Small Town Executive Director Coaching/Mentor Partnership
You have finally landed a job as an executive director, or after an extensive search, the board has found the ideal executive director for your small-town chamber of commerce and economic development organization. However, you are now faced with the challenge of efficiently onboarding your new employee. Given your limited budget and time constraints, this can be a daunting task. But don't worry, when we partner, I can help you streamline the process and ensure a smooth transition for your new hire.
Many first-time executive directors can benefit greatly from a coaching process. (I know from experience, that 35 years ago, I took my first executive director position in a small town chamber/economic development organization.) Coaching provides a supportive environment where they can work through challenges and receive guidance from an experienced coach.
Overall, coaching can be a valuable tool for first-time executive directors who want to grow professionally and improve their leadership skills. Plus, it will free up board members for more important tasks such as providing a program of work and financing the budget of the organization.
About your coach, Frank Spillers
Frank is a cultural transition and rural development expert with 35 years of experience at the local, state, and federal levels as an employee and business owner. As owner/founder of Rural Community Solutions, his passionate specialty is to advance collaborative environments in individual, business, community, and worship settings. RCS assists rural America in shaping communities to attract and retain entrepreneurs in Rural America. Specializing in communities with fewer than 8,000 residents and counties with fewer than 20,000,
He has years of local, county, state, and federal rural community economic development and policy experience, Frank’s career-long focus on rural wealth growth has been through entrepreneurship. Frank’s passionate specialty is cultural transformation to repopulate and create wealth in Rural America.
Frank has worked with hundreds of rural communities through his experience with USDA-Rural Development Iowa, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, local chamber and economic development organizations, and through operating private businesses. He has worked with and for governors in Nebraska and South Dakota.
Throughout his career, Frank’s focused work has been in community engagement, awakening and motivating small communities to see their strengths, and assets, and work through cultures that can keep them “stuck.” His career has led to the development of the Four Prosperity Pillars and five specifically designed Institutes that address all facets of ideal community relationships, engagement, entrepreneurship, and collaboration.
Frank has extensive experience speaking to groups of all sizes, motivating them with his speaking style. Dubbed “the Zig Ziglar” of rural development by a Pulitzer Prize-winning rural newspaper publisher,
Bonus
Training for the Board of Directors
The board's collaboration with the new executive director is essential for achieving success. As the new director is expected to bring a unique set of skills to the table, it presents an opportunity for a mutually beneficial relationship. With careful consideration and a proactive approach, the board can confidently implement strategies that will allow them to effectively collaborate with the new executive director and drive the organization toward success.
Remember - you are also learning how to work with your new executive director. When you start out on the right foot with each party knowing their position, you will be a rock star organization.
Take the Step
Give your executive director a great start in
organizational management career
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