02 / Leadership changes
Give your new CEO a strong start.
A CEO transition changes more than the person in the role. We help the board, the incoming leader, and those supporting the handover work through expectations, responsibilities, and the conversations that can be easy to postpone.
The challenge
A new start comes with expectations on both sides.
The board may be hoping for change while the new CEO is still learning the organization. An outgoing leader may hold years of knowledge that has never been written down. Even a positive transition can leave important assumptions unspoken.
What the board needs
- A shared understanding of what matters most
- Confidence about the decisions the board needs to make
- Continuity in important commitments and relationships
- A useful way to discuss progress with the CEO
What the new CEO needs
- Clarity about the board’s expectations
- Authority and support to lead
- Context for the commitments already made
- A constructive relationship with the chair and board
We help people compare expectations early, discuss the differences, and keep talking as the new relationship develops.
Working through change
Support for the conversations a transition needs.
Some organizations need help preparing for a departure. Others need to reset expectations after the new CEO has arrived. We shape the work around where you are.
- Preparing
Agree on what matters
Work through the board’s priorities, the incoming leader’s understanding of the role, and what a successful start would mean.
Shared expectations - Getting started
Clarify room to lead
Discuss which decisions sit with the CEO, where board input is needed, and how the chair can support the relationship.
Clear responsibilities - Handing over
Protect continuity
Bring important commitments, relationships, and unfinished work into the conversation so the new leader has the context they need.
A thoughtful handover - Settling in
Keep expectations current
Make room for the chair and CEO to talk about what is working, where assumptions differ, and what should change.
A constructive review
Example
A long-serving CEO is leaving.
Imagine a professional society preparing for its first new CEO in many years. The board wants fresh thinking, the incoming leader wants to understand the mandate, and the outgoing CEO holds much of the history behind important relationships.
The work could bring those expectations together, clarify authority, and make the handover easier to navigate. Follow-up conversations would give the chair and new CEO a place to address what they learn along the way.
A fictional organization, shown to illustrate the work.New CEO, year one
The aim
A board and CEO who understand what they need from one another and can discuss concerns openly.
- Where we focus
- The expectations, responsibilities, and relationships that need attention in your transition.
- Working with others
- We work alongside search firms, coaches, and your counsel where they are involved.
We are working with a search firm. Does this overlap?
We can work alongside a search firm or executive coach. Our focus is the relationship between the board and CEO, the expectations attached to the role, and the governance questions around the handover.
When is the best time to start?
We can help while you are planning a transition or after a new CEO has started. If expectations are already pulling in different directions, that is a useful reason to talk.
Is this executive coaching?
This work focuses on the relationship between the board and the CEO: the mandate, the authority, and the agreements. It fits comfortably alongside any coaching the CEO receives.
Other ways we help
Situations often overlap.
A transition can bring other governance questions into view. These services may also be useful.
Working through a leadership change?
Whether the transition is ahead of you or already underway, we can talk through the expectations and relationships that need attention.