Leadership & Transitions

Leadership & Transitions — what we offer to readers on this topic...

Too many organizations underperform because they fail to pay sufficient attention to leader transitions. As a result, the mission, those served, and the employees suffer. In my work with more than 300 organizations facing leader transitions, I’ve identified many factors that influence the outcome of a leader transition.

The power of leader transitions to advance, weaken or destroy organizations and the power of a planned and well-executed transition to strengthen and transform organizations.

Unfortunately, not every leader transition goes so well. Think for a moment about organizations you might know that were weakened or destroyed by a flawed leader transition. Arts organizations, charter schools, food banks, group homes for people with developmental disabilities, neighborhood development initiatives and community health clinics of all sizes have felt the pain of failed or flawed transitions.

See our Resource Pages for additional information on each topic.

What Safety Actually Feels Like: A Letter from Spain

What Safety Actually Feels Like: A Letter from Spain

by | Oct 21, 2025 |

For six weeks now, my family has been living in Benajarafe, a small coastal town near Málaga, where you can walk to the Mediterranean in five minutes. Every morning, I walk our nine-year-old granddaughter to school. Every afternoon, we walk home. Some Fridays, we stop for ice cream. Sometimes we detour for a quick bike ride or jump on a swing on the beach before dinner. She’s learning to ride her bicycle on these streets, and I’m not terrified watching her.

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Appreciating What is Being Destroyed: Mom and the Federal Employment Trump Attacks

Appreciating What is Being Destroyed: Mom and the Federal Employment Trump Attacks

by | Jul 15, 2025 | ,

Donald Trump’s second term is about “moving fast and breaking things,” apparently modeled after the old Mark Zuckerberg motto and tribute to arrogance. Under its aegis, Tech Bros were encouraged to disparage all that preceded them, denigrating whatever created the “things” they were hell-bent on discarding. No wonder Trump chose Elon Musk, his bosom buddy/sworn enemy, to disrupt and dismantle federal services.

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Actions that Celebrate and Preserve Freedom for All

by | Jul 1, 2025 | ,

This week’s post celebrates the birth of freedom in the United States by offering possible actions to preserve freedom and justice for all.  My June 10th post focused on the many injustices that will occur if the “One Big Beautiful” budget bill (2025 budget bill) is passed by Congress. I also wrote about the possible expansion of the conflict in Iran and the Middle East. This week’s post offers readers some practical simple actions to take. During your quiet time or mediation, you can ask: What’s mine to do to preserve freedom and advance equity and justice for all?

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The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act and Faith in Action

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act and Faith in Action

by | Jun 3, 2025 | ,

Last week I began to think about writing a post about the pain the Appropriation bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on May 22, 2025 will cause, if it becomes law.  I experienced an attack of deep sadness; I lost all energy to do anything for a day.   This post is about the challenge of learning about and feeling the pain in the world. How do we hold on to faith, believing that all will be well?

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About Tom Adams

Tom AdamsTom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.