"I Gave My Board Nine Weeks' Notice, and They Still Got It Wrong": Advice for Managing an ED Transition without a Succession Plan

Q:

“I’m an ED of a nonprofit who resigned with 9 weeks notice (I tried to be as generous as I possibly could). My board came up with an interim succession plan that I strongly disagreed with, but they went with it anyway. And now, as I round out the transition with less than two weeks to go, the staff is experiencing the downstream implications of this decision. I do not wish our day to day reality on anyone. This has been one of the most professionally difficult situations I’ve ever faced. Every minute feels like an hour and I am desperate for relief, desperate for my staff to feel secure, and desperate for the individual temporarily sitting in my chair to rise to the occasion, or step down and let the board immediately course correct.”

A:

This sounds like a really difficult and disheartening position to be in. An executive transition is a really vulnerable time for an organization, and even when it is managed well, it can be a disruptive experience for teams. And unfortunately, many boards are not well prepared for this eventuality, and too often, an ED’s departure leads to unnecessary stress and uncertainty that can have long-term effects on the organization. 

Avoid Pain with a Succession Plan

The simple solution (which unfortunately won’t help your current situation) is to have a comprehensive succession plan in place BEFORE you need it. I’ve written about why succession planning matters, and what to include in your succession plan, in “Our Executive Director Resigned. Now What?!: How to Approach Succession Planning in a Small Nonprofit”. I really cannot stress enough how valuable it is to have a detailed succession plan in place! I promise you it will save so much time and effort and stress down the road. If you don’t already have this infrastructure, build it now! (Need help putting together a good succession plan? Get in touch).

Managing a Transition Without a Succession Plan

But what if you get to an exit (or a leave) without a succession plan? Things can get messy, and this isn’t the first time I’ve heard from an ED, on good terms in their organization, who is unhappy with the board’s approach to managing their leave or exit. Giving a lot of notice helps, as boards tend to move slowly by design. Unfortunately, even with generous notice, not every board will steward the organization effectively through the transition. Nine weeks certainly is ample notice, but I have seen EDs give their board twelve weeks, six months, or a year notice, and still watch things go awry. So what’s going on there?

In most cases, the board is trying to manage an ‘unexpected’ transition on their own, without adequate input from the ED or expert support. When boards don’t have a detailed, comprehensive succession plan to follow, they have to figure it out on the fly. And board directors are volunteers, who are already carrying a lot of responsibilities in their role, and who also have lives, families, and careers on the go. On any given board, capacity may be stretched, directors may not have experience managing executive transitions (I mean, few people do!), and there may be disagreement within the board on how to proceed. From the perspective of a board director, what is already a challenging task can feel quite overwhelming. 

I have also found that in some cases, boards may lean toward a more secretive approach to managing an executive transition. This might be because the board is protecting confidentiality, there is a belief that it’s a board-only role (it doesn’t have to be), or the directors simply don’t want to share any information until they’ve figured everything out. In most cases, it’s a well intentioned approach, but one that can backfire. 

Anytime the board is making decisions without the ED’s insight and counsel, they are missing vital information. And anytime complex deliberations are made without appropriate input and feedback from those affected by the decision - in this case, staff - you risk ending up in a situation that can cause more problems than it solves. I’ve written about the benefits of transparency and collaboration in executive transitions in ‘Should Staff Get a Say in Hiring the New ED? Why Collaboration Leads to Better Transitions’, which might be worth a read here to boards or staff members in similar situations.

Advice for Boards

For directors who are receiving an ED’s notice, I strongly recommend engaging external support to manage the transition effectively; this might come from an interim executive, a search firm, HR consultant, or governance expert. Remember that it’s okay - in fact, it’s ideal - to collaborate with your outgoing ED to ensure the best continuity you can across programs and operations, while supporting staff through a challenging time. There will likely be a need for confidentiality throughout the process, but transparency, feedback loops and frequent communications are your friend! And whatever decisions are made, it’s important that the board stays tuned in, monitoring the transition to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible, and that any issues that arise can be dealt with in a timely manner.

Advice for EDs

For any ED who is providing notice for a leave or exit without a comprehensive succession plan in place, it’s worthwhile to outline two or three options for managing the transition for the board, with some pros/cons and considerations to go with each option. This will give the board a head start in terms of finding their direction, while leaving space for the directors to exercise their role with whatever level of autonomy they desire. 

Keep the lines of communication open, both with staff and the board. Share any concerns you may have to the full board (not just the chair) in a clear, constructive and timely manner, and where possible, suggest solutions. But ultimately, if the board goes in a direction that you disagree with, and you’ve made your best effort to help course correct, you may just have to accept that it’s out of your hands. 

You can’t own the board’s decisions. Even in a stressful situation - and exits tend to run high with emotion - you can focus on showing up in your role in a way that is consistent with your values, stewarding the organization and your team to the best of your ability. And then when it’s time to move on, do whatever self-care is needed, and then try to let it all go. No need to carry old baggage around into your next endeavour.

Big Takeaways

• ED transitions are always hard. Even in a well managed process, expect some stress, uncertainty and discomfort to show up.
• Notice is not a succession plan. Even with ample time, a board may still struggle to manage an executive transition appropriately, without adequate infrastructure or support. 
• Collaboration and communication are key. Boards do not have to plan and manage executive transitions on their own; working with the ED and staff, along with external support where it’s needed, will lead to a better experience for everyone.