Life After Being A Nonprofit Chief Executive 

Executive Departures: What Are They Doing Now? 

Bob Kardon

Bob Kardon

How did Bob feel when it was time to leave? "At Counseling Center, I had reached the point where I was tired of 'chasing money and winning contracts,' plus I was ready for a new challenge. When I started to think about moving on, I took about a week for some reflection, meditation and deep thinking about what was next." Something in Bob's entrepreneurial compass saw the opportunity for some collective action on the part of nonprofit organizations-for public policy, for group purchasing and for training and development. Thus, the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) was born, also helping to spawn a national movement of state association of nonprofits.

"As a founder, I didn't have a lot of fear about what was next, still it was a bit of a leap into the void to go out and start a new organization after having just built one. The Counseling Center provided some office space and support while we were establishing CAN. In any transition, it's important to recognize that you have existing relationships that can support you." One of the lessons that Bob provides is listening to that inner voice that's telling you when it's truly time to move and then having the courage to act on it. Also, a lesson on drawing on your existing relationships to create a support system that facilitates that segue to what's next, whether that's a new organization or building a great life in retirement.

How did Bob prepare the organization for his transition?  Bob gave the Counseling Center a year and a half notice of his departure. This allowed the organization to look internally at who might take over and to begin mentoring possible candidates. The Counseling Center also did a great job in seizing the public relations opportunity that came with the transition. "It was important to us that the community see this transition for what it was -- a positive event for the Center." A staff member, who was a natural born organizer, organized a community celebration that was attended by over 500 people and included a mayoral declaration. Externally it was a great public relations moment and internally it was affirming for both board and staff of what they had built together.

Bob's transition into CAN was interesting in that he was hired first as a consultant to then founding director, Bob Daw. CAN was young and very much in the startup phase. Daw hired Kardon as a consultant to help the organization move more fully into service delivery and to help Daw think about his transition plan. The relationship evolved and eventually Kardon was asked to assume the executive director role, which he agreed to do for a three-year term. Daw's passion was fundraising and he stayed on as the director of development. "When I retired from CAN, we fully embraced the William Bridges model of transition - preparation, neutral zone and new beginning. It really helped us focus our thinking about the transition process. Our facilitator was very adept at keeping us from rushing ahead - taking the time to really plan and prepare."

The "two Bobs" are great testaments to a leadership handoff process that developed organically but very intentionally, and a post-transition partnership that played to each of their strengths. They built CAN into a very effective model for engaging the resources of the corporate community in capacity building for nonprofits.

What has Bob been up to since his transition? After retiring from CAN, Bob has served as interim executive director for three organizations and is the principal of Kardon & Associates, a Santa Cruz, California-based firm that provides organizational development consultation to nonprofits. For a number of years, Bob has facilitated nonprofit executive director roundtables that provide leaders with a safe space to explore issues they are confronting. Bob enjoys helping coach and mentor younger executives and "being candid about my mistakes." He has also developed a passion for organic gardening with an intensive garden "with 12 different vegetables and various varieties." Bob is a case study taking the time to reflect and identify that powerful idea or passion that's going to draw you forward in the next phase your life-whether that's seizing the idea around which to build a new organization or discovering one's passion for mentoring, gardening and community connections.

What advice would he like to share with other executives? As the departing executive, I think it's really important to fully recognize your role in preparing the way for your successor. That's a lesson I learned more fully when I served as an interim executive director. In some respects, I wished I had had the benefit of that lesson earlier in my career. Preparing the way is both a mindset and a set of actions. The mindset helps you get above some of the political and emotional fray that can come during times of transition. As interim executive, it made my life very clear. It got me thinking about the possibilities of adopting that mindset as a departing executive regardless of whether you are an interim or a departing founder -- organizing your 'departure work' around the question, what can I do to set things up for my successor to have a worklife that would be better, freer and more creative?"

Bruce Gottschall

Bruce Gottschall

Sandy Dang, Founder and Former Executive Director of Asian-American LEAD. Prior to transitioning, Sandy took a two month sabbatical where she was completely unplugged from the organization, which gave the board and staff the confidence that there really could be a viable organization after the founder. Read More  

Robert McMahon, Former Executive Director, SCO Family of Services. To prepare his $200 million organization, four years ahead of his transition, Bob and his board began the process of succession planning and strategically building the organization's bench depth. He and his successor made great use of the eight weeks between her hiring and her start date to ensure a healthy handoff. Read More