Leadership Development Initiative of the CCHS Strategic Plan is lead by Allison Bruesehoff.

Content for this page is currently being created through the work of the Strategic Planning Committee and particularly by Allison on this Initiative.

October 2016 Update: Leadership and Board Development

One of the most important components in any organization, whether it be corporate or non-profit, is the leadership of the organization and this applies to the Conference of California Historical Societies (CCHS). The two focuses of the leadership development part of the strategic plan are to develop leadership skills and to build a succession plan, which will help sustain the continued growth of the organization. As the organization grows and moves into developing the strategic plan, the leadership will need to grow as well.

What is leadership development?  In a nutshell, leadership development expands the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles and in this instance in CCHS.  Leadership roles are those that assist with the execution of CCHS’s strategic plan by building alignment, winning mindshare and growing the capabilities of others.   As we all know, since we all are part of a variety of historical societies, the primary leaders are the board members.  These are the people who are the decision makers.  They lead the organization and set the tone.  They are the dedicated community volunteers who care and they will plan for the future. They are critical!  Board development is a critical step in leadership development.

As such, a strategy must be in place to grow our leadership and future leaders.  We need to be able to really talk about the realities of the future and how we expand our vision and mission.  We need to be able to articulate what our impact on our communities is and will be.  We need our members to be committed to and believe in CCHS and to embrace the strategic plan.  To this end, this aspect of the strategic plan will be to look at the organizational structure and committees of CCHS, evaluate what works and how we improve upon it, assess best practices in the non-profit world and see how we can use them, and to build a succession plan.  This is an exciting time for CCHS and I look forward to helping build the leadership of the organization and see it continue long into the future.

Sincerely,

Alison Bruesehoff

RVP Group Leader G and Strategic Planning Committee Member