A spring strategic planning retreat can ensure a smooth leadership transition and a productive fall.
Free The Children Youth in Action Groups are made up of passionate, committed student leaders, with group momentum usually propelled by one or two key members. These key members are often referred to as motivators or visionaries.
But what happens when one of these motivators leaves the school or graduates?
As group mentors, educators must examine how we can promote sustainable leadership in our student organizations.
One tool we can use is called “succession planning.” This human resource strategy identifies how job openings can be filled by calling on an organization’s existing staff. It’s like replacing retired or injured players from the big leagues with talented young players from farm teams.
This strategy also encourages new members of an organization to identify career goals when they join the team, anticipating skills and knowledge they will need to realize their dreams. We educators can use this approach to strategically encourage good governance among student groups.
Here are a few ideas:
- Suggest that students organize a spring strategic planning retreat.
- Discuss ways to shift responsibilities within the group before the year’s end.
- Identify younger students to assume leadership roles and include them in group decision-making and planning.
- Plan events and membership recruitment efforts for the fall.
- Sit down with the group to identify needs and wants for the future.
- Discuss group successes and challenges.
- Does the leadership and membership represent a variety of genders, skills and grade levels?
- What support do students need to become the best leaders they can be?
- Establish peer mentors.
- Graduating leaders can take potential leaders or younger students under their wing during the spring.
- Peer mentorship will allow departing leaders to share the skills, experience and knowledge they have developed.
- Include leadership recruiting on spring staff meeting agenda.
- By this point in the school year, younger or shy students may be ready to rise to the occasion if invited to join a group.
- Ask colleagues to identify promising students and pass their names on to your group members.
These ideas can help turn the final months of the year into an opportunity for building and growing that will ensure a strong start in the fall.
Happy building,
Catherine McCauley, M.Ed.
Director of Teacher Development
educators@freethechildren.com
