Presidential Transitions: Navigating the Twilight

Presidential transitions, ever more frequent, public and often political, are fragile passages that involve opportunities and obstacles. When well orchestrated, the presidential transition can set the stage for a bright and optimistic institutional future. When done poorly, it can damage the reputation of an institution and leave campus stakeholders disappointed and disenfranchised.

While there is a fair amount of research on presidential transitions, most of the literature is focused on the onboarding process of the new president. The selection phase of a presidential transition needs to be done with great care. Nevertheless, it is just as important to effectively manage the transition from the incumbent leader to the incoming president. If the twilight of the departing president’s term is not handled well, the new leader enters a fractured and confusing place and finds themselves digging out of a hole from the very beginning.

The following recommendations are derived from numerous interviews conducted with presidential colleagues and board members over the last decade and extensive research on this topic, as well as lived experience (as a board consultant and as a college president). The advice is focused on the strategically prearranged transition (and not a sudden departure), and is primarily directed to outgoing presidents to consider as they leave their campuses.

1. Lead to the final day. It is important for the outgoing president to establish that they are engaged until the moment the incoming president takes over the reins. The institution’s constituents deserve no less. The college community needs to perceive that the outgoing president supports an effective transition process that will ensure institutional continuity and stability.

Over the years, a number of institutions have had leadership transitions during which the president disappeared gradually. Constituents were left to deduce what was going on as the rumor mill generated demoralizing conjecture. The departing president has the professional and ethical responsibility to clearly demonstrate that the leadership of the institution continues to be decisively operational. The outgoing president must continue to be visible and accessible to stakeholders throughout the campus until his or her final day in office.

2. Manage your senior team. During a presidential transition, the senior team often will experience a great deal of anxiety over the change in presidential leadership. They may question their fit with the new president’s agenda and/or the stability of their own role as a senior executive team member going forward,

The president must direct and support their senior team members to lead their units and divisions with care and thoughtfulness throughout the transition. The campus community will be watching this team for indicators of their continuing leadership. The leadership team wants to prevent the perception that the institution is treading water until the new president comes on board.

The board chair should also meet periodically with the senior team to communicate progress about the presidential search and selection process, so that they are informed and included. In one dramatic situation in our study, we learned of a case where the outgoing president was made aware via the rumor mill that many senior team members had started to put their résumés out on the street because of the uncertainty they were experiencing.

She then met with each senior team member and the board chair privately to convey that the board was very pleased with the current senior team and that they didn’t foresee any major changes. She communicated that while they couldn’t guarantee that everyone would stay, they would work collaboratively with the new president and ensure that no rash personnel decisions were made. In fact, the board chair shared the executive committee of the board’s strong position that there not be any senior team changes during the first year of the new presidency, unless extremely warranted. As a result, only one senior team member, of nine, decided to seek a position elsewhere.

3. Negotiate the (culminating) agenda with the board chair. It is very important that these institutional leaders agree on what needs to be accomplished in the final six to 12 months. This is not the time to expand the strategic agenda, a natural inclination for some presidents working to cement their legacy. (This is often called the “home run” syndrome, where a president wants to leave a winner.)

This is a time when the board chair and executive committee of the board need to manage the expectations of the outgoing president. New initiatives will be inherited by the incoming president, and it is ill-advised to hand them a complex project or initiative that may not align with their first-year objectives or experience.

The executive committee’s role should be to partner with the outgoing president to advance the top two or three priorities for the transition period. The goal should be to tie up any unfinished business and to conduct rigorous assessments of important ongoing initiatives to determine where they are in the implementation process, in order to communicate their progress to the incoming president.

4. Involve the incoming president before arriving on campus. As soon as the new president has signed the contract, it is absolutely vital that the sitting president establish a clear channel of communication with their successor to ensure a sense of partnership during the transition. In our study, several incoming presidents commented on their appreciation of the shared experience. This allows the incoming president to be made aware of the outgoing president’s culminating agenda and potentially participate in implementing it.

