COSE Update - September 2008 - (Page 16)

Picking up the Pieces he last thing any business owner wants to think about is what will happen if he or she unexpectedly passes away. It’s a morbid subject— it’s uncomfortable. Death enters succession planning discussions in terms of “business exit,” padded with assumptions that the owner will be ripe and ready, roles will have transferred and all details neatly figured out and executed. Recovery Resources wasn’t afforded the luxury of time. One hour they had a vibrant president and CEO. The next, a conference room of senior managers and board members began planning how to break grave news to a 120-member staff and community at-large. Helen Jones was president and CEO of Recovery Resources, a nonprofit organization that helps people overcome mental illness, alcoholism, drugs and other substance abuse addictions. Jones suffered a massive heart attack on June 24 at an off-site meeting at the Visiting Nurses Association. She immediately was transported by a colleague to St. Vincent Charity Hospital. She died at lunchtime. Unexpectedly, Recovery Resources suffered the loss of its esteemed leader, and the news jarred staff members, agency partners and the community. Helen was 55. She had no history of heart trouble, and had just returned from a two-week vacation visiting family in the Carolinas. “It was so fast. So very fast,” says Debbie Rodriguez, acting president and CEO. Rodriguez never put on a stoic face, though she knew the agency would rely on her as a supportive, confident figure. “We recognized that this was something that no agency or business should ever have to deal with,” she says. “We were terribly sad and grief stricken.” Just a few weeks prior, the executive staff had begun succession planning. Senior staff members began to identify their top 10 functions, essentially creating job descriptions. There was nothing on paper yet, only mental notes and talk. 16 • cose update • september 2008 t The abrupt news left no time to mull over details. By 1 p.m. the entire senior staff was assembled in the conference room. By 2 p.m., the executive board had joined managers. They planned an agency shutdown and a 3 p.m. all-staff meeting at the downtown headquarters. There was less than an hour to execute all of this. Rodriguez and senior staff were concerned the news would reach employees before the meeting and a formal, face-toface announcement. “We knew we were running a risk because it was a fairly public event,” Rodriguez says, noting Recovery Resource’s strong relationships with St. Vincent Charity Hospital and the VNA, where Helen spent her last hours. Public relations was one of the first pieces the executive board and senior managers addressed, even before assembling the staff. A script was prepared. A longtime receptionist who was close to Helen was pulled off the phones and replaced by a newer staff member who was more detached, though no less impacted. She managed with the help of a script in time to answer incoming calls. Within six hours, The Plain Dealer phoned to inquire about Jones’ death. Managers communicated to employees in five locations that the agency would shut down at 3 p.m. All programs, scheduled client meetings and training were canceled until the following day. “We scripted out what managers should say and what they should not say,” Rodriguez says, recognizing the critical need for a consistent message. The all-staff meeting announcement concerned many employees, who suspected the agency was closing down for good. “They were pretty panicked, and I don’t know what we could have done differently other than to include a disclaimer so people wouldn’t feel a sense of doom and gloom,” Rodriguez says. At 3 p.m., the board president briefly shared the news with staff who crowded into the conference room. Rodriguez honored Jones, reminding staff of a gathering a few weeks earlier where they celebrated her being named a Woman of Note honoree by Crain’s Cleveland Business. “I tried to convey that this was a sad time, and how important it was that we celebrate those things because we don’t know what the future holds,” Rodriguez says. She reminded the staff that the agency is strong. “We were going to do what Helen would have absolutely wanted us to do: Make sure our clients have excellent service and make sure we are there to support each other,” Rodriguez says. Therapists through the agency’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) were on call to counsel the staff. New employees consoled longtime staff members who were close to Jones. Everyone shared stories and comforted one another. “It’s continuing to talk and to process and to deal,” Rodriguez says. recovery resources president and ceo, helen Jones, died suddenly from a massive heart attack on June 24. “We were going to do what Helen would have absolutely wanted us to do: Make sure our clients have excellent service and make sure we are there to support each other.” —Debbie roDriGuez, actinG presiDent anD ceo, recovery resources

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of COSE Update - September 2008

COSE Update - September 2008 Contents Memo Upfront Vision Tech Business Interrupted The “Bigness” of Small Business What’s the Plan? People Telecom Advocacy Communications Health Pipeline Connect Arts My Cause Plugged In

COSE Update - September 2008

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