In May, I took a month-long sabbatical, including nearly two weeks in Morocco. Here's what happened while I was gone — and what a $43M funder investment report says about doing it right. In May, I took my own sabbatical. A month of being (for the most part) completely offline from my business, including almost 2 weeks in Morocco — part solo, part in a group led by Jodie Patterson. I came back different. This wasn’t the elusive “vacation-rested” version of a trip, it was deep, lasting, and...
7 days ago • 2 min read
We have to come to an agreement that the reality is: People Leave. None of us are still at our first jobs, but we treat workplace transitions as though we've never had practice at leaving. -Naomi Hattaway We CAN add joyful moments to departure work. Human-focused transitions do not have to be difficult, and joy can come from proactive planning (we all know that the success of a big trip is more likely if we planned for said trip, right?). I enjoyed my recent conversation with Kyle S. King...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Katie didn't get to plan her departure. She died suddenly, mid-leadership, no warning. What her team did next, during my interim executive director time with them, wasn't in any succession plan I'd ever written. We put a giant sticky note on the wall and asked one question: what did you love about Katie's leadership? The answers repeated, and themes arose. We named the items that rose to the top: Katie's Way. We then asked the next leader to protect two of those pivotal and memorable...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Nonprofit Founders: I love you and your incredible impact. I also need you to spend some serious time thinking about your departures, especially as it relates to any designs you have about joining the board when you leave. About half of the founders I work with want to join the board after they step down as ED/CEO. About 25% do (against my recommendation), and for the other 75%, the board says no. The "no" might mean there's a short-term, time-limited advisory option instead, or ... the...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Lately, we are nerding out over finding similarities and adjacent learning opportunities with existing frameworks, models, thought leadership, and more. Currently on our minds is the Dancing with Systems model from Donella Meadows, one of my very favorite systems thinkers. Would love to know what you think of this article, and our take on her model as meshed with our Leaving Well framework! Some of our favorite podcast episodes to share: We recently hired the Satiated Artists team to help us...
2 months ago • 2 min read
I hope you've been well as June is solidly upon us? I'm still reflecting on my sabbatical last month, during which I traveled to Morocco. The trip was partially to celebrate my 50th birthday (wow!) but also to really lean into the medicine I dose to orgs we work with. It was magical, and I'm even more bullish now about encouraging leaders to take sabbaticals (not reserved just for leaders by title!). We will share some more about lessons learned (including fiercely protecting your re-entry...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Picture this: It's your last board meeting as Executive Director. You've led this organization through a capital campaign, an executive transition before yours, a pandemic, and more than a few impossible budget cycles. You know your StrengthsFinder results by heart. Maybe you've done the Enneagram work. Maybe you've gone deep on Human Design. And still, when someone asks how you're doing with the transition, you don't quite have the words. I’m here to let you know that this isn’t a failure of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Dream with me a bit ... your sabbatical is coming. Maybe it's in 8 weeks, maybe 8 months. You've started planning: ✓ Identified interim leadership✓ Created coverage plans✓ Communicated with your board✓ Blocked your calendar Here's what you probably haven't planned: Your return. I see this constantly in my work providing interim leadership for nonprofits—thoughtful (and in rare cases, meticulous) departure planning, with a hellacious and chaotic re-entry. Leaders return on their first Monday...
5 months ago • 4 min read
I'm a book person, always have been. Over the years I've collected a list of reads that have genuinely shaped how I think about leadership, transitions, and the work of leaving well, and I finally pulled them all together in one place: naomihattaway.com/books These are books I return to, recommend in client conversations, and honestly just love. If you're a reader too — or you're looking for something to hand to a board member, a departing ED, or a leader in the thick of a transition — I...
5 months ago • 1 min read