Topics discussed in this episode:

1- Annie’s focus: the conditions needed for transformation and the head and heart work involved [0:03:08]

2- Annie has identified trends and patterns as leaders transition out of organizations. [0:04:46]

3- What it’s like for newly hired leaders to enter environments with lots of pent-up demands and frustrations [0:06:11]

4- How the leadership context has become a racialized process. [0:07:20]

5- Why the same levels of grace aren’t given to new Black executives hired to lead organizations as White leaders depart [0:10:17]

6- The role of the Board of Directors in planning for a transition and supporting a new leader. [0:14:25]

7- Why the Board of Directors is responsible for engaging throughout the hiring process. [0:17:02]

8- What support for the team should look like. [0:19:10]

9- The importance of managing the team’s expectations. [0:20:34]

10- How we can prepare an organization for a leadership transition. [0:24:45]

11- Find out how to book an executive leadership transition support coaching service. [0:26:25]

12- How organizations can manage feelings and the importance of transparency and involvement. [0:29:08]

13- The need for a bridge between the previous and new organizational leaders. [0:32:44]

14- Annie’s most valuable piece of advice for anyone facing an upcoming leadership transition [0:36:56]

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Let’s Talk Team Dynamics and Racial Equity Readiness with Annie McKay, Race in the Workplace, Episode 10 [0:01:07]
• Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap (pdf) [0:08:44]
• 10 Ways to Make Executive Leadership Searches and Transitions Better and More Equitable, Vu Le [0:29:39]

Guest information:

Previously president and CEO of Kansas Action for Children, Annie McKay, now supports organizations and networks seeking to center equity and inclusion in their internal operations as they pursue strengthening their commitments to racial justice. Before stepping down as KAC’s leader to pursue their purpose and passion for anti-racism, Annie was the Kansas Center for Economic Growth executive director and a former Rockwood Leadership Fellow, Sunflower Foundation Advocacy Fellow, University of Kansas Women of Distinction honoree, and KHSA Kansas Children’s Champion. Annie’s leadership roles also included serving as an appointed Kansas Children’s Cabinet member and the Governor’s Education Council member. They earned a BSW from the University of Kansas and an AM from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

To connect with Annie, you can find them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-mckay-ks/

Click here for an episode transcript.