NEW BOOKS

How to Find a New Executive Director

By Anne W. Howard

The Art of Hiring Leaders: A Guide for Nonprofit Organizations
by Barbara J. Gilvar

Hiring a new leader — especially an "outsider" — doesn't have to be confusing or painful,writes Barbara J. Gilvar, an executive-search consultant.

To succeed in hiring an executive who will be effective, nonprofit groups must identify their own goals, expectations, and strengths, and must know how to recruit and interview candidates, she says.

In each chapter, Ms. Gilvar describes a single step in the executive-search process, beginning with the board's role in leading the search and concluding with the new executive's transition into the organization.

One element of the search, according to Ms. Gilvar, is the written description, "a comprehensive document that describes the organization's history, mission, strengths and challenges, and, within that context, the specific criteria for the next leader."

The search committee meets with board and staff members, donors, clients, and the current executive director, Ms. Gilvar explains, to determine the organization's successes, goals, finances, structure, and direction, and what kind of leader it needs. This description is then used to create advertisements and announcements of the opening.

Three appendices include a set of checklists for the search and information on hiring an interim leader or a consultant.

Publisher: Gilvar Publications, 29 Concord Square, Boston, Mass. 02118; (617) 437-0850; http://www.gilvar.com; 174 pages; $34.95; ISBN 0-9778233-1-8.

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