5. Set the table well for the new president. The first year of any presidency is fraught with complexity, expectations and anxiety. The last thing the new leader needs is a host of problems that have been left unresolved and that must be addressed immediately, often because the departing president had avoided making the tough and necessary decisions. For example: Addressing a personnel problem on the senior team is an important responsibility that the outgoing president, along with human resources, needs to properly resolve before the new president comes on board. A new president should not have to deal with removing a senior leader during the first three months of their presidency. Having to evaluate and subsequently dismiss a team member hinders the strategic decision-making transition process.

Conversely, this is not the time to fill vital senior positions at the cabinet level, unless it is essential that the role be filled immediately. A capable interim should be placed to aid with the transition until the new president determines the criteria for the appointment. The last thing the senior team wants or needs is a brand-new provost or CFO, hurriedly put in place, in a vain attempt to “help” the new president.

6. Clarify the role of the incumbent president moving forward. One of the most sensitive and strategic questions the outgoing president and board chair need to address is the role of the departing president after the new president comes to campus. This is often not an easy issue to negotiate, however, the departing president must address his or her role in the transition. An honest and straightforward conversation between the board chair, the outgoing president and the incoming president is critical to determine how, and even if, the departing leader will be available during the transition.

The professional opinion about the continuing presence of the outgoing president is mixed at best, but we will offer a guiding principle that has served many departing and incoming presidents well: The outgoing president must see their role as that of a resource for the new president, and only if invited.

The last thing a new president needs, or wants, is gratuitous “advice” about how to do the job from the departing president. In addition, the departing president must commit to stay out of campus politics and not to discuss their successor’s leadership, their decision-making or their challenges. This can be difficult to do at times, because there are constituents who will actively seek out the departing president’s wise counsel and opinions about the new president’s leadership, but offering commentary to this effect can severely hamper a new president’s ability to lead.

7. Write a personal reflection paper. This is where the outgoing president creates an informal four- to five-page paper on how they see the campus they have led and what they have learned and experienced as president. This is not a self-congratulatory report of the many accomplishments they have achieved, but rather a rich snapshot of the current campus realities though the unique lens of the leader who often has the most realistic perspective.

Some possible topics to cover:

• Points of pride
• Senior team functioning (this must be honest!)
• Reflections about the board and its leadership
• Two institutional challenges that need to be addressed soon
• Two opportunities that should be considered
• A list of the 10 most influential campus leaders (if you can, introduce these people to the new president).

8. Pay attention to the emotional minefield you will most likely experience. Many of our closest presidential colleagues trusted us to address this sensitive issue. Most found it hard to leave due to strong and mixed emotions. Many reported having big regrets about what didn’t get accomplished as well as painful memories of failures and difficult relationships. They also had doubts about “is this the best time to leave?” as well as great pride remembering their achievements. Lastly, many presidents were concerned about how they would be remembered. What would be their legacy? What positive difference did they actually make?

Several colleagues suggested that seeing a therapist was effective in helping them understand the wide range of emotions they were experiencing. Others used an experienced executive coach, and still others found talking with a fellow president to be helpful. The bottom line here is, find someone to talk to about the many complex emotions, doubts and thoughts you may experience. Don’t try to go through this process alone.

A Final Side Note

We have found that more than a few presidents have hesitated to pull the trigger and announce their retirement or intentions to leave the campus. The metaphor we have found to be useful in this context is a bridge to the future. Unless a president sees a meaningful future for themselves (e.g., serving on meaningful boards, working for a nonprofit organization, consulting for other campuses, returning to faculty and/or traveling to their bucket-list places) they may stay on longer than they should.

It is imperative that the board chair, executive team or chancellor have an honest annual evaluation and ensuing conversation with the siting president to gauge their competence, interest and enthusiasm for the job and to determine their future aspirations. The last thing that an institution needs is a president who should leave but who hangs on because they don’t see a path forward. This is a difficult but necessary conversation to have with a sitting president.

Endings are important passages that need careful attention and nurturing. We hope these few pieces of advice are helpful.