According to JR Yeager in the CompassPoint Nonprofit Services
blogpost, So You Want to be an Interim
Executive Director, the “ultimate goal as an interim executive during a
leadership transition is to create the most stable platform possible for the
next executive. This means a strong board, a functioning staff, good internal
systems, and healthy funder and community relationships.”
Depending on the length of the interim, that’s a pretty tall
order. Transitions are a period of tremendous uncertainty when
organizational culture is at its most fragile. This is especially true with
small nonprofits and notoriously complicated when the transition involves the
departure of a founder.
Interim by definition means temporary and unless board and
staff are handled with finesse, there can be a lot of pushback, both overt and indirect.
Here are a few suggestions for making the most of the interim experience:
1. Observe,
ask questions and listen carefully. Pay attention to the roles that staff
members play within the culture, not just those defined by their job title. Take
time to learn about the rites, rituals and ceremonies that define the organization.
How do people communicate within the organization as well as to their
constituents?
2. Let the
staff know that, as far as you are concerned, they are the experts regarding
their organization. No matter what your experience related to other organizations,
no one knows the organization like the folks in the trenches day to day. Let
them know you understand, respect their expertise, and that you will seek the
benefit of their knowledge, experience and wisdom as you get to know the organization.
3. In articles
about interim directorship, much is made about the opportunity to clear out the
dead wood if someone is underperforming or undermining the culture. However, the interim also has the
opportunity to compliment good work, notice if someone has talents that are not
being utilized or would perform betterin a different position and mentor staff
members who are growing in their roles. Making sure that people are utilizing their strengths
is just as important for creating a stable platform for the new ED, and it
builds morale and loyalty.
4. The interim’s
outsider perspective can be in invaluable in observing the organization’s
systems and identifying ways to be more efficient and effective. However, the truth is people hate
change and will be poised to pushback unless they feel they have been invited
to collaborate to develop a more effective approach. Listening to board and
staff perspectives on what’s not working and asking leading questions about
what would work and how it could be made to happen before offering suggestions
is more likely to win the interim allies when changing systems.
5. When it
comes to marketing and development, the number of board and staff members who
underestimate their value as ambassadors and advocates of the organization is surprising.
No matter how long the tenure, one of the best opportunities for any interim
director is to help those closest to the organization recognize the value of their
own passion and commitment as it applies to making friends and increasing
funding for the organization.
So
how did the interim experience end for the childcare center? In a surprising
turn of events, the new challenge did not work out for the departing executive
director. He requested to be included in the list of candidates and the board
voted to hire him back, to the general delight of the staff and families.
This interim period provided the director an opportunity to
step back and gain a fresh perspective.
Coupled with the insights gained during my tenure, the center is moving
forward with renewed energy.
Donna H. Melton, Prinicipal
Just in Time! Communications
Donna Melton and Just in Time! Communications are collaborative partners of MacIntyre Associates.
