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The Occupational Hazards of Executive Directing


Congrats, you made it! You are now the CEO/ Executive Director/ EVP of a very nice membership association. Your friends all tell you how easy your job is because you just sit at a desk and collect a big paycheck. Sure, our job is not as intense or demanding as a doctor or police officer, very few jobs are. However there is a certain pressure to perform and unlike any other kind of job, this demand is coming from various directions. This makes you a moving target and if you don't reach the demands of ALL of your stakeholders, you will be left wondering what happened.

The reality is your Executive pay has a built in premium that is unspoken but understood. You get paid more then your staff because you are more likely to get let go then your staff.

The day you start will be the first day people will be working against you. I don't want to seem negative or cynical but its true. In my past jobs, I had to navigate staff members who wanted my job and were denied thus already creating a dislike for me before I was hired and in some cases works of sabotage had begun. I've also dealt with Board Members who were upset because they may have been pining for others to have my job and were out voted. The worst scenario is to simply have a Board president who you simply can't identify with in anyway. This is the most hazardous part of Executive Directing. Please allow me to offer some insight on overcoming these obstacles and explaining the dynamics of stakeholders who will be key to your organizational success as well as to your career success.

Step 1 - Ask really hard questions at the interview. More specifically what are your expectations and can these be documented upon your hire. For example, I once worked for an association where the Search Committee spent 90% of my 3 interview probing me on my ideas on how to grow membership. I did a presentation, I presented white papers, I did analysis, I proved my success and then when I was hired, a new Board president took over and I was asked to really asked to focus in on sponsorship's, Honestly I didn't mind, except for the fact that search committee and the incoming administration were not on the same page.

Step 2 - When hired ask for a contract. These come in varying forms and shapes and the larger the organization, the more provisions. There is a duality to the contract, where you can be penalized if you break out early of a contract. However, you need to look out for yourself too. It is rare but you can be let go for any reason. It can be simply a Board member wants a friend to take your place. It can be that cold and calculated. You need to be prepared. On a smaller level, As an example, I took a job with a medium-sized association a few years ago. I asked for a contract that said I would get paid for 6 months if I was let go for unjust reasons. We settled at 3-months. That organization did not terminate me but I did find another opportunity elsewhere and because of the signed contract, I fairly gave them the same respect by essentially giving them 3-months notice. Sometimes this works in both favors.

Back to the job hazards:

You must navigate through a terrain of 4 types of stakeholders.

The General Membership, Your Staff, Your Overall Board and Your Executive Committee.

Ironically, I found the easiest to balance and keep happy is your membership. This is probably the largest group of people you need to please. Clearly, you will receive negative feedback and tough encounters so its best to make allies and keep things congenial and smooth. They will not be your biggest hazard unless you screw up with a large contingency of members and they create a flock to take you down.

The Staff: Managing your staff is a whole blog within itself. Maximizing their efficiency and getting them all on board with your philosophies is a science. The most difficult part of managing the staff is everything that happens outside the frame of the job. You have a diverse array of personalities and needs. You need to deal with work ethics and cat-fighting and territorial fights. Not to mention that you need to deal with the sensitivity of personal lives effecting professional lives. People go thru public divorces, have sick parents, have medical issues. We must be aware and adapt to everyone's individual work styles. Lets also take into factor jealousy and sense that they don't want to always take instruction from you. Personally, I feel lucky that I have NOT had much of these issues.

The Board- These come in various sizes and demographics. Quite simply, my advice is make a friend in this group. Then multiply these friends to the point where a majority are your friends. These are the people who will fight for you when things get rough.

The Executive Board - Lets not mix our words here. These people are the lifeblood of your career. The trick here is two-fold. Not only immerse yourself and kill them with kindness but make it very hard to get rid of you (See future blog on Executive Director Reports). I advise to keep your Executive Board friends close but keep your Executive Board enemies closer. This can not be stated any simpler. If your Board President does not like you or trust you then its not a matter of losing your job its just a matter of when. There is no way to win it back or earn it back. Your only saving grace is an ending presidency.

In summary, being an Executive Director definitely has its privileges and benefits but your job is NOT as as your friends make it out to be. You must be looking out for yourself and your career...Just look in many directions.


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