Three-quarters of 2,000 executive directors plan to their jobs in the next five years according to a 2006 Compasspoint study. So where do we find leaders to take their place? How about looking for an inside-outside leader - such as a board member?
Joseph L. Bower, author of the November 2007 Harvard Business Review article, Solve the Succession Crisis by Growing Inside-Outside Leaders, proposes that we look internally for our candidates.
The author found that 60% of respondents to a poll of 1,380 human resource directors of large US companies said their firms have no CEO succession plans in place. When the time comes to name a new CEO, many firms look outside for their candidates. Yet, he found that strong evidence supports the notion that a well-groomed insider is a key to sustaining company performance.
As most of us know, the difference between companies that manage succession well and those that don't, is that succession planning is a process, not an event. That process should takes place years before the event.
Internal Candidate - Outside Perspective
The author describes the ideal candidate for the CEO position as an internal candidate who has an outside perspective. That is, those who are leaders in the company but somehow maintained enough detachment from the everyday ideology and issues. They know the tracks and the people within the company but they also know how things need to change.
To build a pipeline of future leaders, the author suggests that we:
1. Recruit folks who are highly talented in their area of specialization and who have the potential to be managers.
2. Find candidates that manage effectively within the company's strategy, system and culture and yet know where the world is headed.
3. Give them a series of increasingly complex assignments and hold them accountable.
4. Provide them with mentors who help them maintain their unique perspective and intervene when necessary.
Board Members As the Next Executive Director
I believe that non-profit board members may be great candidates for CEO/Executive Director positions. Most community-based organizations recruit constituents they serve to play a role on their boards. These 'constituent-board members' understand the issues in the community and the players involved. They are usually in a leadership role within the organization they work for or in the community they serve. In addition, as board members, they understand the roles of fund-raising, fiduciary responsibility and are familiar with the dealings of other board members in the organization.
In other words, these inside-outsiders are familiar with the organization and yet are detached from the day-to-day administration issues. They bring with them outside experiences and provide a unique perspective to the dealings within the organization and with funders and volunteers.
Examples from my own experiences include the recruitment of Nhi Chau, Executive Director of OASES and Stephen Gong, Executive Director of Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA).
Nhi Chau at OASES
Based in Oakland's Chinatown, OASES (Oakland Asian Student Educational Services) provides after-school programs to low income youth. Examples of programs include environmental education, leadership skills, diversity education, financial literacy and arts. What is remarkable about the program is that they train 400 UC Berkeley students as volunteers to provide these services.
When OASES was looking for a new executive director, the board looked to those who knew the organization yet had the leadership skills necessary to take the organization to the next level. Nhi was an immigrant herself and was tutored by OASES volunteers some 20 years ago. She went to Harvard, worked at UC Berkeley where OASES recruits 400 of its volunteers, and was also a board member of OASES. She was the perfect fit.
Stephen Gong at CAAM
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) presents stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. They do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media. CAAM is also responsible for presenting the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival every year.
Stephen was Deputy Director of the Berkeley Museum's Pacific Films Archive before stepping into the executive director role. He served on CAAM's board for several terms and held the historical knowledge of its inner workings. He has served on the panels for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts - groups that CAAM has received funding from.
So, next time you need new board members, how about taking on the leadership role of recruiting possible candidates that will one day dare to lead?
Organizations currently looking for executive directors:
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center
Kai Ming Head Start Program, San Francisco
Minnesota Asian/American Health Coalition
About the photo: This was taken inside a rain forest in Dominica.
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