In with the new
May 2, 2016 11:03 AM   Subscribe

In June, I'll be moving out-of-state to take a management/director position. The person who holds the job now is retiring; he has asked me if there's anything he can do to help prepare for my arrival - he wants to make the transition as smooth as possible for me and his staff. If you've experienced something similar, what was helpful for you (or would have been helpful)?

I'm looking mainly for concrete suggestions - "have all the personnel files available," "lists of projects staff are working on," "list of regularly scheduled staff meetings," etc. The retiring director and I will have about 10 days of overlap, a situation I realize could be problematic as well as beneficial, but that's not my main concern. I have met the staff, toured the building and premises. The person retiring has been at the institution for 30 years, as director for the past 10.

Mostly, I'd like to hear mundane, practical suggestions - especially if they're non-obvious. And thank you in advance!
posted by infodiva to Work & Money (3 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I'm assuming this is a non-profit organization and answering based on my experiences:
A list of program/reporting deadlines, annual events, professional conferences and other items that figure into organization's workflow and staff availability year-round.
Contact information for community partners/stakeholder representatives (and introductory emails/lunch?)
Website log in credentials for organization accounts.

Best of luck!
posted by Schielisque at 11:13 AM on May 2, 2016


Best answer: If he could start gathering important correspondence that he gets (mostly via email, unless you're lucky enough to be using a more sophisticated discussion platform) that may be of interest/help to you, that is where a gold mine of information can be. You get a lot out of this, including:

1. Names of his regular contacts.
2. Deadlines, ways in which these people do business.
3. "Tone," or the tacit knowledge that comes from reading how he corresponds with certain people/places/companies. Knowing to call one person "Jake" while calling someone else "Ms. Mulligan" can make or break that first impression.
posted by xingcat at 11:24 AM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Technically yes, the job is at a non-profit; an academic library at a small, liberal arts college. You've all given me great advice - I really appreciate it!
posted by infodiva at 4:22 PM on May 2, 2016


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