A playbook for before, during and after a CEO transition
Plan and execute a seamless transition.
Communicators are often a bridge between the C-suite and employees, board members and customers, especially during CEO transitions.
These long processes require strategic planning to align all parties and ensure a smooth turnover. This is why Sabrina Steele, executive director of corporate affairs and communications for The Aerospace Corporation, said her organization had a transition plan before they knew who their new CEO would be.
Using industry best practices, Steele’s organization constructed a CEO onboarding plan with entry points 60 and 30 days out. This framework then shaped the first 100 days of the CEOs tenure.
60 days out
Leading up to the arrival of The Aerospace Corporation’s new CEO, Steven J. Isakowitz, Steele commissioned data to provide relevant benchmarks. These figures informed decision making, reasoning and recommendations for the next leader.
During this time, the transition team also reviewed prior onboarding materials to streamline the process, allowing more time for key introductory meetings.
30 days out
About one month out, Steele said her organization focused on context setting and mapping out key initial priorities. This is also a time for the incoming CEO to make necessary decisions.
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