Prepare for Success through Succession Planning and Leadership Training

By DeLaine Bender, Deputy Director
AMR Management Services

“Be prepared” is a motto from which everyone can benefit, and that may be especially true in the association world, where change is a constant. A changeover of leadership can be a major turning point for an association even in the best of times, but during a time of upheaval or financial turmoil, it can be especially dramatic.

Most associations plan for such transitions by implementing succession plans, which indicate who will transition into certain leadership roles and how/when transitions take place. The succession plan and on-going leadership recruitment strategies go hand-in-hand to ensure continuity of association leadership.

A succession plan should also include a training program for new leaders. Many associations are also instituting mentoring programs, where a current director or committee member mentors a future leader through the course of a full year. The chief staff executive and the chief elected officer play key roles during the training period, providing support and guidance — and pointing out any sensitive areas to navigate.

For presidential transitions, I always recommend participation of the incoming leader and the chief staff executive in ASAE’s CEO Symposium. The symposium content is aimed at clarifying roles, defining priorities and developing the relationship between the chief elected and chief staff officer.

In addition to understanding the role, it’s important that an incoming leader take time before the duties overwhelm him/her to devise an initial set of objectives for the leadership term. Include the symposium or some other method for goal-setting in your training programs, so leaders can look back at their terms able to define what they succeeded in accomplishing.

An ongoing strategy for identifying and engaging with up-and-coming leaders is another important element of succession planning. I think it helps to have a pre-defined, approved criteria of the qualities your association is seeking in future leaders, so current leaders and staff can help identify members who possess those qualities.

How do you facilitate succession planning in your organization? Do you find yourself struggling to find and retain new leaders? Consider putting a formal process in place to recruit and engage future leaders.

- DeLaine