Transition from one leadership board to the next can be stressful. Most leaders are burnt out and are ready to hand over the reigns. However, what most sorority women fail to realize is that transitioning their successor is the most critical part of their role as a leader! All of their hard work from the prior year can disappear quickly if they don’t intentionally think about how to execute a thought out transition. Here are 6 helpful tips to keep in mind to make the transition successful:
1. Speak with your advisors.
Advisors have a wealth of knowledge both about your organization and your chapter. They have a different perspective on your position since they are usually an observer instead of the action taker. They can provide you with a road map of what are the must-have’s going forward.
2. Seek out information from your organization.
Most organizations are constantly updating their resources to better assist their leaders. Why not utilize what is already out there and help your successor weed through what you know works with your chapter.
3. Walk through your calendar.
It is inevitable that you have planned some events for the future. Make sure to thoroughly go over these events in detail; logistics, the why behind the event, any issues that you can foresee, desired outcome, and so on. This will ensure that your expectations of what you planned actually come to fruition.
4. Gather all of your information.
It is very possible that you have stockpiled a good amount of information on your position. This includes ideas from five years ago, information from current leaders and members, information from your college/university, or simply ideas that you have written down. It is likely that this information is all over the place, so make sure to go through it and weed out what is not important so you are handing over only the very best information.
5. Set goals.
Remember when you first started your role as a leader? You had all these great ideas but really didn’t know where to start. Sitting down with your successor and reviewing the position and goals for your chapter can help her determine goals for her new role. Why not help your incoming officer set her goals for the next term?
6. Designate time to spend on the transition.
Rome was not build in a day and neither was your chapter. The success of a chapter truly depends on the chapter leadership. Don’t set up your successor to fail by not allowing enough time to transition. It is one of the most critical parts of her success as a new leader!