1. Or, How to Have a Life, Earn a Living, Keep Your
Relationships and Still Be An IABC
(President-Elect) President (Past-President)

2. It’s all about you!!!
Key session objectives:
 This is Psychotherapy 101 (we’ve been there!)
 We want to provide some simple, thought-provoking tools
(experience-based guidelines, not definitive rules!)
 Give you some takeaways that will help you avoid the “past-
president protection program.”

3. Reality Check #1
Q: How did you find yourself in this position?
A: Was it because . . .
 You were next in an orderly chapter succession plan?
 You didn’t show up for the last board meeting where
nominations were discussed?
 No one else wanted the job?
 You really wanted the job?
 Other?

4. Reality Check #2
Q: How ready are you to take on each role during
the next three years?
A: Would you say . . .
 “Absolutely. No worries.”
 “Hmmm . . . I hadn’t really thought about each specific
role.”
 “Are you kidding? Get me out of here!”

5. Main Job: President-Elect ?
A Time for
Preparation!

6. President-Elect: Key Tasks
Doing a skills inventory!
 Assess your personal leadership strengths/challenges.
(Recommended early in term)
 Ask others who know you well to rate you on the same
criteria. (Recommended early in term)
 Compare notes. (Early in term)

7. President-Elect: Key Tasks
Evaluating the board!
 Compare notes with president about board structure and
effectiveness. What’s working? What isn’t? Why?
(Recommended mid-term)
 Talk with current/departing board members about their
roles. What’s working? What isn’t? Why? (This assumes
board transition reports not already in place /
recommended mid- to late-term)
 Evaluate pending vacancies and required skills, which aids
recruiting by nominations committee (Mid- to late-term)

8. President-Elect: Key Tasks
Preparing your goals!
 What 1-3 things do you really want to accomplish as
president? (Recommended late-term)
 How do your goals match with chapter’s strategic
objectives, board talent and overall chapter position?
(Recommended late-term)
 Will these goals “move the sticks?”

9. Reality Check #3
Q: What are your biggest fears in
taking on the role of chapter
president?

10. Main Job: Chapter President?
A Time for
Leadership!

11. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Conducting a board retreat!
 Focus on relationships . . . help new/carryover board
members get to know each other.
 Focus on planning . . . Lead a SWAT analysis of the past
year, using some of your president-elect conversations (or
board transition reports) as a discussion guide.
 Focus on strategy . . . Introduce your board priorities and
invite conversation on how they support/don’t support
overall goals. Leave with consensus on a strategic
framework for the year. (Recommended first month of term)

12. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Setting clear expectations!
 Best way to avoid many leadership problems is
predictability!
 Strategic expectations . . . Focus on board/individual
accountability to goals and how those elements will be
measured. Be clear and consistent. (Recommended first
month . . . ideally during board retreat)
 Procedural expectations . . . Focus on schedule/attendance
for board meetings, cell/smart phone use in meetings, etc.

13. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Handling board conflict!
 Almost every president has (at least one) unpleasant surprise.
 Be proactive. If you pick up signals that board conflict is
brewing, get to the source.
 Be fair. If an issue involves dueling board members, hear both
sides before taking action.
 Be assertive. If something blows up in a board meeting, call time
out. Then, set a time to facilitate discussion/resolution
elsewhere.

14. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Rewarding board accomplishments!
 In addition to strategic leadership, your biggest job is to be a
cheerleader for board success!
 Be social. Periodically, consider buying lunch or coffee for individual
board members, just as a “thank you” for their efforts.
 Be consistent. At each board meeting, recognize “wins” by board
members and their teams. Make sure these are recorded in meeting
minutes.
 Be creative. At the end of a board year, consider making/purchasing
little gifts that speak to a board member’s specific accomplishments.
Or, consider fun forms of board recognition at meetings and events.

15. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Conducting transition reports!
 This is a great tool to check leader engagement and support future
board success!
 Ask about strategic accomplishments. Allow all board members to
share specific views on what worked/didn’t work during the board year
(and why).
 Ask about the experience. Were board members pleased/not pleased
with their time on the chapter board (and why).
 Ask for recommendations and nominations. Encourage board
members to make specific suggestions for improvement and to
recommend promising committee/volunteer members for
consideration as future board leaders.

16. Chapter President: Key Tasks
Having a (non-IABC) life!
 Being chapter president does not mean IABC is a 24/7 commitment!
 Learn to delegate. While you need to represent the chapter at various
major events and activities, that does not mean you need to attend
every event.
 Learn to back off. You don’t need regular involvement in every board
committee or portfolio. Let your VPs/portfolio leads do their jobs. If
you don’t have VPs/portfolio leads, consider expanding the board
structure and volunteer pool.
 Learn to set boundaries. Create your own personal plan to allocate
time for family, paid work, personal activities and IABC.

17. Reality Check #4
Q: What are the biggest drawbacks
to moving from president to past-
president?

18. Main Job: Past-President?
A Time for
Reflection!

19. Past-President: Key Tasks
Being seen . . . not always heard!
 In just one month, your IABC life has changed a great deal!
 Counseling, not directing. Remember, a new person now
holds the gavel. Your job is to provide support and
perspective—not run the meeting.
 Picking your shots. As past-president, you’ll have strong
opinions on almost everything. Resist the temptation to
weigh in on every debate. Instead, speak up when
“teachable moments” are at hand.

20. Past-President: Key Tasks
Preparing Chapter Management
Awards!
 Who better for this important role?
 Validate performance. As president, you were central to
shaping, executing and measuring board strategies. Now,
CMAs provide a venue to test that performance against
peer chapters.
 Reflect on achievements. Working through CMA entries is
a fantastic way to reflect on accomplishments—and review
what can be done better by future boards.

21. Past-President: Key Tasks
Mentoring future leaders!
 A great way to leave a legacy to your chapter!
 Provide wisdom. As past-president, you can be
especially valuable in helping young or new board
members “learn the ropes.”
 Evaluate talent. Working with a nominating
committee (or in a chapter mentoring program), you
can help screen and shape future leaders.

22. Reality Check #5
Now, with everything we’ve covered, what will
you . . .
Stop?
Start?
Continue?

23. Reality Check #6
Q: At the end of your three-year leadership arc,
what’s next?
A: Could it be . . .
Back on the board for a (more normal) role?
Returning as an occasional volunteer?
Service on an IABC regional or international
board?
Or, at 12:01 a.m. after your last day, entering the
“ex-presidents’ protection program,” never to be
seen again?

24. Questions?
Lana Collins, ABC Brett Pyrtle
 Past Director, IABC Canada East  Chapter Advocate, IABC Pacific
Region Plains Region
 Past President, IABC  Past President, IABC Minnesota
Newfoundland and Labrador
 Director of Project  Principal, Turning Point
Communications, Workplace Communications LLC, St. Paul, MN
Health, Safety and Compensation  651.592.6369 (office/mobile)
Commission, St. John’s NL  brett@turnpointcomm.com
 709.778.1223 (office)  www.turnpointcomm.com
 lana.collins@whscc.nl.ca
 www.whscc.nl.ca