Success with Succession: How to Ease the Transition of Leadership in your Association

The great recession is affecting companies and organizations nationwide making it more crucial than ever to have thoughtful leadership succession plans.

On Wednesday, May 11, Ewald Consulting hosted its regular webinar featuring Brad Ballinger of Cincinnatus, INC, an accomplished leadership consultant, and trainer. Ballinger sat down with David Ewald to discuss leadership succession practices and ideas for how to handle transitions tactfully and gracefully.

The big takeaway? New leaders always have much to learn, and in these uncertain times, it is essential for current leaders to play a proactive role in setting the new leader up for success.

Other practical advice included:

1. Association experience versus industry experience is something to consider but may not be a dealbreaker. Consider the individual themselves and how they could lead the organization. If they lack association experience but come with previous leadership experience, they could still be a great fit. It will ultimately be up to you to decide if it’s a fit and whether individuals should be examined on a case-by-case basis.
2. Ask your current leader to gather information to help the new leader. Ask about their day-to-day work life, their long-term goals for the association, and what they would like to see in a new leader. There is a great deal of information you can gather from the existing leader that can help the incoming leader such as their responsibilities, workload, and ideas for the future.
3. Set your new leaders up for success. While the new leaders are the ones stepping into the leadership role, those within the association must give them the tools to be successful. Consider what information they may need such as association history, volunteer roles, and more. It will be better to over prepare in this case and not assume the new leader is coming in with all the right information.
4. Let new leaders know how they will be evaluated. If you have specific goals in the organization, sit down with your new leader and work with them on how they think they can help achieve those goals. From there, you can come up with a specific plan to measure the leader’s progress. This progress may be measured in membership growth, revenue growth, or the launch of a new program such as a virtual conference or webinar.

To watch the full conversation, visit our Volunteer Resources page.