Text Box: CEO’s often feel pressured by conflicting demands, performance measures, and lean budgetary resources.  Administrative staff may not have the high level capability to serve as an extra pair of hands to lighten executive burdens.  Outsourcing alternatives can pick up the slack in key areas that require executive attention – governance, management, fund development, communications, and conference planning – to serve the CEO who can do anything but not everything. Confidential executive coaching It’s lonely at the top!  Officers and board members often present unexpected challenges, senior staff can engage in conflicting agendas, and other organizations may be competing with the mission of the group. On occasion, personal issues or mental health problems can impact the capacity of board members to focus on mission and strategies, or the ability of staff to work together productively.  Part of nurturing healthy board and staff relationships is the necessity for CEOs to assess the organization and their position in it on an ongoing basis.  Outside coaching can provide confidential guidance and feedback to those CEOs who would benefit from sharing concerns regarding career development, professional goals, organizational obstacles, or untapped opportunities encountered in their current roles. Expectations and outcomes are established and monitored with the support of a trusted professional who has no vested interest in the organization. Operational and tactical planning Recently appointed executives or newly reorganized boards many need a seasoned association management professional to confirm presence of and compliance with fiscal controls, review operational systems and map procedures, assess staff capabilities and employment policies, and help “script” difficult employee situations. Having the proper policies and procedures in place can protect an organization from common areas of vulnerability.  Small associations can face big challenges that can be helped with outside counsel. Flexible staffing and HR outsourcing Traditional search firms focus on identifying candidates for chief staff executive or senior staff for independent “stand-alone” organizations. An emerging trend within the association community is for smaller organizations to choose a multi-management company to perform operational and administrative functions.  Searching for the right association management company (AMC) to fit an organization’s culture and structure is a new challenge. Consultants help organizations determine the appropriateness of outsourcing major organizational functions, develop RFP’s, assist with identifying and engaging the right service provider, and contribute to the success of new partnerships by providing staff orientation and training to meld players of new teams. Communications Publishing deadlines can seem to loom continuously for the CEO of a busy organization.  Constant and consistent communications are critical to creating an atmosphere of loyalty and understanding.  Some of the publication needs that can be provided by consultants include ghostwriting CEO or presidential columns, drafting speeches, researching issues for “white papers” for policy deliberation or governmental advocacy, developing scripts for ceremonial events or election meetings, preparing grant proposals or applications, corresponding with major donors, organizing annual reports, or designing PowerPoint presentations.  Having access to a professional with the ability to convey messages in the style and tone of the CEO can be a real communications asset. Meeting management Many firms do an excellent job of meeting planning – contracting with hotels and convention centers, managing logistics, selling exhibits, processing registrations, obtaining speakers, arranging for continuing education, and planning tours and entertainment.  A major challenge for the CEO is identifying the most appropriate multi-year sites for annual and major regional meetings. Bringing a site recommendation to the board of directors requires a fundamental understanding of the organization’s culture and needs, and a sensitive appreciation of how potential hotels, convention centers, and cities would best serve the interests of the group. Consultants relieve the CEO of the chore of visiting multiple cities, experiencing stays at a myriad of hotels, examining capacities of convention centers, and touring off-site venues by seeking and evaluating proposals and making recommendations for the most advantageous sites.

PLEXUS CONSULTING GROUP, LLC

The Right Hand for Chief Staff Execs