High-Performance Partnerships - National Academy of Public ...

SURVIVING TRANSITIONS
IN LEADERSHIP
The Challenges
Working in the public, nonprofit, and civic sectors
presents significant demands. Politics, promotions,
transfers, and burn-out can cause individuals
to leave their leadership positions.
Departures can be swift. It is not uncommon
for a partnership’s leadership team to turn over
in the first few years. Sustaining leadership over
time is a formidable challenge.
A successful partnership creates a sense of joint
ownership that lessens the adverse ramifications
of leadership transitions. When an initial champion
moves on, others emerge because the partnership
has taken proactive steps to decentralize
authority and responsibility. As the partnership
becomes more mature, it can recruit others from
the community. Of course, early successes also
help to sustain a leader’s participation, as well as
the partnership’s energy and attractiveness.
Leadership changes can be a double-edged
sword for cross-sector partnerships. An inspirational,
directive leadership style is effective in
creating a partnership because it helps get critical
steps organized and under way. However, as
the partnership becomes “institutionalized,” it
should become less dependent upon personality-driven
leadership. It must assess the leadership
skills needed at a given point in time and
not be reluctant to make adjustments.
FIGURE 5-3
AVOIDING BURNOUT
Leadership change should be considered in its most
comprehensive context. Succession planning should
occur at every level and for every partner. For
example, when MCCP’s key HMO contact retired,
he identified, mentored, and prepared his successor.
He made sure that the successor shared the partnership’s
philosophy and had the ability and authority
to carry the message inside and outside the HMO
(and get results!).
The Strategies
Leadership change is not necessarily bad.
Stability and change are needed over time.
Stability, which enhances continuity and institutional
knowledge, can be provided by sharing
power and training the next generation of leaders.
Change, which infuses new people and
ideas, can re-energize the partnership and keep it
innovative and fresh.
1. Do formal succession planning.
Medical Care for Children Partnership (Fairfax)
Transitions inevitably occur, so it is important to
develop a formal succession plan and share it
with the entire partnership and community.
Governing boards often rotate leadership positions;
this method may work well for a
public/nonprofit partnership.
It is important to designate a career ladder, or
sometimes an heir apparent, for key positions.
Major corporations have used this approach by
naming successors before a leader departs. This
type of planning affords the opportunity to maintain
continuity and stability, and educate future
leaders so they are prepared to assume the helm.
However, formal succession planning should not
exclude those outside the leadership hierarchy.
As discussed earlier, broadly shared power and
leadership responsibilities are vital to a high-performance
partnership. It is important to groom
future leaders through training, shadow or
deputy positions, and mentor/protégé relationships.
This should be done widely throughout
the organization.
Source: Ed Leedon, Neighborhood Based Service Delivery (Des Moines)
79 Powering the Future: High-Performance Partnerships