If a school’s chief executive departs, the board, administration, and staff will know well in advance, right? And they'll prepare for a smooth leadership change, and everyone will remark on how well the transition went, and the next year will be the institution's best year ever. Right?

Of course, leadership transitions are rarely this smooth. Sometimes a leader leaves abruptly -- by resignation, firing, or because of illness. In less-than-ideal circumstances, it’s important to have an emergency leadership transition plan if a school is going to continue operating. Staff, boards, faculty, students, and even donors need to know what to do in a leaderless environment.

For this purpose, BoardSource has developed a how-to resource on developing an emergency leadership transition plan. The resource covers four areas that need to be addressed in plan development: communications, financial oversight, interim management, and executive search. It's meant as a starting guide for developing a transition plan that will assist in the continuity of operations in the case of a sudden leadership change.

You may download the transition plan resource from BoardSource. 

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