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The
Chief Staff and Chief Elected Officer Partnership
By Susan B. Waters, CAE, Sextant Consulting
We talk a lot about governance, team approaches to association
management, and leadership development, but when you really
get down to it, the only thing that matters is the relationship
between the chief staff executive and chief elected officer.
If that relationship is open and positive, there will
be a strong partnership that will benefit the association
in many ways. If that relationship is sour, the association
is in for hard times.
It is vital that there be a true partnership between the two officers who are responsible for the volunteer and professional sides of the association. A friendship based on respect and clear understanding of roles will mean that the two chiefs work together seamlessly and that they enjoy their relationship. It is almost as close a relationship as a marriage, and if it unravels, it may feel much like a divorce.
So, whatever your title, if you are the chief staff executive, you should nurture the relationships with you current and upcoming volunteer leaders, whatever their titles. Get personally involved. Know about their families, their hobbies, their idiosyncrasies, and particularly, find out what annoys. Consider small gifts that will amuse or touch the incoming leader, or that person’s spouse or child. If a family member has a disease with a supporting organization, make a donation in that person’s name. Learn and remember birthdays, and send a card, not an e-mail, when appropriate. Invite the couple (if there is one) to your home for dinner, or the whole family for a picnic or other outing. And so on.
The purpose of these small gestures is to form a true
friendship with your chief elected officer. Not only will
it make the year of his or her leadership easier for you,
but it will be good for the association and you will have
an ally for years to come. You might need that ally if
at some time in the future your attempts at friendship
are unsuccessful.
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