When an executive director shifts to being a chief executive officer, it may sound like just a title change, but there’s more to it than that. With this transition comes a whole set of new capabilities that need to be resourced and developed. And this requires a mindset shift as well.
Transition doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As executive director, you likely have a functioning leadership team in place that reports to you. Whether that team has two people or ten, you help move their work forward each day by answering questions about what needs to get done.
A CEO should approach this day-to-day work differently. If you leave the daily decision-making to the leadership team, that frees you to focus on answering the big questions:
Why do we exist?
Why is our work important?
Why is this new direction essential?
The answers to these queries position and expand the context for the day-to-day work of your organization. These answers motivate achievement, innovation, and change.
To do this successfully as CEO, you need a capable leadership team that allows you to be present without constantly being in the mix. You need a team that is able to express and operationalize the values of your organization without being told. And, critically, they must have the power to proactively respond to changing situations and emerging opportunities.
Your leadership team is the bridge that can help you effectively transition from ED to CEO. Build their trust, capabilities, and authority to oversee the everyday so you have time to envision what lies ahead.