Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/thinking-about-your-successor/5015610/
Ever wonder what would happen to your center if you were struck by lightening and died? A morbid thought to be sure, but one that makes every director I’ve posed this question to stand up straight and ponder. Does anyone else on your staff know the password to your computer? Does anyone else on your staff know the combination to the center’s safe deposit box? Would anyone on your staff have the range of skills, knowledge, interest, or desire to step into your shoes and fill the leadership void created by your untimely demise?I posed this hypothetical struck-by-lightening question to 400 directors in a survey about leadership succession. The results were amazing. Only 30 percent of the directors were confident that the operation of their center would continue smoothly and that personnel and systems were in place to ensure an efficient transition. Ten percent of the directors responded that chaos would reign if they died suddenly and that no one was equipped to step into their position and assume the leadership role. The remaining directors indicated that things would be shaky but still functional; that someone could cover their responsibilities until a formal search to find a replacement was ...