, 135
step-by-step, 61–101
See also specific subjects such as candidates and finalists
Prepare phase
overview of, 10, 24–25, 135
step-by-step, 31–60
See also transition and search committees
professional development
importance of, 25, 65
and new executive director, 116–117, 146
and strategic leader development, 122–123
recruiters. See consultants
recruitment. See search
Redington, Emily, 124, 143
references
of candidates, 29, 82, 86
of finalists, 87, 90, 91t
questions arising from, 81
resumes
acknowledging, 77, 79t
sorting, 77, 78t, 79–80
salary. See compensation
search
departing executive director’s role, 35–36, 94, 144
difficulties faced, 1, 3–4
and diversity of candidate pool, 75–76
geographic area covered, 71, 73
job announcement, 63, 65–66, 67t–69t
and networking, 66, 73, 74t, 75
personal story of, 135–137
preparation, 11–12
sample plan, 72t
screening sequence, 77, 78t, 79–81
staff ’s role, 10, 28–29
time frame for, 61
See also candidates; job announcements
search tool samples
agenda for finalists’ interviews and decision-making meeting, 95t
behavioral interviewing, 85t
candidate rating form, 88t–89t
first-round interview questions, 82t–83t
job announcement, 67t–69t
letter of acknowledgment to candidates, 79t
networking memo to board of directors and staff, 74t
offer letter, 99t
recruitment plan, 72t
reference checking, 91t
rejection letter, 100t
screening sequence, 78t
selecting candidate, 97t
skill development. See professional development
staff
as candidate, 35, 125–126
communicating with, 28, 43–44, 45t, 141–142
early input from, 10
and emergency leadership plan, 123
and finalists, 93–94
morale, 4, 26, 62–63, 64t
and new executive director, 64t, 104
personal story of involvement by, 137
recruitment efforts of, 75
sample networking memo to, 74t
and screening process, 81
strategic directions/plans survey of, 49–50, 50t–51t
and transition committee, 12–13, 28–29, 34–35
stakeholders
communicating with, 43–44, 45t
and finalists’ interviews, 92–97
See also specific groups
start-up agencies, 15
strategic directions/plans
and assessment of executive director, 109
and embracing diversity, 128–129
importance of, 44, 46
relationship to candidate profile, 54
setting, 28
and strategic leader development, 122–123
strategic directions/plans surveys
of board of directors, 46–47, 47t
of departing executive directors, 49
of funders, 51–52, 52t
of staff, 49–50, 50t–51t
strategic leader development, 122–123
succession planning, 6–7, 120–123, 149–153
sustainability audits, 121
Third Sector New England, 1
Thrive committee
dissolution of, 117–118
membership, 103
and new executive director’s orientation, 104
and new executive director’s performance, 107–108
and new executive director’s professional development, 116–117
Thrive phase
overview of, 10, 25, 135
step-by-step, 103–118
transition
elements, 12, 27–30
opportunities offered by, 139, 140
phases, 5, 10–11, 12
See also Pivot phase; Prepare phase; Thrive phase
time frame for, 61, 119, 121
types of, 4–5, 14–15
transition and search committees
and board of directors, 27
budget for, 42
decision-making process, 38–39
duties, 24, 32–33, 39, 81
duties of chair, 33–34
first meeting, 36, 38, 42–44
first meeting sample agenda, 37t
forming, 31–32
leadership agenda and performance goals, 107
membership, 33–35, 38
personal story of, 135–137
rules, 38
team building, 38
and Thrive committee, 103
workplan and schedule, 39, 40t–41t
TransitionGuides, 1, 23
transparency, 28, 43–44, 45t
Treasure Island Memorial Foundation, 14–15
turnaround transitions
description of need for, 18–19
and interim executive directors, 130
and time frame, 25
unplanned departures, 6–7, 123, 149–153
Vickers, Donn, 124, 143
vision statements
and leadership agenda, 46, 53, 54
as selling point of position, 63
updating, 32, 33, 35
volunteers as information sources, 53
web recruitment, 71, 73
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