A CEO departure can rock an association to its foundations, with its members looking for stability and a quick succession plan to upright the organization. But quick answers can be hard to find. In the past, the most common response was for the a board to appoint an existing staff member as interim CEO. The board may consider a good staff member who can "hold the fort" for a few months while they conduct their executive search. A board may also believe an internal interim CEO won't cost much. read more

Association and nonprofit CEOs were asked about executive tenure and succession in a survey of association executives fielded by Transition Management Consulting during the summer of 2010. The findings were reported by TMC President and co-founder Bob Van Hook at the ASAE Annual meeting session on August 24, 2010 read more

Contingency plans that prepare for the loss of the organization's CEO can help cushion financial and emotional costs associated with the departure. read more

Losing a CEO is difficult, even in the best of circumstances. The organization often is plunged into a period of transition and instability, especially when the executive's departure is abrupt. During such times, organizations may lose their forward momentum, and staff may feel lost and directionless. read more

For some organizations, top-level executive changes come often. For others it happens only once every 20 to 30 years. Either way, it's inevitable every association will experience a turnover at the top at some point in its lifecycle. It's just a fact of life. read more

Strategic Resilience for Associations and Their Executives: Coping in These Turbulent Times Today is a new day for associations, their volunteer leaders, membership and staff. Some association executives and their boards view today's news reports with fear and anxiety. Others realize there are opportunities for the taking. The conversations threaded throughout this paper represent a call to action, while we may be standing in-side-the-box, we can still envision out-side-the-box results and begin to take action on them now.

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In 1991, I was in my eighth year as executive director of a national association. We had seen amazing growth in membership and public policy influence. I had successfully engineered two mergers with competitors and another organizational restructuring was underway. I was identified as the primary spokesperson for our field. But all was not well. I was in the midst of a turbulent personal relationship. I had jumped into a rebound marriage that simply was not working for either of us. It was painful. read more

What does an association do when its chief executive gets "hit by a bus?" The "bus" in this case literally could be a fatal accident or illness, or the executive retires or takes another job without much notice. It could even be when the association is no longer enamored with the executive's personality, performance or outcomes and decides it is time for the executive to exit. read more

In theory, association mergers make a lot of sense. The new organization is operationally streamlined, services and infrastructure are combined in ways that take advantage of economies of scale and save precious resources, and political clout is consolidated and power enhanced. This, however, is the story of a merger that was tried and failed, told in the faith that sometimes we learn more from our failures than our successes. read more

In discussing his departure last year as founder and president of the TransAfrica Forum, Randall Robinson said there are two things a leader can give to an organization: to serve an organization with passion and strength and to know when it is time to leave. read more

The departure of a nonprofit executive director signals a period of organizational upheaval, regardless of whether the separation was voluntary or involuntary. read more

In the second of two articles, Jackie Eder-Van Hook provides practical advice on the inner workings of law firms and describes how association executives and staff can maximize their experience and minimize their costs. read more

TMC's Jackie Eder-Van Hook, and Jim Goldberg, an attorney in private practice, team up to briefly offer two viewpoints on enhancing the attorney-client perspective. Jackie provides a unique perspective having worked in a number of law firms as an association executive and lobbyist. read more

Following the tragedies of September 11, 2001, the American Psychological Association explored resiliency and published their findings on how people adapt in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress. This is a summary of those findings. On the way towards becoming more resilient, they predict there is likely to be a good deal of emotional distress—yours and others. Here are their ten suggestions on how to “bounce back� from difficult experiences while continuing to stay grounded and productive. read more

The high volume of applicants for each job rquires job seekers to find optimal ways in which to present themselves in writing. Your resume tells the reader volumes about who you are and your hopes, aspirations, insecurities, and even your flaws or blind spots. Used strategically, applicants can improve their odds of getting an interview -- the purpose of a resume. read more

ASAE Executive IdeaLink Publishes The Dos and Don'ts of Working with Executive Recruiters read more

Making a poor choice or bad hire in a CEO costs a lot more than just the cost of a search - lost momentum, stakeholder anxiety, tarnished public image, missed opportunities, and increased unrest on the board and staff - are a few of the possible consequences. Organizations can't afford to make a mistake. read more

Understanding the Ladder of Inference increases our awareness of our patterns of thinking, reasoning, decision-making and communications with others. read more

We support our own learning by engaging in activities that take us out of our Comfort Zone, but don't throw us into a state of panic. Here is a simple graphical model depicting this idea. read more

Joseph Campbell said, "We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." Here are some resources that might help. read more

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