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TWELVE KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
1. Be clear about expectations
One of the biggest pitfalls for new executive directors is not achieving clarity about expectations. If, during the recruiting process, you have not been informed about the organization's expectations for your performance, especially expectations relating to your first year, ask to have these expectations clarified. Work with board members to develop a set of objectives that are mutually acceptable to you and your organization. Understand which of these objectives are crucial for you to accomplish and which are desirable, but not essential. Achieving this understanding will help focus your time and energy during your first year as your organization's leader.
By working with the board to clarify expectations about your performance, you are setting a tone of active cooperation between you and the board and letting board members know that you expect them to play an active role in the governance and oversight of your organization.
Also, expectations are a two-way street. If you have expectations or concerns about how you will be evaluated or about future compensation, clearly state these expectations or concerns when you negotiate your contract or discuss other issues with board members. You have a lot of leverage at the beginning of your tenure. Most people will be happy that you are there and will do their best to accommodate your needs
2. Become aware of any organizational red flags that must be addressed immediately, and then address them
As organizations approach leadership transitions, they sometimes let things slide or sweep them under the rug. In some cases, board members may not be aware of incipient organizational problems until a long-time leader has left the organization and hidden problems start to emerge. In addition, new leaders are not always made aware of these "red flags" during the interview process, either deliberately or because members of the search committee are themselves unaware that such issues exist.
It is important to find out if there are any organizational issues that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. This can be done by having individual conversations with staff and board members as well as with some outside constituents who know your organization well and can provide different perspectives from those of insiders. In young or less well-developed organizations, there may be problems related to tax filings or poor financial record keeping. Technology may be obsolete, or the organization's database may be in need of an overhaul. In older organizations, there may be interpersonal problems that need addressing or other human resource management issues that have been let slide.
Anything that is likely to impede the organization's ability to receive continued funding, jeopardize its nonprofit status or keep it from accomplishing its basic mission must be addressed as soon as possible.
3. Spend time learning about your organization before you make major changes to it
Some executive directors are so eager to make their mark on an organization that they rush in and make major organizational changes before learning enough about why things are the way they are. With the exception of the kinds of issues discussed above, making changes too quickly can lead to major mistakes as well as annoy staff members who have been at the organization for a long time.
Whether an organization was run well or badly before you arrived, staff are used to doing things in certain ways. Before instituting major changes, it's important to understand why certain policies and procedures exist and whether or not staff perceive them to be effective. Staff members are more likely to resist changes made for the sake of change, especially if they don't understand why a change is being made or have some say in the decision to make it.
A good way to understand your organization and begin to build relationships is to have the conversations suggested above. You can use these conversations to learn about the concerns of the people who have built your organization up to this point. Once you have this awareness, and the support of others that comes from establishing relationships with them, you can begin to strategize about what should stayed unchanged for now, what should be changed gradually and what must be immediately altered. If you institute change gradually, especially in areas where changes are not critical, it will be easier to enlist the help and support of staff and board members in your change effort, thereby utilizing their considerable expertise and knowledge and ensuring their cooperation.
4. Establish your authority as soon as possible, but do so gently
As a new executive director, it is necessary to make it clear that you are now the person in charge of your organization, but it's important to do so gently. If an organization has been without a leader for some time, staff may be used to operating on their own and thus be resistant to having a "boss" again. Board members may have taken over many of the functions of the executive director and have to be weaned from participating too much in day-to-day operations. Outside constituents may not be aware of your new role. If your organization was started by a charismatic founder and you are the first "outside' executive director following the founder's departure or move to a different role, your challenge will be even greater.
To meet these challenges, you will need to figure out effective ways to build your credibility and communicate your authority as the organization's leader. Depending on their relationship to the organization and what they were doing before you arrived, different people will react to your leadership in different ways. But whatever methods you use, it's important to demonstrate your leadership skills and establish your authority within your first few months on the job. This initial period will set the tone for the rest of your time in the organization.
5. Build trust as quickly as you can
As the organization's leader, it's important to build trust in all your relationships. Board members need to trust that you will serve as the organization's steward, carrying out its mission, increasing its sustainability and enhancing its visibility and reputation. They also need to believe that you will behave ethically by taking care of organizational funds as carefully as you would your own, not engaging in behaviors that give the impression of conflict of interest and honoring confidentiality, major policies and contractual obligations. Staff members need to trust that you will serve as their advocate, care about their development, and help them accomplish their work goals and personal objectives. Outside constituents need to trust that you are working on the organization's behalf and experience you as a highly visible symbol
6. Operate from a strategic place
In most nonprofits, there are more demands on an executive director's time than are possible to meet. To be effective in a time- and resource-constrained environment, an executive director must operate strategically. If you are lucky, your organization will have engaged in a strategic planning process fairly close to your arrival, and you'll have a document to guide your actions during your first year. Make sure that the expectations set forth by your board are congruent with this document. If they are not, continue conversations with board members to align their expectations for you with the organization's current strategy.
If no written strategic plan exists, you should try to ascertain if the organization is operating according to an implicit plan. If not, it's important to set a strategic planning process in motion as soon as possible. Such a process should be organization-wide and involve all major constituents at some point. Since it's best to engage in strategic planning after you've been running your organization for at least a few months (to give you time to familiarize yourself with its issues and work), in the interim, you can use your initial expectations as a guideline for focusing your activities until a more comprehensive strategic plan has been developed.
In addition to helping you decide how to focus your time and energy, a strategic plan serves as a blueprint for the entire organization. It keeps board and staff members focused on the same goals, and it provides decision-making guidelines that help allocate resources most effectively.
