|
Making the Case for an Interim AE
Judith Lindenau, CAE, RCE
I have a friend, now retired, who served as AE of a Michigan Realtor association for over 40 years. He was well loved by the members, and for most of the association members, his name was synonymous with all that was good about their profession—ethics, MLS, education programs, collegiality. The members had never known anything but a smoothly running association, a well-oiled machine.
So when it came time for my friend to retire, the Board of Directors simply buried their heads deep in the sand pile of denial. Two times he tried—and finally, five years after his first announced retirement date, he suffered a major health crisis and was no longer able to work.
The association was in a panic. The leaders had no transition strategy for either a planned or unplanned departure of their CEO. There seemed to be no available staff replacement, and no obvious candidate for the job from neighboring associations.
The Board of Directors responded with short term questions: How quickly can we fill this position? Who do we already know in this field? Can we post the current job description? Can we fill the opening internally with someone who already knows everything?
In so doing, the association missed a golden opportunity: the exit of a senior staff person can be a strategic directioning point, an opportunity to look forward to future needs without having to consider the presence, capacity and limitations of the departing AE. A departure (for whatever reason) can and should be a time to consider the association direction, its future needs, and its business model. It’s a time to ask the question, “How can we best complete our mission in the years to come?”
Recently, a church in my town parted ways with its senior minister. The national headquarters insisted that the congregation accept an interim minister for the following reasons: the members needed to break ties with the past and reflect on their future direction while, at the same time, being assured that daily operations were being carried out. “We’ll provide you with a skilled and trained leader“, the congregation was told. “This plan will give you some breathing room. Moving too quickly to fill a vacancy can result in the candidate who most resembles the departing leader or, perhaps, one who is his or her polar opposite.”
A professionally trained interim executive makes good sense when a transition plan is needed. Unfortunately, it’s common for associations to appoint past elected leaders to the task, or perhaps retired CEOs of businesses. Neither have a clear understanding of the balance that must exist between a Realtor AE and association leadership, nor do they understand the unique infrastructure of the Realtor organization. The learning curve is steep for many such candidates, and the association’s forward progress can be quite slow during the transition.
By the same token, hiring an existing staff member as an interim director also has pitfalls:
· The staff member may be overworked in his or her current position, and unable to fill both responsibilities;
· An increase in compensation should accompany the increase responsibility;
· Is the replacement a candidate to permanently fill the position, and if so how will that influence the search?
· What will happen to the interim person once a candidate is found for the permanent position? Will the interim return to the previous responsibilities at reduced compensation? What will be the effect on other staff?
In the long run, contracting with a professionally trained and experienced interim executive can be smart succession planning: the association staff can be kept engaged, membership involved, and the board appropriately informed and motivated during the search for a permanent CEO.
Ultimately, an interim Association Executive can provide the board of directors with the opportunity to determine how best to move into a successful future for their Realtor Association.
(Ed Note: I recently met with a former Realtor association AE, who reminisced about a job change which she made some years ago. The change was a disaster, both for her and her former employer which hired a replacement in haste, spending far too much money and time on an unsatisfactory candidate. It’s important for associations to have not only a transition plan, but also to understand that the process of hiring a new staff executive will require time, thought and—yes—some cash in reserve. This series of blog articles will address the problem of hiring a new AE or CEO from several different angles. My thanks to Donna Garcia at NAR for her help and inspiration.) | 
RSS Blog Feed
