Summary

Many founders and long-term executive directors find it difficult to move on even when it is clear that their departure is overdue. This reluctance to surrender leadership is natural when people invest a substantial amount of time and effort to ensure the organization`s success. Yet, to survive, an organization`s leaders have no choice but to foster conditions that will enable a smooth transition when they move on. Perhaps the most vital condition of all is delegating responsibility to others early in one`s leadership role.

The Background

Let`s see how this might work in practice. Eight years ago, John Davis founded a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide discussion forums for environmental leaders. John operated solo for the first three years, and then received a substantial grant from a local foundation that enabled him to hire two additional staff members. It soon became evident that John did not want to share the responsibility of running the organization with these staff members. Instead, he preferred to view them as administrators who would carry out his instructions. Over the years, the size of the organization grew to over ten staff members, and John began to experience fatigue from trying to manage so many staff. As John contemplated his departure, he faced the sobering realization that there was no-one who could reliably replace him.

The Solution

When key employees in an organization are not given an opportunity to assume leadership, this can have a number of negative impacts on the organization. In some cases, it may result in highly committed and talented employees leaving the organization because they cannot grow professionally. In other cases, these employees may fall into a rut, and lose their confidence or ability to show leadership in tough situations. In addition, when the time comes for the executive director to move on, there is no successive generation of leadership that can take over his/her responsibilities.

Lessons Learned

One way to prevent these impacts is for the board and executive director to agree on measurable goals that include staff development and delegation of authority. This ensures that employees are given increasing responsibility and mentoring to grow into leadership positions before it is too late.