Leadership Succession

Leadership Succession - A Smooth Transition

SMAC needs information on name, address, phone, e-mail, fax of new president as soon as possible so that they can be invited to Presidents' Information Course.

Finishing your year:

Complete any final responsibilities
Meet with your executive board to evaluate year
Collect year end reports
Share information
Meet with the incoming president to give an overview of the PTA, discussing each of the documents that must be passed on
Make sure new president attends Presidents' Information Course
Make sure new president and other officers and chairmen attend School of Instruction
Make sure any mailings from National PTA, Kansas PTA and SMAC are shared with new president
Relax and gather your thoughts. Think about how you might want to serve in the PTA.

"Going Out With Class"

The time to begin preparing for a smooth transition to your successor is at the beginning of your term. By sharing responsibility, delegating authority, and including others in planning, you give others the chance to practice the skills necessary to lead the PTA. At the same time you clearly signal that you recognize the need to move on when your term ends.
Saying this is easy; the hard part comes when we have to say "thank you and goodbye" to dedicated volunteers.

The health of the PTA depends on recruiting new leaders and moving them up the ladder. To provide a planned rotation so that the same people do not serve year after year:

Include in every officer's job description the responsibility to groom successors
Openly discuss the need for new people
Encourage talented leaders to move on to jobs at the council, region, or state level
Recognize that the nominating committee is the most important committee in PTA

The decisions made by the nominating committee will largely determine who will lead the group in the years ahead. Yet in many PTAs this committee is elected or appointed at the last minute with little thought, and service on it is considered an onerous chore.

The nominating committee should broadly represent the PTA. It should have a realistic time schedule, and working procedures that include an unequivocal statement that all committee discussions are confidential. The committee members need to have a clear understanding of each of the jobs they are trying to fill, so that they can accurately outline to potential nominees what the responsibilities will be. Too often nominating committees gloss over the work and time commitments of a given job in an attempt to get someone - anyone - to fill a vacancy.

Once the nominating committee has done its job and your successor is elected, you will need to be patient, to offer advice and assistance sparingly, to avoid criticizing the new regime, and to bolster the new officer's confidence. You can ease the transition when you fully accept the fact that your need to move on is clearly a matter of giving others an opportunity for leadership and not a reflection on your ability.