July 12, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Nonprofit groups undergoing leadership transitions would be best served by tapping an outsider as their interim chief executives, writes Ken Goldstein, a freelance grant-proposal writer, on his Nonprofit Consultant Blog. Relying on an outsider, he writes, diminishes the likelihood of stirring up internal resentments once a permanent leader is chosen.
Mr. Goldstein, who reports that he is currently serving his third stint as a temporary nonprofit chief, recounts an example of one organization with which he is acquainted that promoted a staff member to the interim post — and then chose an outsider for the permanent position.
“The interim was demoralized to return to her staff position after being in the leadership post for nearly six months (and having been praised for her performance),” Mr. Goldstein writes. “She considered it a slap in the face, and so did many of the other staff. The new ED shortly had to contend with many key people resigning and leaving for other organizations, including the previous interim ED.”
Read The Chronicle’s March 22 article on how interim directors can help organizations navigate leadership transitions gracefully.
