Association Leadership - March/April 2008 - (Page 35)

case study Planning Kenny Jordan Association of Energy Service Companies Case Study CASE SOLUTION We had a succession situation three years ago when our executive director died. Whether planning to leave their positions or not, current executive directors should be evaluating their talent pool, staff, relationships with other association executives and membership. In this scenario, the executive is four years from retirement. I don’t believe she has an obligation to share that with the board at this time. Too many unplanned events could take place in the next four years that might change the retirement time frame. I would think that a one-year or six-month time frame would be sufficient for notice. This would give the board sufficient time to identify potential candidates, go through the selection process and have a successor to mentor with her for some period of time. This would especially be helpful if bringing in someone from outside the organization, giving them time to meet members, learn current systems and understand what is expected of them from the membership and the board. If there is someone internally who can take the position in the four-year time frame, I believe she has the obligation to start “grooming” them. Though there are no guarantees the board will select them, if the right tools are in place and the person is qualified, they would have a better chance due to their in-house experience. All executives have an obligation to continually train staff in areas beneficial to the association. Even if the individual trained doesn’t stay with the association, it gives them opportunity to better themselves and society as a whole. CASE SOLUTION A critical step is preparing your board for succession. Volunteers may feel obligated by due diligence to search outside the staff, even if the Exec has groomed someone internally. I think internal succession is always preferred if the replacement is qualified and capable. Giving a designee the title of assistant ED is one way to point to your successor, but in the absence of that possibility the heir apparent should be given additional board exposure prior to retirement. Planning for succession internally may require some tough decisions. If you look at your staff and can’t see the possibilities, and you don’t have enough money to search for and hire a replacement before you retire, your only option is to develop a solid set of criteria for evaluating outside candidates prior to your departure. If a person on staff has the basic skills and attitude to perform the top job, training and increased responsibilities should be built into their duties. TSAE/ASAE involvement should be immediate. The Exec needs to outline a plan for slowly moving more responsibility to the position, which may require hiring an additional staff member to perform some of that person’s former duties. The board should understand that successful succession planning will cost some money, one way or another, but probably save them from embarrassment down the road. ◆ March/April 2008 | Association LEADERSHIP 35 David VanDelinder, CPCU, AAI Independent Insurance Agents of Texas

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Association Leadership - March/April 2008

Association Leadership - March/April 2008 Contents Chairman's Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions Southwest Showcase Highlights Feature: Succession Plans Interim Executives Job Documentation Coaching: A Walk in the Park Perspectives Technology Column Association Case Study Government Affairs: Focus On Electronic Resources New Members Community Spotlight Houston Index to Advertisers Advertiser.com Board of Directors

Association Leadership - March/April 2008

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