A New Strategic Vision for Organizational Growth

Leading Jewelers Guild was founded in 1958 as a strategic alliance of independent jewelers. In 2023, the organization’s Executive Director retired after 40 years of service and a new Executive Director was appointed.

Overview

Operated by a small and mighty team along with dedicated members, the organization has successfully planned and implemented initiatives and programs that support the business operations, marketing and growth of its members.

The limited resources in staff and number of members who volunteer have prevented the organization from evolving and expanding its programs and attracting new members.

Inspired by a vision for the future of Leading Jewelers Guild, the Board of Directors sought outside counsel to coach its new Executive Director, support the team with the leadership transition, and develop a strategic plan to guide the organization’s growth and transition of new leadership.

The Challenges

Board members struggled to build a strong working relationship with its new Executive Director despite hiring her with the intention to build the organization’s capacity for growth and for key skillsets the previous director didn’t have
Staff were not adequately prepared or informed by the board of new expectations and reasons for a new approach to leadership
New Executive Director struggled to engage with the retired Executive Director who was retained by the board to support her in her first year; retired Executive Director struggled to recognize his new role as advisor and prevented the staff from effectively connecting with the new Executive Director
Board did not have history of strong governance processes

Our Solution

Provided Executive Director with 1:1 coaching for a year to help build rapport with the board, members and her team
Regularly met with the Executive Committee to coach the board through governance best practices and to strengthen the relationship with the new Executive Director while respecting the history and deep relationships with the retired Executive Director
Worked with the board to overhaul its by-laws, establish key committees such as a nominating committee and membership committee, and improve communication and engagement with members to drive retention
Facilitated the creation of a three-year strategic plan with associated goals and KPIs
Supported the Executive Committee to manage a PIP for the Executive Director and subsequently the termination of the Executive Director
Supported board chair in her role as interim Executive Director in managing day-to-day operations with the team
Worked with the team and board for a year to ensure work aligned with the goals of the strategic plan
Facilitated a strategic plan benchmarking session with the board to track progress to date following first year and identify goals, actions and resources needed to continue working towards the plan

Kristi was able to help us navigate through a multi-generational board with assessing our current governance operations and processes.

She helped us with updating our bylaws and researching the needs of our membership to develop a sustainable vision for the future of our organization. Her ability to help us work through each person’s different views and options to come to the best solutions for our organization was beyond compare.