Name who would actually step into interim leadership, and close the gap between naming them and them being ready.
In Name and Empower Interim Leadership, after the role and decision rights are defined.
Choose for steadiness and trust, not seniority alone.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who inside the organization could hold the interim role, even briefly? | |
| If no one inside, which board officer would step in to stabilize? | |
| If not the board, which outside interim director could you bring in, and how fast? |
If, honestly, there is no one inside, no obvious board officer, and no reachable outside interim, do not leave this blank. Name a temporary bridge anyway, and recognize that the absence of anyone being developed to lead is the bigger finding. Route the lasting fix to the leadership pipeline work, and the board's interim options to board governance and development. An organization with no successor is the one that most needs to start building one.
For the named successor, mark what they have actually done, not just been told about (not yet, in progress, or done).
| Readiness item | Status |
|---|---|
| Knows the few things most needed in the first week | |
| Has met the key funders and partners they would inherit | |
| Knows where the emergency handoff pack and the access record live | |
| Has sat in on the decisions they would carry |
A named successor with most items marked done is a real plan. A named successor with everything at not yet is a name, not a plan, and the gap is the work. If you had to use the no-successor gate, your emergency bridge holds for now, and building a real successor is the next serious work beyond this pathway. Feeds the Board Activation and First 48 Hours Plan and the Emergency Succession Plan.
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