Transition Strategy

Preventing Organizational Standstill during a Tough CEO Transition

Situation

Leadership transition in an organization can be an uncertain and scary time for everyone. It’s especially difficult when that leader is either a founder or has been with the organization for a long time. When that’s the case, there is a strong tendency for everyone to just hunker down and weather the storm. Often, the entire organization seems to go on pause while the new leader is being found, hired and put in place. Quinn Strategy Group’s experience working with organizations entering this period of change has proven to us that rather than coming to a standstill, a leadership transition is the ideal time to:

Energize leaders, employees and the board
Build capacity among the team
Commit to initiatives designed to stabilize and prepare the organization for change

In this example, we were engaged by an organization to work with its board during what was perceived to be an especially difficult CEO transition.

Action

Working with the board’s selection committee and the organization’s senior leadership team, a vision for the future and near-term goals and strategies were developed. Our ability to serve as a bridge and trusted resource between these two groups enhanced communication, trust and awareness during this uncertain time. Goals and strategies were communicated to the organization, board and search consultants and we were able to examine organizational structure as well, resulting in new decision-making and communication processes to improve effectiveness and efficiencies.

Impact

Our 360-degree, holistic approach dramatically increased the board’s confidence in their decision-making during the CEO search process and provided focus for the team, momentum for the organization and clarity for the CEO candidates. While no leadership transition is without its bumps, individuals at the organization were highly engaged in the process and demonstrated how invested they were in the new CEO’s success. The CEO candidate ultimately selected noted that the organization seemed to have a tailwind behind – a direct result of a smart transition strategy itself and effective execution.

Too many organizations struggle during leadership transition, however change can be healthy and necessary. One way to make change less scary is to understand and develop the organizational capacity to help with this transition.

Ann Quinn

410-458-2600

[email protected]