Leadership turnover is inevitable in any organization, but it is not inevitable that it has to be traumatic or debilitating.
At Starboard Leadership Consulting, we believe that a transition that is well managed can become a real opportunity, enabling an organization to change direction, build momentum, and strengthen capacity. A well-managed transition serves as an investment in the future.
Starboard Leadership Consulting is not your typical executive search firm. We offer a comprehensive approach to leadership transitions and assist with succession planning, the development of transition plans and strategies, and/or manage the search for you or with you. We know that ensuring leadership continuity takes more than running ads and asking the right interview questions, and we want to work with clients who expect more than that. We are ready to provide support for any phase of the transition and can promise that our work will be tailored to your needs—not a "one size fits all" approach.
Succession Planning
Succession planning is about sustaining the work of the organization over time through attention to its leadership, programs and systems. It can be viewed, minimally, as risk management (are you prepared for the unexpected?) or somewhat more broadly as preparation for and management of a planned leadership transition. Optimally, however, succession planning is part of an ongoing strategic planning effort to develop leadership at the board and staff levels. At Starboard, we work with leaders who are ready to look to the future and consider how to best position their organizations for future success and growth.
Examples of our Leadership Transition Work
- A leader of a small non-profit was worried that the organization might not survive her departure or even a lengthy absence. She carried the identity of the organization, its donor relationships, and the organizational vision squarely, and solely, on her shoulders. Together, we developed and have supported a strategy to build the capacity of the board and staff, develop leadership strengths in others, and broaden ownership for key relationships. This leader is now planning a sabbatical with the confidence that the organization can manage without her.
- A for-profit business owner was looking for a way to transition to a more manageable work schedule, take vacation, and eventually transfer ownership to family members. We have worked with the business owner to put policies and procedures in place that no longer cause her to be tied to day-to-day operations or her cell phone. We have helped develop strategies that have resulted in staff, and the future leadership, taking on increased responsibilities as they accept greater ownership for the company, its results, and its future.
Executive Search
We offer our executive transition clients a range of services and can tailor our support to meet your unique needs. Unlike many more traditional search firms, we do not limit our work to only the search. Rather, we can help you manage the transition from start to finish and beyond—including the development of a plan for helping the new leader get off to a successful start. It is also important to note that, because we are a small firm, we are able to limit the number of executive searches we conduct so we can ensure that your search will get the attention it deserves and the results that you require.
There is no cookie-cutter approach to this work, but most searches include these elements:
- Define the position – If you are clear about what you want, you are more likely to get it. Pulling out an old job description or quickly determining that, "we want someone just like the last guy," (or nothing like the last guy!) will not accomplish that. The board or the search committee needs to link their shared vision for the organization's future to the development of a leadership statement that can be shared with candidates and guide the selection process.
- Manage the search – Depending upon the client's requirements, we can employ a search strategy that has a regional focus or that can be statewide or national in scope. In addition to developing an advertising strategy that meets your needs, we will immediately activate our own referral networks in hopes of generating interest among qualified candidates who are not currently in the job market.
- Evaluate and present candidates – Using the criteria that you develop, we can identify those candidates whose leadership style and accomplishments appear to match your needs, conduct evaluation interviews with the most promising candidates to assess their potential for success within your organization, and ensure their serious interest prior to their presentation to the search committee.
- Support during interviews – Once the candidates to be interviewed by the search committee have been selected, we will coordinate the details of the preliminary and follow-up interviews. We are also available to assist or counsel you, as needed, as you conduct initial and/or follow-up interviews.
- Credential and reference checks – Depending upon the client's expectations, we can verify the accuracy of the academic credentials and the employment history of the finalists and conduct formal reference checks, though clients often choose to make these calls on their own.
- Offer of employment – Once you decide to extend an offer, we are available, at your request, to assist you in preparing and negotiating a compensation package.
- Monitoring the match – We don't believe that our work ends with acceptance of the position. We communicate regularly with the client and the newly hired leader throughout the first year to support a successful transition.
Examples of our work
- A foundation asked us to provide them with a discreet search process that would minimize publicity and protect them from scores of inquiries and dozens of unqualified applicants. They wanted us to deliver a group of pre-screened finalists from which to select, and that is what we did—all while handling all aspects of the search and protecting the foundation's identity.
- A college's board of trustees called on us to help them think about their future leadership needs, shape a hiring process, and guide the development of a transition plan. They wanted to manage the actual hiring process themselves, but they counted on us to assist them in clarifying their vision for the future, developing a leadership agenda for the next leader, putting a professional hiring process in place, and maximizing the opportunity that the announcement of a new president provides.
- A small non-profit had run several searches, spent thousands of dollars on advertising, and was still disappointed with the results. We helped them to refine their search criteria and put in place an interview process that reflected well on the organization and helped to "sell" the job to qualified candidates. We then activated our network of statewide contacts to deliver candidates who were the right fit for the job.
Executive Transition
At Starboard Leadership Consulting, we believe that transitions happen best when they are planned, and we work with our clients to think through and plan for all aspects of leadership transitions. In a best case scenario, the departing leader provides ample notice and the board has the opportunity to consider the organization's future needs and plan for a successful and supportive launch for the new leader, as well as an appropriate send-off for the departing leader. Unfortunately, not all transitions happen in an orderly fashion or have the luxury of a well considered timeline. No matter the situation, we can help you make the very best of this moment in time, gain clarity about direction, build staff and board leadership skills, manage the communications and essential relationships, and set the stage for a successful start for your new leader.
Examples of our work
- A long-time leader of an organization with a national reputation looked ahead to retirement and sought Starboard's help in working with her board to develop a transition plan that would include strategic planning, a leadership development plan for staff, and an opportunity to maximize fund raising during the transition period. We helped manage board expectations, as well as those of internal job candidates, as we set the stage for a successful transition and eventual hiring process.
- A small human service organization had been experiencing frequent and disruptive leadership turnover but was unable to determine the cause—the selection process, the job, the compensation, the board, or something else? Before initiating another search, we counseled them to take the time to carefully assess their situation, consider the future, gain clarity about a shared vision (and the leadership skills needed to achieve that vision) and then develop a process for finding a leader up to the task.
- A college's board of trustees completed its search process for a new president and then realized that it did not have a plan for ensuring a successful launch for the new leader. Working with Starboard, we helped them to develop a leadership agenda, put in place a process for supporting the new president, and evaluate his progress. At the same time, we conducted a board assessment to determine what the board needed to do in order to build its own strengths and become the board the new leader required.
For more information please contact us at 207-992-4400.
