Leadership Development and Succession

"The domain of leaders is the future. The leader's unique legacy is the creation of valued institutions that survive over time. The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today's bottom line; it is to the long-term development of people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow." 

Source: The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner (2007)

It is well-recognized that in the coming years there will be a shift in generational leadership in our society, including in the nonprofit sector, as baby-boom leaders retire and new leaders emerge. However, leadership succession occurs regardless of demographic shifts. Nonprofits that are serious about their own sustainability will be concerned - no matter what generation their leaders hail from - about smooth and thoughtful leadership succession. Leadership succession planning should encompass not only staff leadership but also board leadership (committee chairs, as well as officers). Generally the board development committee or "board governance" committee will focus on leadership succession at the board level, but it is up to both board and staff together to identify an organization's plans for staff leadership succession, an important component of which is an emergency succession plan.

Elements of Leadership Succession Planning Include:

1. Identifying the current staff leadership's strengths and challenges.
2. Identifying challenges ahead and the leadership qualities that will be needed to navigate those challenges successfully.
3. Identifying an Emergency Succession Plan in the event that an unexpected event requires the swift delegation of authority to a replacement staff leader.
4. Identifying leadership development opportunities for existing staff and board members to participate in so that they can expand their leadership skills.
5. Identifying how your organization will communicate strategically with stakeholders before, during and after a transition of leadership. Tips on communicating about a transition from BoardSource.

Emergency Succession Planning

Every nonprofit should have a plan to deal with an unexpected event such as the death or illness of key leaders. Resources to review include:

• An outline of a Sample Emergency Succession Plan.
• Toolkit for drafting your own emergency succession plan.
• Managing Executive Transitions: A Guide for Nonprofits, by Tim Wolfred - guides nonprofits through a change in leadership and helps boards and executive directors handle leadership turnovers to set the nonprofit on a path to long-term success.

Planned Leadership Succession

If your organization is facing the prospect of losing a leader, the future can look cloudy! Clear the air with a plan for leadership succession.

TransitionGuides.com offers resources including helpful articles, as well as links to other publications on the topic of leadership succession and succession planning.

• Grantmakers can play a critical role in helping nonprofits during a transition of  leadership. This article, Philanthropy’s Role in Succession Planning: How Funders Can Assist Grantee Organizations in Preparing for Leadership Change reports, using several case studies, how funders have assisted nonprofits with capacity building to prepare them for leadership succession and transition.
• Bibliography of succession planning resources from the Foundation Center.
• Succession planning for nonprofits of all sizes.

For more background on leadership development in the nonprofit sector, visit the Leadership section of the National Council’s website.  For resources specifically on board leadership, visit the Boards and Governance section of the National Council’s website.