C A R E E R’ S
There’s a Right Time to Join, and
There’s a Right Time to Leave
B
usiness leaders spend their lives tackling new challenges, and through that process they develop a
range of personal skills and experiences that better
equip them for their next challenge. Often that next challenge is found in their existing organisation, but at some
point it may come from outside and prove irresistible. It's
natural that people move on, but it can also be incredibly
daunting to leave. However, with some proper preparation, it doesn't need to be that way.I strongly believe that
a true measure of success is leaving a business in a
better shape than when you first arrived. However, you
also want to ensure that when you do leave, you leave
with your reputation intact, indeed enhanced. That takes
thorough planning, exemplary relationship management
and effective communication. It also means that when
you accept a new opportunity, you maintain your focus
right until you walk out the door for the last time, ensuring that the team you leave behind remains motivated,
clear on how they will take the business forward and
supportive of your decision.
Plan who to tell first and when.
First things first, draw up a list of people you need to
tell, and the order in which you tell them. Clearly, the
stakeholders you are accountable to should be first on
that list. Don’t let your team hear the news from anyone
else but you.
You owe it to your colleagues to be honest and open
with them about why you are leaving. Although the news
may come as a shock, help them to understand that now
is the right time for you to pursue your next challenge,
and respect and support your decision.
Cut the strings and start to let go.
You were recruited into your current role to take the business forward. No doubt you developed a strategy that
you are passionate about, fully committed to and have
worked tirelessly to deliver on. Over the years, you have
focused your energy into fulfilling that strategy and have
created a high-performing organisation that is motivated
by your vision. It's no surprise therefore that the decision to leave an organisation into which you have invested so much energy and emotion is such a difficult
one. But once you have made that decision, you need
to start thinking how you will let go. That means working
with your colleagues to ensure they are empowered to
continue with the vision and then giving them more and
more space to deliver.
Your departure is someone else's opportunity.
Your team, and those you have selected as potential
successors, will quickly come to realise that your departure offers them the opportunity to carry the torch in your
absence. You can help them with this transition by let-
ting your key reports know that you trust them to be the
new champions of your vision. Work closely with them
to identify and seize those opportunities that could lead
them to greater responsibilities, advancement and promotion in the future. Even though you are leaving, now
might also be a good time to restructure things and thus
encourage certain individuals to prove themselves in a
way that would not have been possible had you stayed.
Your absence will undoubtedly be a big gap, but it's their
opportunity to show what they can do and further their
own career by stepping into that gap.
Maintain your focus right up until the last day.
Your leadership responsibilities have not disappeared
simply because you have decided to leave your organisation. Maintaining your focus up to the very last day
will earn you considerable respect, and will be remembered for a long time by a lot of people.
Don’t lose touch and stay connected.
You've gone and you need to dedicate your attention to
the new task at hand. However, it's a very small world
so do your best to stay in touch with your former colleagues. They will be getting on just fine once the dust
has settled and you should take that as a measure of
your own success in developing them. I've always been
surprised, however, how often paths cross again, so it's
important to keep those relationships intact, especially if
you have done a good job of leaving and your old colleagues have been promoted through your efforts and
legacy!
By definition, everyone leaves an organisation at some
stage. It's your job to make sure that the organisation
doesn't miss a beat when your own time comes. By remaining focused on a smooth, honest and productive
handover, you can help ensure this is the case. And if
you do it well, not only will you leave the organisation
with your reputation intact, you will actually leave with
your reputation enhanced.
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