As I researched the “looming leadership crisis” for this year’s TrendsWatch report, I heard two things load and clear. First, that succession planning is immensely helpful in smoothing transitions, and second, that succession plans in museums are all too rare. Searching for models we might share with the field, I connected with Kimberly Bender, who preparing to step down from the directorship of an historic house museum here in Washington D.C. Today, on the blog, Kimberly graciously shares some practical advice about preparing the board, staff, and community for executive transitions.

–Elizabeth Merritt, Vice President, Strategic Foresight and Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums, American Alliance of Museums.

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In a small museum, years of hard work and organizational growth can be undone by a lack of proper succession planning. Even when new leadership is years away, planning for change can feel daunting and emotionally fraught. For much of my 15 years as founding executive director at the Heurich House Museum, my eventual exit hung over my head. I worried that bringing the topic up would scare my board and staff yet also fretted that if we didn’t have a plan in place, my eventual exit could in itself undo years of hard work we had put into building the organization. In the end, my fear of the latter outweighed the former, and we managed to create a process that I’m very proud of. The evening after my last day at the museum, I had a moment of relief realizing that the plan had been executed and the future of the Heurich House looked bright. So I want to share 10 lessons I learned during my exit that may help with yours:

1. Make succession a normal, everyday organizational conversation topic

First, I started talking about my future exit from the organization as a normal eventuality years in advance. This helped convince both staff and board of the need to standardize policies and operations, ensuring our internal systems could live without the people who created them. It also helped people mentally decouple me (the founder!) from the organization little by little. At first, the topic made people really uncomfortable, but when I finally announced that I was leaving, they knew that the systems in place could operate without me, and so any panic quickly became a growth opportunity.

2. Start planning early 

I made the decision to leave the Heurich House Museum long before I actually left: one year before I told the board, and two years before I told staff. While not everyone can afford this much runway, it served us well to take our time. I was able to quietly prepare the organization for my departure, mentoring staff members with leadership skills who might be good interim leaders, and ensuring that board members had strategies that could help with a transition and fill in staff gaps. The timeline also allowed us to build out an extended “exit workplan” that guided the process, identified risks, and built stability. A long lead time can help a small organization strengthen its financial reserves or save money to hire an executive search firm.

3. Lean on experts and peers 

When I could finally see my exit on the horizon, I reached out to a few trusted colleagues who had gone through their own founder exits or had helped organizations through their leadership transitions. Their input helped demystify the process, and the lessons they learned deeply informed how we proceeded. Being an executive director can be lonely, but there is no reason to reinvent the wheel by taking on a succession project without outside advice.

4. Do a test run

Right before I made my decision to exit the Heurich House Museum, I was involved in a serious accident that left me hospitalized for a week, and unable to lead the museum for a few months. While I strongly recommend against undergoing anything remotely similar (consider a sabbatical instead!), the incident served as a succession stress test. It helped prove that the organization could survive (and thrive) without me (the founder!) and gave us confidence to undertake real succession planning.

5. Have an emergency succession plan

A succession plan for a planned exit is important, but a succession plan for an emergency is a necessity. Although I was in communication with the board and staff after my accident, they were also able to reference our emergency succession plan, which consisted of two documents. First, the board adopted a written core organizational policy that designated who would take charge of the organization, and clearly specified their responsibilities. Second, a concise “key information” document for the board and the designated interim director with important contacts, bank accounts, insurance details, and high-level responsibilities made sure the organization could run smoothly. These documents can be created quickly and easily using simple templates from the internet (or from other executive director colleagues).

6. Provide thoughtful notice to your stakeholders 

The way you inform stakeholders of a leadership departure can form the base of a healthy transition. An executive director transition is a risky and uncertain time. It can bring up strong emotions in people who care about the organization or whose futures depend on it. Once I decided to leave, I approached the board with the outline of an exit plan already formed, which was mindful of both the volunteer nature of the board and the understanding that staff need stability to thrive. I then identified around 100 people whose relationships were important to the museum, such as donors, members, and institutional partners. I carefully discerned who I wanted to personally call, and who could receive a special email ahead of the public announcement. Then, when the board chair at last made a general announcement, he could celebrate the past, present, and future of the organization, clearly indicating to the public that the museum remained a strong team with a bright future.

7. Include staff in the search process

The Heurich House Museum’s staff have a strong voice in its mission and vision. They also had the most to lose in a leadership transition. The most important way to ease their concerns about their futures was to incorporate their expertise and voice into the director selection process. We included one staff member in the new executive director search committee. The entire staff was also given the opportunity to meet with the search consultant and were included as part of the executive director interview process. This showed them respect and addressed their concerns, providing more stability to the organization during the transition.

8. It’s easier to leave when you know where you’re going

A surprising factor in a good succession plan that people with experience had brought up again and again was that an executive director’s exit is more fraught when the outgoing director lacks a plan for their own future. This does not mean that you need to have a job lined up in order to leave. But you do need to spend time freely considering scenarios for your own future. Becoming comfortable with these kinds of thoughts makes you less scared of succession planning, more thoughtful about your own exit, and at peace with a workplace that needs your leadership right as your enthusiasm is flagging. 

9. Build in a celebratory send-off

Leadership transition should be a time for celebration for everyone involved. The executive director has helped the organization evolve from one stage to another, and is now passing the baton to a new fresh face. The team has come together to decide the organization’s next direction. It is time to honor the past and celebrate the future together. My board and staff threw me a small party and gave me thoughtful parting gifts that helped mark the transition and set a positive tone for the future. The celebration also helped signal to stakeholder invitees that they helped get the organization to this exciting moment and that they will be part of its future. 

10. Make a clean break

Once you walk out the door for the last time, stay gone. Otherwise, I believe even the most positive executive director transition can fail. It is important to let the organization launch into its next phase without you. The staff and board need to learn how to operate without you and the new executive director needs to have the space to make their own mark. All the organizational work to prepare for the post-you future should be accomplished before your goodbye party. To make this happen at the Heurich House Museum, I collaborated closely with the interim director. I had her shadow me for a week, provided direct training, and solicited her feedback on an Executive Director handbook that outlined her responsibilities. The document included links to important clarifying documents like policies and memos. We established a firm policy that the interim director can reach out to me for emergency advice. In turn, I promised to not reach out with any unsolicited input. One day I look forward to attending programs, but for now I am happy to call myself their newest donor.