Succession Readiness

Take this assessment to estimate your organization’s readiness for a leadership transition and to suggest helpful steps to keep your mission on track during that transition.

Answer the questions below to determine how ready your organization is. In an emergency or board-initiated transition, everything will move fast; if it’s a planned transition, your former CEO may provide some assistance, but these questions do apply broadly to most leadership transitions. It is a big list, but you’ll feel better for knowing where you stand. As always, we’ll be here to help regardless if your readiness is at the basic, intermediate or best practice levels.

 

Assessment

1. Did you decide who, on the board and from staff, should be notified of a future planned transition?

2. Did you establish who would lead the organization in case of an unplanned transition, or during a planned one?

3. Did you define the roles and responsibilities for staff and board for both a planned and an unplanned transition?

4. Have you identified a Transition Leader and documented her/his responsibilities in the process of the transition?

5. Is it clear who will run the search process?

6. Do you have any emergency process in place to make sure the next payroll is issued in timely manner?

7. Did you organize all the key legal and operational documents and their location?

8. Do you have an updated a list of principal open / pending projects?

9. Do you have a current job description for the CEO position that reflects your organization’s present and future needs?

10. Does your organization have written vision, mission statement and goals?

11. Is your board clear on what the organization has to do to remain in legal compliance after a leadership change?

12. Is your organization’s staff cross-trained to handle an extended CEO absence?

13. Do you have handy a list of who you need to contact and how to reach them in the event of a CEO transition?

14. Do you have a written succession plan addressing questions 1-13?

15. Did the organization document the skills that your CEO needs to successfully lead your organization?

16. Did you define how to strategically evaluate the organization before defining the skills and attributes the next CEO needs?

17. Does your board have the right mix of talent to find, hire and successfully onboard a new CEO?

18. Did your board agree on whether or not to use an interim director and in which circumstances?

19. Did the organization identify external assistance, if any, which may be necessary for a successful transition? (Consulting, staffing, etc.)

20. Did your board define the circumstances in which severance pay will be awarded?

21. Have you identified at least basic roles and responsibilities for on-boarding a new CEO?

22. Did your board discuss whether internal candidates would be acceptable or external ones would be a better fit?

23. Do you have a written succession plan addressing questions 15-22?

24. Do funders trust that your organization will continue to deliver your mission without your current CEO?

25. Are your organization’s stakeholders committed to your mission or will they leave the organization if your CEO leaves?

26. Do you have a set-aside budget for an eventual CEO transition?

27. Do you regularly evaluate your governance effectiveness and take action to improve it?

28. Do you have a written strategic plan?

29. Have you done an organizational assessment within the last 18 months?

30. Do you have a written succession plan addressing questions 24-30?

You have finished the quiz. One more step until you can see your results!

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This survey will help position your company at one of three levels of readiness: basic (questions 1 – 14), intermediate (questions 15 – 23) or advanced (questions 24 – 30).

Most likely is that you were able to reply yes to some questions at each of the three levels. Or maybe your basic level includes some of the other more advanced questions. Each organization requires a unique plan.

If you want to explore how your organization can be best prepared for succession, get in touch and let’s talk!