Resources
Leadership Search Readiness Assessment
Is your board ready to hire its next executive? Score your board across six areas, see which one will break the search if you launch now, and get the executive director transition checklist built into the back half.
Insights for using the assessment
Score it as a board, not as a chair
Send it to every director and have each one score independently before anyone compares. The number matters less than the disagreement. If the chair scores governance a 4 and two members score it a 1, you have found the first problem.
Ratified means ratified
The top score on every item is "done and ratified by the full board." A decision the chair has made in their head is not a decision the board has made, and searches stall when a candidate asks a question the committee cannot answer.
Fix the lowest area first
Your total tells you whether to go to market. Your lowest domain tells you what to fix before you do. Do not launch a search to solve a governance problem.
sample
Leadership Search Readiness Assessment
What the assessment covers
Six domains, four statements each, scored 0 to 4 (not started, discussed, in progress, done, done and ratified). Maximum 96. A score sheet, four score bands with plain-language verdicts, and a "fix this first" page keyed to your lowest domain.
The six domains
Governance and decision rights. Who makes the final hiring decision and by what vote. Whether a search committee is named and has the time. One point of contact for candidates. A recusal rule for directors with ties to likely candidates.
Compensation readiness. Benchmarked against comparable organizations in the last twelve months. A total rewards package mapped, not just salary. Confirmed the top of the range is affordable. Known levers at the offer stage.
Transition and continuity. A plan for who runs the organization if the search runs long. The outgoing leader's agreement to document processes and contacts. The direct conversation about timing. A list of what leaves with them.
Clarity on the role. Whether the structure is right for the next chapter. The top three first-year priorities. The title question decided deliberately. Housing and location settled before the job description.
Process capacity. A timeline mapped against the hiring calendar. Evaluation criteria and a rubric before any candidate is met. Consistent interview formats. The search firm decision made before, not midway.
The first year. An onboarding committee separate from the search committee. Budget for a coach. A 90-day plan framework. A first-year evaluation framework.
The score bands: 0 to 38, not ready, do not go to market. 39 to 64, significant gaps, fix the lowest domain first. 65 to 84, mostly ready, close the gaps in parallel. 85 to 96, ready, go.
The twelve-step process behind every statement is in How to Prepare Your Board for a Leadership Search. If the assessment surfaces a board composition problem rather than a search problem, start with the Nonprofit Board Skills Matrix. For the first-year framework in domain 6, use the Executive Director Performance Evaluation Template. And if the board scored below 65 and a transition is already underway, Executive Search is the conversation to have next.
sample
Leadership Search Readiness Assessment
What the assessment covers
Six domains, four statements each, scored 0 to 4 (not started, discussed, in progress, done, done and ratified). Maximum 96. A score sheet, four score bands with plain-language verdicts, and a "fix this first" page keyed to your lowest domain.
The six domains
Governance and decision rights. Who makes the final hiring decision and by what vote. Whether a search committee is named and has the time. One point of contact for candidates. A recusal rule for directors with ties to likely candidates.
Compensation readiness. Benchmarked against comparable organizations in the last twelve months. A total rewards package mapped, not just salary. Confirmed the top of the range is affordable. Known levers at the offer stage.
Transition and continuity. A plan for who runs the organization if the search runs long. The outgoing leader's agreement to document processes and contacts. The direct conversation about timing. A list of what leaves with them.
Clarity on the role. Whether the structure is right for the next chapter. The top three first-year priorities. The title question decided deliberately. Housing and location settled before the job description.
Process capacity. A timeline mapped against the hiring calendar. Evaluation criteria and a rubric before any candidate is met. Consistent interview formats. The search firm decision made before, not midway.
The first year. An onboarding committee separate from the search committee. Budget for a coach. A 90-day plan framework. A first-year evaluation framework.
The score bands: 0 to 38, not ready, do not go to market. 39 to 64, significant gaps, fix the lowest domain first. 65 to 84, mostly ready, close the gaps in parallel. 85 to 96, ready, go.
The twelve-step process behind every statement is in How to Prepare Your Board for a Leadership Search. If the assessment surfaces a board composition problem rather than a search problem, start with the Nonprofit Board Skills Matrix. For the first-year framework in domain 6, use the Executive Director Performance Evaluation Template. And if the board scored below 65 and a transition is already underway, Executive Search is the conversation to have next.
What the assessment covers
Six domains, four statements each, scored 0 to 4 (not started, discussed, in progress, done, done and ratified). Maximum 96. A score sheet, four score bands with plain-language verdicts, and a "fix this first" page keyed to your lowest domain.
The six domains
Governance and decision rights. Who makes the final hiring decision and by what vote. Whether a search committee is named and has the time. One point of contact for candidates. A recusal rule for directors with ties to likely candidates.
Compensation readiness. Benchmarked against comparable organizations in the last twelve months. A total rewards package mapped, not just salary. Confirmed the top of the range is affordable. Known levers at the offer stage.
Transition and continuity. A plan for who runs the organization if the search runs long. The outgoing leader's agreement to document processes and contacts. The direct conversation about timing. A list of what leaves with them.
Clarity on the role. Whether the structure is right for the next chapter. The top three first-year priorities. The title question decided deliberately. Housing and location settled before the job description.
Process capacity. A timeline mapped against the hiring calendar. Evaluation criteria and a rubric before any candidate is met. Consistent interview formats. The search firm decision made before, not midway.
The first year. An onboarding committee separate from the search committee. Budget for a coach. A 90-day plan framework. A first-year evaluation framework.
The score bands: 0 to 38, not ready, do not go to market. 39 to 64, significant gaps, fix the lowest domain first. 65 to 84, mostly ready, close the gaps in parallel. 85 to 96, ready, go.
The twelve-step process behind every statement is in How to Prepare Your Board for a Leadership Search. If the assessment surfaces a board composition problem rather than a search problem, start with the Nonprofit Board Skills Matrix. For the first-year framework in domain 6, use the Executive Director Performance Evaluation Template. And if the board scored below 65 and a transition is already underway, Executive Search is the conversation to have next.
FAQ
Frequently
asked questions
What should be on an executive director transition checklist?
Who decides and by what vote, a named search committee, a single point of contact for candidates, a benchmarked compensation range, a plan for interim coverage, a documented handoff from the outgoing leader, the top three first-year priorities, a timeline mapped against the hiring calendar, evaluation criteria set before the first interview, and an onboarding plan with a coach and a first-year evaluation. The assessment on this page scores all of them.
How do you know if a board is ready to hire an executive director?
Score it. A board is ready when the governance decisions are ratified, the compensation range is benchmarked and affordable, the transition from the outgoing leader is planned, the role is defined for the next chapter rather than the last one, the committee has the time and a rubric, and the first year is budgeted. Boards that are missing two or more of those tend to lose their best candidates mid-process.
Who should complete the assessment?
Every board member, independently, plus the executive director if they are not the one departing. Compare scores at a board meeting. Where directors disagree by two or more points on the same statement, that is the conversation to have before anything else.
Is this a board self-assessment?
Not in the usual sense. A board self-assessment evaluates how well the board governs in general. This assessment evaluates one thing: whether the board is prepared to run a leadership search right now. It is narrower, and it is meant to be used once, at the start of a transition.