Leading Through Change: Advice from Seasoned Family Foundation CEOs
This guide, the fourth in NCFP's CEO Leadership Guide series, draws on the wisdom of seasoned CEOs who have navigated challenging changes and transitions in their careers and can offer practical insights to help peers prepare for what’s to come.
NCFP’s special report, The Family Foundation CEO: Crafting Consensus out of Complexity, offered a new lens on the family foundation chief executive, unveiling a wide variety of important findings and insights. Among the critical findings presented in Consensus and Complexity were the following:
- Many family foundation CEOs stay in their positions across generations of a single philanthropic family. They develop a level of respect, trust, and even affection that grows over time. They also develop particular challenges.
- The largest majority of family foundation CEOs hope to retire from their current positions. In interviews, most actively sought ways to ensure their tenure is productive and successful.
Given these findings, we developed the attached guide featuring advice from seasoned CEOs on a variety of questions, including:
- How do veteran CEOs keep governance and grantmaking effective and energized over changing times?
- How do veterans advance the leadership of senior family and board members while encouraging and engaging younger generations? How do they create a truly multi-generational (and better) experience for all, while also developing important relationships with future family leaders?
- Finally, and perhaps fundamental to success in all other areas, how does the seasoned CEO personally stay passionate, vital, and fresh?
This guide, the fourth in NCFP’s CEO Leadership Guide series, draws on the wisdom of seasoned CEOs who have navigated challenging changes and transitions in their careers and can offer practical insights to help peers prepare for what’s to come.