A Leadership Transition Is a Strategic Opportunity. Don't Waste It.

Author's note, March 2026: I'm republishing this piece because the conversation it describes keeps coming up. In recent months, several board leaders have reached out during leadership transitions, and the instinct is almost always the same: move quickly, fill the vacancy, get back to business.

My advice, counterintuitively, is to pause. Here’s why.

In March 2024, I got a call from MRSC—the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, a statewide organization serving local government across the state. They needed help designing their board retreat. But this wasn't a typical annual planning session.

Their executive director—a highly respected leader who had guided the organization for 14 years—had just announced her retirement. The board retreat was already scheduled, and now it took on new urgency: Who do we need to lead us into our next chapter?

Time was short. A beloved leader was leaving. The natural instinct? Move quickly. Define the role. Get moving on recruitment.

But hiring the chief executive is one of the most important responsibilities a board has. Many board members serve their entire term without ever facing this moment. When it arrives, it has the potential to shape the entire trajectory of the organization.

The Natural Instinct

When you're facing a leadership vacancy, especially with limited time, the pull toward action is strong. Who's handling the recruitment? What does the job description need to say? What's our timeline?

It feels productive. It feels like progress.

But MRSC was at a strategic juncture. The landscape for local government—and what Washington cities and agencies would need from MRSC in the coming decade—was shifting. This moment called for intentional thinking, not just efficient execution.

Designing the Retreat

The question I posed for the entire retreat was: Given where we are today and where we're headed, what do we need in our next leader?

To answer that question together, we needed shared context first. So I designed the retreat around a deliberate sequence:

First, shared context. We did a rapid scan of MRSC's past accomplishments and setbacks, present strengths and challenges, and future opportunities and threats. Small groups rotated through each area, documenting deeply. New board members and veterans alike now stood on the same ground. Then we mined this for implications—what did this mean for the organization going forward?

Then we looked forward. I asked the group to time-travel to 2034 and envision MRSC's impact a decade out. How would the organization be serving the evolving needs of local government leaders? This wasn't abstract dreaming—it was grounded in everything they'd just documented.

Only then did we define the leader. In the space between where they were now and where they hoped to be ten years from now, the central question came into sharp focus: What qualities and attributes does our next executive director need to possess?

That framing wasn't just helpful—it was essential. It transformed the conversation from a familiar leadership wish list into something specific, grounded, and forward-looking. They weren't just describing any leader—they were describing the specific someone who could navigate their current reality and move the organization toward their desired future.

What Emerged

The energy in the room was remarkable. Groups developed nine key characteristics, each crafted with real nuance: "In light of [context], we need someone who [attribute], so that [future outcome]."

Someone who would lead with courage. Build and nurture talent throughout the organization. Foster genuine collaboration among diverse stakeholders.

One participant commented: "So often in retreats, we brainstorm and never reach any type of conclusion. The way we connected the context and vision into the final exercise was fantastic! I know we'll use so much of that far beyond the ED search."

And they did. The 10-year vision they developed that day became the foundation for their strategic planning the following year—but that's another story.

What Happened Next

The work of that retreat became the foundation for MRSC's executive search. The board had articulated what they needed so clearly that it was woven throughout their recruitment announcement.

The caliber of candidates who responded was exactly what the board hoped for.

Among them was Melanie Harding, who became their new executive director. She commented: "I was not looking for a job at the time, but the job posting was so affirming, I just had to apply."

That's the power of clarity. A posting so thoughtfully crafted it attracted someone who hadn't even been considering a move.

As former board member Laura Philpott, City Manager of Maple Valley, put it: "Una's structured facilitation transformed our leadership transition from a stressful challenge into a strategic opportunity. She didn't just help us find our new Executive Director—she gave us clarity about our organization's future."

The Takeaway

Leadership transitions require intentional thinking—not a rush to action, but a strategic pause to build shared understanding of what this moment demands.

The next time you're facing an important vacancy—a city manager, an executive director, or other key leadership role—bring your board or city council together first.

Ground yourselves: What's true about where you are right now? What challenges are you navigating? What strengths do you bring? What gaps do you need to address?

Then look forward: Where are you headed? What does your community or organization need? What's emerging on the horizon?

Then define: Who can lead us there?

That sequence—context, vision, decision—transforms a hiring process from transactional to strategic. It gives you shared clarity about what success looks like, collective ownership of the direction, and something compelling enough to attract the leader you need.

Una McAlinden is a certified facilitator specializing in strategic planning and leadership transitions for local government. She helps city managers, boards, and leadership teams transform complex challenges into cohesive strategy through intentional process design. If you're navigating a leadership transition or want to explore how this approach could benefit your organization, reach out.