Cultivating Your Leadership Pipeline
In the ever-evolving landscape of association governance, identifying and cultivating future leaders is not just a strategy; it’s a necessity. A strong leadership pipeline ensures that your organization remains resilient and adaptable, equipped to meet both current challenges and future opportunities.
By proactively seeking out and cultivating potential leaders, associations can secure a steady stream of talent that will guide their mission and vision forward for years to come. This article explores the importance of building a leadership pipeline, where to find these future leaders, and how to nurture them into effective board members.
Future-Proofing Your Governance
Developing a leadership pipeline is not a one and done. It needs to be a continual effort that looks across the career trajectory of members. By engaging with future leaders early, your association can develop a steady stream of excellent leaders who have developed good governance skills so that, if any one day become members of the Board of Directors, they will have had a depth of experience and training. Additionally, this proactive approach to governance allows organizations to anticipate and prepare for leadership transitions, ensuring continuity and stability.
Although an organization that focuses on building their leadership pipeline will see meaningful expansion of their volunteer pool in the near term, the true impact will be realized in the long term as those who entered early become the leaders of the future.
Building Your Pipeline
Developing your leadership pipeline begins by identifying your emerging leaders and finding where they are learning to lead. Potential leaders are often already engaged in various capacities, whether through committees, councils, or even volunteering in member-led projects for the association. Identifying where these leaders congregate will help cement your leadership pipeline and give you the opportunity to seed good governance practices by introducing them to the association’s culture and strategic vision.
When you find specific areas and opportunities where emerging leaders are immersed in giving to the association, an opportunity arises to recognize those efforts and elevate their story. As these engaged, next generation volunteers are elevated, their peers will see that there are places where they can get involved too. Additionally, if they have positive experiences in these roles, they will be more likely to invite others to get involved.
These areas can also serve an additional function in your pipeline, observation. They allow current leaders to observe potential candidates in action, evaluating their readiness and alignment with the organization’s culture and goals. Even when emerging leaders are less active in these areas, your association can create opportunities for growth. For example, the Bay Area Apartment Association has successfully implemented a Leadership Lyceum program, where participants are exposed to mock board meetings and leadership scenarios, providing a proving ground for future board members. Identifying these leaders is the first step towards cultivating your leadership pipeline, now you must foster their growth.
Fostering Leaders
It is essential to provide emerging leaders with opportunities to learn and grow. One effective approach is to offer shadowing or observational roles, where prospective board members can learn directly from those currently serving. This hands-on experience is invaluable, as it provides insight into the responsibilities and dynamics of board service. Additionally, mentorship helps foster important relationships between generations of leaders, bridging gaps that may otherwise grow between current and future leadership.
Pairing emerging leaders with seasoned board members not only accelerates their learning curve but also builds a sense of continuity and shared purpose within the organization. Mission MSA does an excellent job of this through their Board Buddy program, which pairs current board directors with new ones to provide a safe space for questions and clarify expectations. Through a strong leadership pipeline, your new board members will be ready to lead and integrate into the governance structure before they even sit for their first board meeting.
It is even possible to start younger. For organizations that have corresponding student chapters, creating a parallel national student board of the organization can give further elevation to the next generation of voices while specifically highlighting those who could grow to be your Board members of tomorrow.
Growing Your Association
As your association looks to the future, the importance of a robust leadership pipeline cannot be overstated. By focusing on mentorship and proactive engagement, you can cultivate leaders who are not only ready to serve but are also deeply committed to advancing your organization’s mission.
Cultivating your leadership pipeline will help immensely as you look toward your association’s future. Excellent resources like Vista Cova’s Board Preparedness paper can help you lay the groundwork for your board and association’s growth through best practices and real-world examples, ensuring that your governance is as dynamic and forward-looking as the challenges and opportunities ahead.
