What is an executive transition and why should we care about it?   An executive transition is the period between the announcement of an executive's departure and the arrival of a successor executive. Dealing with a leadership transition is critical to preparing the organization for the successful entry of the successor executive. If the transition is messy or incomplete, the next executive will spend much of his or her political capital or goodwill during the"honeymoon" period fixing problems that could have be prevented by a well planned and executed leadership transition process.

During this transition period, staff and others in the organization often feel a sense of loss of leadership and direction that may be expressed as anxiety, anger, sadness, or confusion. Behaviors in the transition period often run counter to the business interests of the organization. Staff and even members may act out, burrow in, or spend their energy protecting and positioning themselves. Without effective transitional leadership, organizational performance may suffer and forward momentum may dissipate.