Executives and Organizations in Transition
– Part Three

Today’s guest blog post is written by Kevin Patterson, Senior Account Executive, PatronManager.

In the final post in this series, we will examine the organization’s artistic plan. The outward product is important, but only when placed in a larger context. Understanding who is driving the artistic choices as well as how they fit into an overall organizational artistic vision is important both for continuity and stability.

Artistic Plan

While it may be tempting to look at this area of the organization first, understanding the underlying impact of marketing, development, and financial areas will add clarity to understanding how an organization’s offerings are being received by a community. Too many times I have seen organizations get caught up in what they produce for an audience instead of first testing and understanding why they are doing it in the first place!

The artistic plan should not just concentrate on what is being put on the stage but should also encompass education and other related performance events. Every event is an opportunity for engagement, and ultimately that is what a successful organization does best, engage with the community.

Some useful questions to consider:

  • How has planning impacted engagement with the community?
  • Is there a clearly articulated vision of why the organization is producing or presenting what it does?
  • Are the artistic choices exclusively driven by the current or former executive or are they part of a comprehensive organizational artistic plan?
  • What role does the artistic plan play in the overall patron journey?

If the artistic choices of the organization were driven by a single individual, then a discussion should take place regarding the direction a new executive will take and what the potential impact will be across the community of stakeholders. If the organization is making a large artistic change, it is worth considering how the changes might ripple across all aspects of the organization.

Ultimately an executive transition can be a transformative process for both the executive and the organization. By clearly understanding all the aspects of the organization and how it engages with the community both the executive and the organization will lay a successful foundation for stability and growth.

If you missed the first two installments in this series, you can find part one here, and part two here.

Suggested Blog Posts

Learn More about PatronManager, the powerful CRM platform that helps you sell more tickets, raise more money, and cultivate stronger bonds with your audience, all in one database.