Reimagining Executive Transitions: A Candid Discussion of Harmful Assumptions & Powerful Possibilities

Previously Live: Recorded version available for viewing

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For many in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, executive transition has been a largely fixed set of "best practices." Outgoing executives, boards, funders, and consultants often work from a playbook embedded with a host of assumptions: from what executive leadership looks like, to how search must be done, to the roles board and staff play, to what kinds of support new executives need.

Today, as organizations seek to hire people of color and people with relevant lived experience into executive roles, they are finding that so-called executive transition best practices are creating conflict among staff, board, and community stakeholders. White dominant systems and habits manifest across the traditional executive transition process--in board decision-making, in recruitment, in philanthropic support to transitioning organizations. This is leading to mis-hires, to staff and community mistrust, and to challenging onboarding processes for new BIPOC executives, among other serious problems.

In this session, we'll explore:
• what assumptions about executive transition we can let go
• what incoming BIPOC leaders experience and the support they value most
• ways to (re)think about a board's readiness and role in transition
• transitions from long-term white leaders to BIPOC leaders
• the productive roles funders can play in supporting leaders and organizations in transition

Who Should Attend:
• executives planning for succession
• people considering stepping into executive roles or new to their executive roles
• board leaders
• funders of leadership and executive transition
• leadership and executive transition consultants

Presenters:

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