This is the second post in Generator’s ‘Charting Waters - Transitions in Arts Organizations’ blog series, which highlights our ongoing process of organizational growth and leadership transition. You can find all ‘Transition’ posts here, and everything we’ve published related to hiring here. In this post, Generator shares the early work that went into organizing the leadership transition for the organization. Board member Brendan McMurtry-Howlett reflects on the launching of this process and discusses the timeline that was created by the committee responsible for creating a smooth transition for Generator.
As Annie mentioned in the first post of this series, the process of undergoing a leadership transition is a LOT of work. In this post, we’re going to set the stage for the leadership search that Generator launched in 2021, and share the timeline that was created to keep our project on track.
Through the upheaval of 2020 and into 2021, there was much planning happening at Generator. Kristina Lemieux, who had been the Lead Producer for Generator over the last 5 years, had announced her intention to move on from her role. In addition to Kristina’s departure, the remaining part-time staff had also announced their intention to move on to other career opportunities. This was going to be a full staff turnover in addition to the hiring of new leadership.
But with great foresight and sensitivity for the times we were living, Kristina, along with the rest of the staff and the board, put in place several tools, resources, and processes to ensure a smooth and healthy transition for the organization. Among those tools and resources was the establishment of the Strategic Advisors (SA), a group of professional artists connected to different communities who would help guide the transitional and transformational work of the organization through this period. We will talk more about this group on individuals in a later blog post. While the Strategic Advisors covered several areas of organizational change, they played a key role in the leadership search and transition. Another resource was engaging Angela Sun as an accessibility consultant to advise on issues of access for the organization, the hiring process, and leadership candidates. We will also be featuring a blog post on her work in the future.
With the advisory committee and accessibility consultant in place, Generator laid out the framework and timeline for the process in a shared document for all involved. A crucial aspect of the work was the execution of a robust and accessible outreach plan with participation from current staff, leadership, board and the SAs. The following are excerpts from that original timeline document. Please note that this was drafted early in the process and that the document continued to grow and change with the circumstances.
Key assumptions for the proposed timeline:
All departing staff had said that they were flexible about how they exit and wanted their exits to support knowledge transfer with a deep desire to see the next leader(s) do well and be well supported.
Outreach activities were intended to offer prospective candidates diverse perspectives on the work and impact of the organization, and therefore featured changing combinations of staff, board, and strategic advisors with emphasis on offering one-on-one conversations and information sessions that featured the experiences of equity-seeking artists connected with Generator.
The next leader(s) would likely need 6-8 weeks (at least) between job offer and start date. This is the generally accepted timeline for someone(s) with leadership experience coming into the role, assuming they would have another position they are leaving.
At the time, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) three-year operating grant and Toronto Arts Council (TAC) annual grant were due in March 2022. We wanted to give the next leader(s) as much time as possible to consider future programming before having to write these grants. Canada Council for the Arts was a mid-cycle report.
The plan included Kristina, supporting with a month of training.
How much did this plan change over the course of the hiring process?
Stay tuned to this blog series!
Interested in the transition blog posts to come? Make sure you’re signed up for Generator’s newsletter here. You also may enjoy ‘A Values-Based Approach to Hiring,’ our December 2020 blog post based on an interview with Shakespeare in the Ruff and the Toronto Dance Community Love-in.
