Field Guide for Interim Executives
Leadership transitions are some of the most defining moments in a nonprofit’s life. This guide brings together reflections, resources, and practical tools for boards, staff, and consultants navigating executive transitions. I’ve spent years working as a professional interim leader, guiding organizations through uncertainty, change, and renewal. This is what I’ve learned about building trust fast, making decisions that outlast your tenure, and leaving organizations stronger than you found them.
This is a living field guide and will be expanded every month with new pieces.
⭐ Your First Reads
📍Contents:
Guidance for Interims - General
Most Used ‘Tools’
STARS Framework - For rapidly understanding the context you are onboarding into.
Pyramid Principle & MECE - How to communicate complex ideas clearly.
Onboarding and Offboarding
How Great Leaders Begin: What to Say (and Not Say) in Your First All-Staff Meeting
Entering Well: The First 30 Days of an Interim Engagement
Fundraising
Guidance for Boards
Boardroom Conversations to have Before You Hire an Interim Executive
The Board’s First 90 Days During a Transition
Succession Planning Is a Governance Duty, Not a Crisis Response
When Boards Get It Wrong: Common Pitfalls in Leadership Transitions
3 Lessons from the Interim: What a transition can teach a board about itself
Guidance for Executives
How to Prepare Your Second-in-Command for Executive Leadership
What Permanent Leaders Can Learn from Interim Leadership