Leadership Transition
Leadership transitioning is the change in officers and
leadership positions your organization goes through from year to
year. Knowing and understanding how to effectively transition
leadership can help an organization in numerous ways, such as:
- The group will not repeat ineffective practices or have to
recreate things. Significant organizational knowledge will be
transferred
- Less confusion will exist
- New leaders will feel more confident and ready for their new
position
- Outgoing members can contribute and share their knowledge with
the new leaders, as well as reflect on and celebrate their own
contributions
Transitioning begins early-even as the new
member begins their position, they should begin the process of
transitioning the next person! This can by done by:
- Identifying future leaders in the organization
- Mentoring future leaders in the organization
- Keeping good records of programs, resources, budgets,
procedures, etc.
- Goal setting throughout the year
- Creating a shadowing program
- Have a transition meeting/retreat
- Keeping files current and up-to-date
- Reviewing position description to be sure it accurately
reflects all job responsibilities
A binder for every leadership position can be a helpful and
beneficial thing for the new person. They will have something
written and tangible that they can refer to throughout the year,
and also hopefully add on to as needed. Items that are good to
include are:
- A copy of the constitution and by-laws
- Mission, philosophy, goals, and/or purpose of the
organization
- Position descriptions of officers & members
- List of committees and their description
- Member & officer contact information
- List of important people/offices on campus
- Calendar of annual events
- Web page and webmaster information
- Financial records
- Evaluations of previous and current projects
- Meeting minutes and agendas
- Any historical records of the organization
It can be extremely helpful to set up a meeting between past
officers and new officers. Be sure to leave an hour or two of
uninterrupted time to meet face-to-face in order to go over the
binder. It is a good idea to take out a calendar and review the
busy times of the year for that officer position, and doing this
can help jog memories of major events from the year.
During this transition meeting, some other points to cover
are:
- Review past and future organization events. Look at which were
successful, should be continued, need to begin, improvements that
could be made, etc.
- Review meetings and organization. Discuss when meetings were
held and what worked, a typical week for the organization,
recruitment activities that worked and those that did not, and
reviewing if new members stayed around or not.
- Look to the future. Work together to make a list of "things to
do" for the new person and determine what needs their attention
now. Be sure to trade contact information as well so the outgoing
officer can be a resource in the year ahead!
Finally, having closure, saying goodbyes, and expressing
appreciation to the outgoing officers and members should not be
forgotten! Say goodbye by having a picnic, banquet, t-shirt signing
party, slideshow of pictures, certificates, retreats, goodbye movie
nights, notes, or any other activity that can help members reflect
and remember the previous year, but also get ready for the new
one!