Bridgestar Offers Strategies on How Nonprofits Can Establish Effective Executive Director- COO Partnerships

Effective management of a nonprofit organization depends on a cohesive leadership team. A strong partnership between an executive director (ED) and a chief operating officer (COO) will have a positive impact throughout an organization, according to Bridgestar, a nonprofit initiative of the Bridgespan Group dedicated to attracting, connecting, and supporting senior leaders for the sector.

The August issue of “Leadership Matters” addresses the considerations and strategies involved in effectively establishing a strong ED and COO partnership. The feature article, “The Executive Director: The COO’s Most Important Partner,” is based on knowledge gained from conversations and in-depth interviews Bridgestar conducted over the past three years with COOs and executive directors from a diverse range of nonprofit organizations.

The August article is part of Bridgestar’s ongoing focus and growing portfolio of content focusing on the COO role, which includes a special section on Bridgestar.org that offers ideas, tools, and resources for prospective and current leaders as well as hiring managers; an informal Boston-based networking group; and a national COO Listserve.

The challenges involved in establishing a strong ED and COO partnership often result from the differences in styles, skills, job functions, and perspectives of these executives. For example, because in most organizations the COO’s role is primarily internally facing and the ED’s external, it can be difficult to persuade EDs to invest in internal systems and resources. When organizations hire a COO for the first time, EDs may have initial difficulty in relinquishing areas of responsibility; it often takes them time to adjust to changes in their own position.

“Given the complexity of the of the ED and COO relationship, it is only natural there will be bumps along the way,” said David Simms, managing partner, Bridgestar. “It’s critical, though, that these top executives establish strong and united teams to ensure the overall effectiveness of the organization. Organizations can accomplish this by conducting a carefully thought-out search process to avoid potentially unconstructive pairings. Additionally, once on board, EDs and COOs must be willing to be communicate openly with each other, be flexible and put in the necessary effort to make the relationship work. The results will make it well worthwhile.”

In “Leadership Matters,” Bridgestar presents the following recommendations for establishing a successful ED and COO partnership:

• Present a united front. Work out policy disagreements privately so the staff hears one clear message from the top. Sandra Timmons, COO of Girls Incorporated from 1998-2003, noted that when she had to communicate unpopular decisions to the staff, it was important to thoroughly explain her decision and reasoning to the ED in advance. That enabled the ED to back her up on occasions when staff members turned to the ED to get decisions reversed. “That [kind of situation] puts a lot of pressure on having a full, open, transparent relationship between the two top executives,” Timmons said.
• Avoid caricatures of roles. It can create tension when executives assume caricatures of their roles, such as when the ED is viewed as the visionary and the COO as the implementer; the ED as the unrealistic dreamer and the COO as the conservative naysayer; or the ED as disconnected and the COO as a translator or peacemaker.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities as much as possible. Work out the ground rules up front and continue to clarify roles over time. According to David Williams, formerly executive vice president and COO of Habitat for Humanity before becoming president and CEO of the Make-a-Wish-Foundation, “Even thought it’s hard to really get clarification on who will do what, that shouldn’t be an excuse not to sit down together at the beginning and really drill down into it….Otherwise there are just too many opportunities to get in each other’s way.”
• Communicate your role and the role of the ED clearly to staff and external stakeholders. To establish credibility, it is important for others inside and outside of the organization to understand the delegation of roles. Mossik Hacobian, executive director of Urban Edge, said, “I think one of the challenges that we have as we evolve this relationship is how other folks – both inside and outside of Urban Edge – view where the buck stops.”

The COOs and EDs Bridgestar interviewed also offered suggestions on how to handle job conflicts:

• Ask questions and share concerns. If the ED or other managers present proposals that you feel are unrealistic, make sure to push back. You need to make sure the goals and resources are realistic to handle new initiatives.
• Get to know the ED and build trust. One experienced COO noted, “Trust and relationships are crucial to building a foundation between an ED and COO. Without that, no amount of organizational structure can make it work.”

Each month, “Leadership Matters” selects a different theme about how to build and sustain effective nonprofit organizations. Available to Bridgestar members (or, for a complimentary subscription, please email subscribe@bridgestar.org), “Leadership Matters” is part of a robust portfolio of offerings that includes a job board that lists more than 200 senior positions across a range of service areas including the environment, human services, elder services, human rights, and youth services. The organization has assisted many organizations in finding new leaders through its talent-matching services, which include executive recruiting and related advisory activities.

The current issue of “Leadership Matters” is available to Bridgestar members at: https://www.bridgestar.org/Resources/Newsletters/2007/August2007.aspx. For a complimentary subscription, please email subscribe@bridgestar.org.

Norman Birnbach
Birnbach Communications
birnbach@birnbachcom.com
781-639-6701

Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, is a nonprofit organization providing talent-matching services, content, and tools designed to help organizations build strong leadership teams and individuals pursue career paths as nonprofit leaders. Bridgestar’s goal is to attract, connect, and support senior talent, leading to greater organizational effectiveness and social impact.

This release was published on openPR.