August 30, 2007 — Nonprofits that develop a strong partnership between their executive director and chief operating officer tend to create significant positive impacts throughout the organization, according to a three-year assessment conducted by Bridgestar, a nonprofit initiative of the Bridgespan Group dedicated to attracting, connecting, and supporting senior leaders for the sector.

Based on in-depth interviews conducted with chief operating officers (COOs) and executive directors from a diverse range of nonprofit organizations, Bridgestar found that the challenges involved in establishing a strong ED and COO partnership often result from differences in styles, skills, job functions, and perspectives of these executives.

For example, because in most organizations the COO is primarily internally oriented and the executive director (ED) is externally focused, it can be difficult to persuade EDs to invest in internal systems and resources, Bridgestar reports. When organizations hire a COO for the first time, EDs may have initial difficulty in relinquishing areas of responsibility; it often takes them time to adjust to changes in their own position.

Findings were reported in the August issue of “Leadership Matters” and address the considerations and strategies involved in effectively establishing a strong ED and COO partnership.

“Given the complexity of the of the ED and COO relationship, it is only natural there will be bumps along the way,” said David Simms, managing partner at Bridgestar.

“It’s critical, though, that these top executives establish strong and united teams to ensure the overall effectiveness of the organization. Organizations can accomplish this by conducting a carefully thought-out search process to avoid potentially unconstructive pairings. Additionally, once on board, EDs and COOs must be willing to be communicate openly with each other, be flexible, and put in the necessary effort to make the relationship work. The results will make it well worthwhile.”

Bridgestar presents the following recommendations for establishing a successful ED and COO partnership:

• Present a united front. Work out policy disagreements privately so the staff hears one clear message from the top. Sandra Timmons, COO of Girls Incorporated from 1998-2003, noted that when she had to communicate unpopular decisions to the staff, it was important to thoroughly explain her decision and reasoning to the ED in advance. That enabled the ED to back her up on occasions when staff members turned to the ED to get decisions reversed. “That [kind of situation] puts a lot of pressure on having a full, open, transparent relationship between the two top executives,” Timmons said.

• Avoid caricatures of roles. It can create tension when executives assume caricatures of their roles, such as when the ED is viewed as the visionary and the COO as the implementer; the ED as the unrealistic dreamer and the COO as the conservative naysayer; or the ED as disconnected and the COO as a translator or peacemaker.

• Clarify roles and responsibilities as much as possible Work out the ground rules up front and continue to clarify roles over time. According to David Williams, formerly executive vice president and COO of Habitat for Humanity before becoming president and CEO of the Make-a-Wish-Foundation, “Even thought it’s hard to really get clarification on who will do what, that shouldn’t be an excuse not to sit down together at the beginning and really drill down into it....Otherwise there are just too many opportunities to get in each other’s way.”

• Communicate your role and the role of the ED clearly to staff and external stakeholders. To establish credibility, it is important for others inside and outside of the organization to understand the delegation of roles. Mossik Hacobian, executive director of Urban Edge, said, “I think one of the challenges that we have as we evolve this relationship is how other folks – both inside and outside of Urban Edge – view where the buck stops.”

The COOs and EDs Bridgestar interviewed also offered suggestions on how to handle job conflicts:

• Ask questions and share concerns. If the ED or other managers present proposals that you feel are unrealistic, make sure to push back. You need to make sure the goals and resources are realistic to handle new initiatives.

• Get to know the ED and build trust. One experienced COO noted, “Trust and relationships are crucial to building a foundation between an ED and COO.

Without that, no amount of organizational structure can make it work.”

A complimentary subscription to “Leadership Matters” is available by emailing to subscribe@bridgestar.org.