Bringing a board out of turmoil and restoring the confidence of the authorities

A long leadership vacancy, internal tensions, sometimes provisional administration imposed by the funding authority: the organisation is still supporting the people who depend on it, but its governance has weakened to the point that funders themselves are worried. The work itself is not in question: what is in question is the institution's ability to sustain it.

Steady the ship before growing it. Restore the confidence of the board, of the teams and of the supervisory authorities, usually in that order. Secure financial oversight and industrial relations while the organisation is still under scrutiny. Then, once confidence has returned, take back the strategic direction that the crisis had put on hold.

A leader used to dealing with public bodies and funding authorities, able to speak plainly without feeding the alarm. Experience of running an organisation through change, and ideally out of a crisis, is decisive: technique alone is not enough without a real feel for institutions.

You know how to rebuild trust with a funder who has been let down. You do not need everything to be calm before you can work methodically. People tend to hand you the files others would consider too risky.