… I would be remiss if I left unsaid the one thing to say about him –
There is no greener laurel to lay on a leader this,
that he did right so we could do without him.
That is how poet Miller Williams ended a tribute to a colleague upon his retirement. The line resonates with the truth of a leader’s role.
The leader’s role
Upon taking charge, the leader needs to provide direction and resources to enable the team to execute. And importantly, elevate us to our better selves. And when all that happens – over time, and never perfectly or even always on time – it is necessary for the leader to make way for a successor, one who can carry on – not as the leader has – but as is necessary for the organization to succeed.
When to step down is a question that every leader faces. For some, it is not their choice due to age or performance, for others, it is a matter of when. Some look forward to shedding “the harness of responsibility,” others do not and wonder what will happen when they leave. The question is both organizational and personal.
The organization lives on
On the organizational side, the quote from Miller Williams hits the nail on the head. When people no longer need you, it is an affirmation that you have done a good job, even a great one. It means that your efforts have prepared the organization to move forward without you. That is a sign that you have a strong bench and a viable successor, one who will take the organization forward. Not necessarily as you have done, but as the organization needs to meet rising issues, some of which are wholly unknown at the moment.
What about you?
On the personal side, a leader may wonder what’s next, how will he or she occupy themselves when they are no longer in charge? That’s a human reaction and one that is only solved by exploration and self-discovery. When you close the door on one career, it does not mean “the end.”
Take good care of yourself. You have earned it. Pursue what engages your mind and your heart. Fulfillment awaits those who seek it.
Note: The poem cited above is “Talking about the Retirement of Not Soon Forgotten,” and is contained in Time and the Tilting Earth by Miller Williams.