Case Study: Strategic Planning During Leadership Transition
Strategic planning can be complicated enough on its own. Doing it during a leadership transition adds another layer, particularly when the organization is also working through questions about roles, decision-making, and the relationship between the board and staff.
For this organization, the planning process needed to do more than establish priorities for the next few years. It also needed to help the board and staff determine how they would work together as the organization moved through a period of change.
The Challenge: A national organization was entering a leadership transition while also preparing to update its strategic direction. The board and staff needed to determine where the organization was headed while addressing questions about roles, decision-making, and how they would work together during the transition.
The Work: I designed and facilitated a planning process that gave the board and staff space to address both. Through facilitated discussions and retreats, we clarified strategic priorities, identified where responsibilities and decision-making needed to be clearer, and connected those conversations to the organization’s plans for the future.
The Result: The organization came out of the process with a clear set of priorities and a practical roadmap for moving them forward. Just as importantly, the board and staff had greater clarity about their respective roles and how decisions would be made as the organization moved through its leadership transition.