I serve in an organization that is going through a “big” transition. A beloved CEO of more than twenty-five years is retiring, and the name of the next CEO has been announced. The transition began five months ago and will not be completed until four more months have passed. I want to invite you to look over my shoulder as a model of how to assist your team if you are going through a big change. Here is the actual communication going out to our staff from me this week and it is followed by an eight-minute video that will encourage you if you find yourself in transition. I trust you will also glean from me some assistance in shepherding a staff through big changes. Here is the full email to the staff followed by the link to the video…
“I cannot imagine that you have not heard the news by this time. We now know the person that will be nominated to serve as the next Executive Director. Congratulations to Thomas Hammond. It is certainly good to have the answer to one big piece of the future puzzle, but some questions remain unanswered. While we know that any new leader will bring a fresh vision, new ideas, potential reorganization, and dare I say it, “change,” there is still a degree of uncertainty about the future.
Since the time that Dr. White announced his retirement, I have personally sought to provide encouragement, instruction, and to instill confidence in each of you as we look to the future. You may recall that during the June webinar I shared a brief leadership lesson I called “Why You Can Be Confident in the Future.” I believe that it is worth a second view or if you missed it, even more importantly, a first view. You can be confident in your future, not because you know the name of the next Executive Director, but because God knows you and has a plan for your life and ministry. Please take a few minutes to view this segment again.”
