Easy steps can ensure smooth board chair transitions

Ensuring a smooth transition of responsibilities to a new board chairperson is important for a number of reasons, experts say, not the least of which is continuity of leadership and operations. According to Adam Wire of Onboard, the “chair maintains board discipline, sets the board meeting agenda, and keeps the board focused on strategy and oversight.” As Wire explained in a blog post, a smooth transition also helps bolster board confidence in leadership, builds the relationship between the chairperson and the executive director/CEO, and eases concerns among donors, partners and other stakeholders that the organization's direction might get derailed due to internal dysfunction.