Planning Succession for the Most Important Role – Chief Happiness Officer

One of the benefits of working in a non-traditional organization is the ability to have non-traditional colleagues.  Meet our new Chief Happiness Officer, Moose.

Louise was our inaugural Chief Happiness Officer. An alumna of Animal Care and Protective Services, Louise brought happiness to all she met. Louise was tireless in the pursuit of her personal strategic plan to take more walks. When she wasn’t on a project, Louise slept in the office under Julia’s desk.

In retirement, Louise can still be heard snoring in the Zoom background.  You can follow her on Instagram.

Before any changes were imminent, we started to consider what the future should hold for Clarity Transitions.  Transition is, after all, an opportunity.

• Did we want a big dog or small? We went with small.

• Did this position even require a dog?  All the cats we considered were too aloof.

• Should the job position itself change? Yes, less running, more playing.

• What kinds of experience did we require? No formal experience required, but interpersonal skills were absolutely necessary. Notification of doorbell ringing was deemed optional.

Introducing Moose, our new Chief Happiness Officer. Moose makes everyone smile and is smarter than he appears. He loves dancing around feet and having his adorable ears scratched. When he’s not working, you can find Moose out on his leash greeting the neighbors.

  Once we identified our successor, we kept working.

 What kinds of professional development did he need?  Our new CHO came ready to sit and stay, but we felt he would benefit from coaching in his new position, so Laurie is working with him on shaking paws and keeping his nose in appropriate places. (Remember we chose a small dog?)

 What onboarding would make the new CHO successful?  Moose needed an orientation to barking cues on Zoom. Knowing his walk schedules and the location of the treat jar also contributes to his performance and impact on mission.

 If you want to talk about succession for your Chief Happiness Officer or any other position, get in touch!