Stability During a Time of Uncertainty

When a new County Administrator or City Manager is hired, particularly from outside the organization, there is a great deal of uncertainty for the staff and elected body. Change is inevitable and the stakes are high.

A Leadership Transition Team will provide a short term infusion of executive talent to increase the likelihood of a successful leadership transition. This transition team will support the new City Manager or County Administrator through transition – without any pre-existing agendas or bias – and leave when the job is done.

Transition Risks for a New Manager

Bringing in a new City Manager or County Administrator from outside the organization comes with risk. The new executive will have limited knowledge of the existing organization. The existing staff and elected body will want access to provide information and perhaps insight into existing challenges. It could take considerable time for a single person – from outside the organization – to hear the many viewpoints before developing an informed opinion.

Some risks associated with a leadership transition:

Organizational Silos
Lack of Trust Among Executive Staff
Turnover – Losing Top Talent
Ability to Establish a Cohesive Leadership Team
Competing Political Priorities
Internal or External Sabotage

Time is not a luxury if change is required RIGHT NOW!

There could be a literal line of people wanting, needing and expecting to meet with the new leader. It could take weeks, or months, for a single person to hear from everyone and develop a strategy. The municipal calendar will not stop to allow for this time of information gathering, creating a situation where decisions and actions can happen without proper evaluation. This is risky for both the new leader and the organization.

Leadership Transition Teams – Reduce Transition Time

A Leadership Transition Team will provide an effective way for a new leader to prepare for the many demands of the new office.

Transition teams can take any form, but are typically comprised of one or more proven executives. These leaders could function in the role of an Interim Manager or part time executive to provide additional executive capacity. The additional resource(s) could provide executive coaching or leadership for identified areas and other assignments as assigned to oversee things such as operations, communications, strategic planning, budgets or any other municipal function necessary.

The Leadership Transition Team will ensure the new City Manager (or County Administrator) can focus on what is URGENT while having trusted executive capacity to drive what else is IMPORTANT for the organization. This provides the new leader with the ability to impact organizational culture during the early days of transition.

Main objectives for local government leadership transition teams:

Help the Manager assess various departments and internal resources
Assist with incoming requests beyond Manager’s capacity
Provide direct oversight over projects, people or departments as needed
Provide recommendations including action steps and accountability measures

A dedicated transition team supporting the City Manager / County Administrator will provide a short term boost to speed along acclimation and change.

Further Assistance – Local Government Leadership Transition Teams

Leadership Transition Teams should be customized to fit the need. If you would like to schedule a brief discussion or request a proposal, please contact us.