7. Keep a laser focus on what is essential
Operating from a strategic place and having a clear set of expectations will help you keep a laser focus on those things that are essential for you to concentrate on in your first months on the job. In the beginning, it's tempting to learn as much possible about everything and spend time improving things that may have been neglected. Resist those tendencies, or, if you must indulge them, delegate as much as you can to others. Instead, focus on the things that are most essential for you to accomplish.
In today's environment, where there is increased competition for funding dollars, a proliferation of nonprofits and increased demands on organizational leaders, it's important to concentrate your initial efforts on the things that will ensure your organization's sustainability, help retain valuable employees and increase your visibility with the external community.
8. Seek the appropriate balance between “inside” and “outside” work
Depending on what you learn from your initial conversations with board and staff members, you will need to figure out the appropriate balance between inside and outside work. If your organization is in good shape internally, it will be much easier for you to concentrate on the external aspects of your job. But if many internal changes are warranted, you will be tempted to spend most of your time making these changes. Resist this temptation however, unless things are in truly dire straits. Most likely you've been hired to increase your organization's visibility and resources, both of which require that you spend much of your time out of the office. To create an appropriate balance, once you understand the challenges you're facing, focus only on those internal tasks that you alone can do and delegate the rest. By doing this, you will use your time strategically as well as build up the capabilities of your staff.
9. Leverage your board
Having a good relationship with your board is crucial for your success as an executive director. On the simplest level, the board is your "boss," and it's important that they are aware of and happy with your work. On a more strategic level, your board is one of your greatest resources, and, if properly leveraged, can contribute immensely to your organization's sustainability and growth.
Not all boards are equal in their ability to help their organizations. At one end of the spectrum are boards that have been put together in an ad hoc fashion and may not be comprised of people with the skill sets and contacts needed by your organization. In such cases, board members may not completely understand the roles and responsibilities expected of board members. At the other end of the spectrum are boards that are well-developed and well-educated about board responsibilities and that understand the importance of working in tandem with the executive director to provide strategic direction and oversight.
If your board is the first type, one of your initial tasks will be figuring out how to begin the process of board development. If it is the second type, you should be able to leverage its strengths very quickly. Most likely your board will fall somewhere on the continuum. In any case, you will benefit from learning your board's strengths and weaknesses. Once you have a better understanding of overall board composition, board members' capabilities, and the degree to which board members understand their responsibilities, you can capitalize on their strengths and work to remedy their weaknesses, utilizing the leadership of your board chair to help you in this process.
It is a truism that board members should provide an organization with work, wealth or wisdom or some combination of the three. By getting to know your board members personally, you will quickly come to understand what each person has to offer. You'll also get a sense of the gaps on your board and will be able to look for people to fill these gaps as board seats become available
10. Communicate
Frequent and transparent communication is essential for effective organizational leadership. Communication, coupled with a clear strategy, is the glue that holds organizations together and allows people to work toward common goals. The more that board and staff members know about what is going on in their organization, the more they will be able to act coherently to accomplish the organization's mission. Good communication also decreases rumors, and it reduces the wasted time that results when people believe that essential information is being withheld.
Organizations differ in the transparency of their communications. Some allow everyone to be privy to all information, including budgets and salary information. Others distribute information on a "need to know" basis, with the executive director making decisions about who needs to know what. As a new executive director, it's important to understand your organization's current degree of transparency before making changes in this area. Once you have a handle on this, you can decide if you're comfortable with that amount of openness. If you feel that there is too much openness in your organization, then you must make a case for why you want to make communications less open, knowing that you're likely to meet resistance. If you feel there is too little openness, then you can put into place procedures that increase transparency. In either case, you need to develop a regular schedule, and a process, for keeping constituents in the loop.
11. Develop the talents and skills of your staff
Most non profits, especially small ones, are fairly flat organizations that are somewhat thinly staffed. Even with limited staff, it's important to pay attention to staff development. If you want staff with up-to-date skills, it's important to offer them development opportunities. Doing this in the absence of a large development budget is difficult, but it's often possible to take advantage of free or low cost training opportunities and then to expect staff who attend such trainings to share what they have learned with other staff members.
Also, the more that staff members learn and grow, the more they are likely to be satisfied with their jobs. Satisfied staff tend to stay with an organization longer, thereby reducing the time and money spent recruiting, hiring and training new staff as well as the loss of institutional knowledge and historical memory that happens when staff leave.
In addition, small non profits sometimes lack management depth. As you develop the skills and talents of your staff, especially your best performers, you are developing depth within your organization. This is good not only for staff morale, but it also offers opportunities for you to recognize and reward people who show commitment to your organization and demonstrate management capabilities.
12. Begin succession planning immediately
Even as you start your new position, you and your board should be planning for the day that you step down. While this may seem like a strange idea for a new leader to consider, it reflects the reality that most organizations do little succession planning despite the fact that the average tenure for executive directors is a little more than three years. Often, when an organization's leader decides to leave, the organization is caught unawares and has no plan for filling the vacuum.
Successful succession planning requires putting in place those elements that contribute to an effectively functioning organization. These include a current strategic plan, a human resources system that contains guidelines for recruitment, hiring, evaluation and compensation, and a strong board that is aware of its responsibilities and has terms for its members. In addition, it's useful for organizations to put aside small amounts of money on a regular basis to cover the costs of bringing on a new executive director, especially if they plan to engage the services of a search consultant.