The biggest business challenge in launching my Leaving Well work has been convincing boards, nonprofit leaders (and funders) to plan for something they don’t want to think about. Succession planning feels like writing your estate plan, or planning your own funeral—uncomfortable and seemingly premature.I’ve watched organizations hemorrhage talent, lose major grants, and damage community relationships because they waited until leadership crises hit to start thinking about transitions. The...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Target's CEO succession is giving every nonprofit board some homework they probably don't want to do. Brian Cornell stepped down last week after 11 years, and the board promoted COO Michael Fiddelke to CEO. Clean, planned, internal promotion. Textbook succession planning, right? Except for one uncomfortable detail: Target has been losing ground to competitors for years under the leadership team Fiddelke was part of. Here's the question Target's board just forced into the open: Should the...
12 days ago • 2 min read
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are a spectacle of precision—every hair curled, every toe pointed, every smile practiced. But behind the sequins and stadium lights is a relentless cycle of selection and cuts. Watching the Netflix series about their process, I found myself realizing the similarities between what they’re navigating—high turnover, legacy leadership, untold grief, and zero succession infrastructure—isn’t just reality TV. It’s what I work with every day inside nonprofits and...
25 days ago • 1 min read
For many folks, it feels scary to begin thinking about leaving their organization, and even scarier still to think about how to begin TALKING about it. I'm excited to share a few examples of Leaving Well, in the wild. Real world opportunities to learn from others who are treating their departures as something they are able to navigate, on their terms, as well as a few "as soon on" podcasts to share. First up, Dr. Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, who is retiring from the Winthrop Rockefeller...
27 days ago • 1 min read
We are keeping the trend going of using real world stories to share lessons you can bring into your nonprofit! This time, we're talking about Astronomer (the "Coldplay Kiss Cam" situation). If you somehow missed it: Astronomer's CEO was caught on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert, with the company's HR executive, and both of them are married to other folks. Said CEO steps down after a viral scandal, and within 72 hours, a new interim leader is named. While the world focused on the drama,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
What happens when a $125 million sports franchise can't keep a president for 90 days? Portland's WNBA team just gave us a master class in organizational chaos—and a blueprint for how interim leadership can save the day. I've done some investigation and am excited to share a few key takeaways with you that you can implement with your own organization. 🔥 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The timeline of Portland's leadership disasters Why multiple GM candidates turned down positions How Clare Hamill's interim...
2 months ago • 1 min read
I've just completed my Chief of Staff certification ... AND here’s why it matters for the nonprofits I serve: When I’m stepping in as interim ED/CEO or guiding succession planning, I frequently recommend that organizations consider hiring a Chief of Staff. But I realized I needed to deeply understand this role myself to make that recommendation with confidence. This training reinforced what I suspected: a skilled CoS can be transformational for nonprofit leaders drowning in operational...
2 months ago • 1 min read
(that email we just sent didn't have the promised video link - oops!) Leadership transitions are inevitable—but silence isn't strategy. In this video, I share why naming change early and honestly can actually build deeper donor trust, not weaken it. 💬 Closing Reflection Questions: For nonprofit staffers: What assumptions do you think your donors hold about leadership transitions? For funders: When has transparency (or the lack of it) changed how you felt about an organization? (Hit reply, I'd...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Most orgs plan carefully for how people join the board… but not for how they leave. I know, I know -- I'm a broken record on this topic. In this video below, I offer a few practical action steps / practices for offboarding board members with intention and care—because how someone leaves matters just as much as how they served. Offboarding is the often-ignored half of board culture, but a thoughtful exit process supports continuity, legacy, and dignity. It's not super easy to SEE this in your...
3 months ago • 1 min read