Human Services News

Fieldstone Alliance
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A new book by executive transition expert Tim Wolfred guides nonprofits through what can be a daunting time—a change in leadership. Managing Executive Transitions: A Guide for Nonprofits helps boards and executive directors handle leadership turnovers in a way that prevents problems and sets the organization on a path for long-term success.

A majority of nonprofit boards will be faced with executive transitions in the near future. According to CompassPoint’s national survey of two thousand executive directors in 2006, 75 percent of them planned to leave their jobs in five years or less. In addition, baby boomers, who came into the nonprofit sector in big numbers in the 1960s and 1970s, will be retiring.

Many of these individuals were the founding executives of their agencies.
Yet, many nonprofit boards are unprepared. Too often they push ahead with a typical hiring process. 'Executive transitions involve more than simple recruiting,' explains Wolfred. 'A leadership transition is a pivotal moment—an opportunity for transformation. When the director leaves, things become a bit unglued. This unglued state gives board and staff a chance to put things back together in new and creative ways, to let go of some old pieces, and to bring in fresh elements.'

Managing Executive Transitions encourages a transformational process with three phases: Prepare, Pivot, and Thrive.