Reinventing the wheel?

Does each successive board reinvent the wheel?

Every director no doubt has a vision of leadership that is unique and personal. On the other hand, the association has a time-honored heritage that it has followed over the years. How to reconcile the two?

One way is with overlapping boards, so that new directors serve consecutively with older ones. This will help forestall a "change for change's sake" mentality.

Passing the baton from one chief to the next, while still having long-standing directors represented, assures your association that the board will honor what works while also working to improve what does not work so well, or could just plain use an "update."

Paid administrators or executive directors are there to keep the continuity so that the changes brought in do not interfere with operations. Hired administration, whether on staff or contracted (as we are), are the organization's history channel.

A change in command does not have to mean a complete change in the way things are done. If the organization has been running smoothly, its day-to-days should be left to the administrators.  

Succession planning is essential for any board. It assures that the association's legacy is preserved. New processes can be added, old ones replaced, as long as the mission survives. Planning for the future growth of the association needs to go beyond the transitions at the top.