Changing of the Guard

Have you ever been to Buckingham Palace and seen the majesty, the precision, the pomp and circumstance of “The Changing of the Guard”? The ceremony lasts 40 minutes and takes place inside the palace railings. The Queen’s Guard, accompanied by a band, leaves Wellington Barracks and marches from Birdcage Walk to the Palace. The ceremony is a celebration of the British royal heritage that has occurred for decades upon decades.

In reality, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is really a simple exercise in making a smooth transition from one group to another. Your association will have a number of changes over the years of its existence. Some of those may be ceremonial like at Buckingham Palace, some may be smooth and transparent. The ones that you and your membership may remember are the ones that were neither smooth nor transparent.

Perhaps the most important transition to happen in your association is the placement of a new leader. That transition is critical to maintaining the association’s constancy and effectiveness. The keys to a smooth transition are below.

1. Definition. Your association’s bylaws and constitution should contain a clear and complete process of how officers are elected and how transitions are handled. Those procedures should be followed every time and without exception. The procedures are the public record for the association membership on how each transition is handled and assurance that there are no improprieties during the process.

In addition, a role definition is important for each association officer position. That role definition would note what special powers, responsibilities and voting privileges the office holds. Candidates and voting members can read those definitions before the nomination and election process. The other officers can also see how the work is shared and what the new member will be asked to be responsible. There are some roles that require greater definition than others. The role of president, for example, will be very involved and fully describe all aspects of the position and the responsibilities that the role entails. 

2. Overlap. Each position should have a period of transition where the previous office holder mentors, coaches or advises the new officer in their role. In most cases, that overlap period is likely very short but for roles like president, the overlap may be defined and will likely be extended. It is not uncommon for the previous president to maintain a position on the association board to assure the smooth transition and for historical perspective. In a similar manner, the change-out of the association’s officers should be staggered so that no more than one-third of the board is changed at any one election.

3. Contingencies. It is always important to include contingency plans for every event. At some point every association will have an unexpected event that will require a process outside that described in the association bylaws or constitution. Some of those events may include: an officer being transferred out of the area on short notice, an extended illness, a conflict between previous officer and new officer and a myriad of other unusual events. 

4. Reapplication. As with any process, it is always important to have a feedback loop into the procedure. As you learn more about the transition process, about what works and what does not work, enhance your role definitions, your process definitions and contingencies to make them stronger and more applicable to the association’s needs.

While you may not want a 40-minute, formal ceremony to transition on association leader to another, a plan and some basic tools may be very helpful in making it as painless and disruptive as possible.