Red Cards: When your ED needs to hang up their jersey
From the desk of: Matt Kamin
Sometimes the biggest obstacle between you and your organization’s success… is your Executive Director. While it’s a tough call to make, a great team can’t win with the wrong person calling the plays. Co-Founder and Managing Director Matt Kamin has seen this issue arise many times. When a leader’s performance tanks, it can take down the whole team. That’s why, as a board, your role isn’t just to cheer from the sidelines. If your ED isn’t moving the ball down the field, it’s your responsibility to call a timeout and reassess. So how do you know when it’s time to bench your starter and rethink your lineup? Here are a few fouls you’re better off not ignoring:
They’ve Left the Field
Your ED was once an all-star, but now they're ghosting meetings, missing key development opportunities and just not calling any plays, like new development strategies or program adjustments.
The Playbook Hasn’t Changed in Years
No vision. No new ideas. Just the same old strategies that barely move the needle.
Bad Locker Room Energy
Everyone gets tired in a long season. But if your ED is constantly running on fumes, mentally checked out, and dragging the whole team’s morale down, it might be more than a slump, it could be leadership fatigue. [Matt breaks down this issue further in his first blog post here.]
They’re Wearing the Wrong Jersey
Not everyone is cut out to be the head coach. Some people thrive in other roles with more specific action areas like operations or finance. And that’s okay. But pretending someone is the MVP when they’re not? That hurts everyone on the team.
At Envision Consulting, we help Boards navigate leadership transitions like seasoned coaches. With resources like succession planning, mergers and partnerships, and executive searches, we can help set your organization on a clear path toward the endzone. If you’re starting to wonder whether it’s time for a leadership trade—or just trying to keep your team from burning out in today’s hiring market—let’s huddle.
Join us on August 6th for our upcoming webinar, The State of the Nonprofit Sector: Talent Edition, where Matt Kamin will dive deeper into the trends impacting nonprofit leadership, recruitment, and retention.
Register Here