With choosing the non traditional method of succession comes learning how to choose the successor. The key to this is choosing someone who will help the club grow in ways you did not originally consider. For this, successors do not necessarily have to come from within the club. Reach and out find people you believe will push the club forward. By doing this, you bring in more people to the club itself and you even bring people who did not think they could be a leader. When picking a successor to lead your club, you do not necessarily have to pick someone you believe will finish the job you started. Pick a leader who is different from you, in doing this, you ensure that new ideas are coming into the club.
At the University of Pittsburgh, the student leadership of DesignHub (formerly Engineers for Sustainable Medical Development or ESMD) found the non-traditional method to be very effective in finding student leaders who could help the organization grow. The leadership team hand-selected students and took them through an interview process. Many leadership qualities were assessed as operational detail orientation, like constructing strategic emails or crafting strong promotional language for events. Even after a newPresident is selected, the out-going President serves as co-President alongside them for a year, mentoring the incoming President to transfer knowledge and ensure a strong start.
= External Guidance =