During stakeholder interviews we conduct as part of the groundwork for CEO or executive director searches, most staff express excitement about new leadership. But we often sense underlying concerns. They may ask about timelines or share desired qualifications, but their deeper questions remain unsaid: “Should I be worried? About my job? My future? My place in the organization?”
Anxiety during a CEO transition is a completely normal reaction to change, even for high-performing team members confident in the value they bring. But studies show that if not proactively addressed, anxiety can diminish performance. Here are a few ways the board can ease those concerns—and what staff themselves can do to deal with the uncertainty.
Tips for Search Committees: Be Empathetic and Transparent
According to researchers from the Harvard Business School, overall communication slows in organizations during the months before and after a CEO transition. “CEO turnover tends to cause a great deal of uncertainty about whether a new leader will make big changes, like reshuffling or reducing the workforce … and it can lead to confusion and stress, low morale, delayed projects.” But you can lessen these “communication shutdowns” by sharing the right information early and often with staff.
Go Beyond Dates and Timelines
Most boards share basic logistics, such as the departure date, search firm names, and timelines. But staff need to know: Who will this new leader be, and what does that mean for me? Will it be someone who maintains steady progress, or a transformational leader who’s going to restructure operations? Without this context, anxiety fills the information gap.
Instead, share your search criteria in detail to build trust and prevent speculation.
Your search firm should provide a comprehensive description of the impact you expect this leader to make and the competencies needed to succeed in the role. Share this information with staff, emphasizing how the incoming CEO or executive director will interact with the team.
Focus on What Staff Care About Most
Avoid the common mistake of simply handing staff the CEO job description. Take the extra step to explain what this leadership profile means for them. Your best employees want to know they’ll have a fair and supportive boss and that the new leader will evaluate them fairly, based on their contributions to the organization’s success.
This is exactly why transparency about your search criteria matters. Connect your hiring priorities to both stakeholder input and your strategic plan. For example:
- If stakeholders expressed concerns during pre-search interviews that outdated marketing approaches are limiting member reach and making the organization less relevant to younger audiences, explain that you heard that feedback, the board agrees, and you’re prioritizing candidates with experience in digital marketing and brand modernization.
- If staff raised concerns about disconnected leadership that left them without adequate mentorship, share that you’re seeking leaders with experience leading professional development and career growth programs.
By sharing the leadership qualities and strategic priorities driving your decision, staff can better understand the direction and position themselves accordingly.
“Search committees must maintain strict confidentiality about the ongoing process, but there is a lot of information synthesis that happens before the search begins, and you can use that to give staff a more in-depth understanding of what to expect. You want to demonstrate that you heard input from stakeholders and factored it into your hiring decision framework.”
— Staffing Advisors President Bob Corlett
For more about communicating with different stakeholders during a CEO transition, read this article from Board Source.
Tips for Staff: Lean Into the New
The guidance above helps search committees manage organizational anxiety. But what about senior leaders who will become direct reports to the new CEO? Calm your nerves by focusing on how to set this new relationship up for success.
Understand Your Role in the Hiring Process
If you’re invited to meet CEO or executive director candidates during the interview process, remember: your role is to offer input, not make a hiring decision. These aren’t formal interviews where you evaluate candidates’ skills. The search committee wants you to help candidates better understand the organization and the needs of their future staff.
Here’s how to approach a meet-and-greet with a potential boss:
- Describe what your team is working on and the challenges you see ahead.
- Ask how candidates have supported teams working through similar issues in past roles.
- When the search committee asks for your feedback, keep it focused on that topic—don’t recommend who you think they should hire. That choice belongs to the board, and it’s inappropriate to share anything resembling a vote.
Prepare to Brief the New Leader
Once the new leader steps into the role, remember that they will see your organization differently from their predecessor. They bring a new set of experiences and a unique leadership style. Resist the temptation to “retrain” them to lead exactly as your last boss did. What your former boss did is no longer relevant, and fixating on that relationship will prevent you from fully investing in this new one.
Instead, prepare to answer high-level questions about your work. CEOs and executive directors think in terms of strategy and impact, so be concise and lead with outcomes.
- Include relevant data whenever possible.
- Connect your work to key initiatives outlined in the strategic plan.
- Frame your discussion around strategic goals, the metrics you monitor, and where you focus your time to drive results.
When the new leader shares their ideas, listen carefully. Absorb their perspective. Even if you don’t agree, avoid countering their ideas in the moment. Step back and consider how your knowledge of the organization and its history can help them succeed.
“Incoming leaders want to know ‘what turns the flywheel’ or your understanding of how A leads to B in your organization and how the day-to-day work leads to the impact you are seeking. When a senior leader talks to me in that kind of framework, I know the new CEO will see them as someone they can really work with.”
— Staffing Advisors President Bob Corlett
Lead With Your Value
Within a few days, be ready to say, “I heard the direction you shared in our last conversation, and here are a few obstacles you may not see yet.” Show that you understand their vision and are ready to help move it forward.
When you offer institutional knowledge and insights only an insider would know, you transform yourself from just another staff member to someone who provides strategic value. Even if your deepest fear is that the new leader might replace you, avoid communicating insecurity or worry. Let your competence and contributions speak for themselves.