When a leader leaves.

Last weekend, I witnessed a leader’s public announcement of his stepping down from his post. It was rather remarkable in a subdued  sort of way.

You don’t read a lot of books in a masters program on leadership that  touch on departures of leaders – or, at least, I haven’t gotten there  yet.  In mainstream culture, a leader’s departure is typically marked  by and discussed through scandal, extraordinarily-long service, an expired term or some other sensational event.

But not this leader.  He simply had identified that the time had come to pursue another “adventure” following 12 years of service in the middle of his career.  His is one of many stories you rarely hear, so I thought I would share.

I have been personally involved with this leader’s tenure with the organization – first as a part of the organization for several years and then as a non-participating-yet-interested watcher.  So, I am aware of the good times and challenging times – and there have been many on a very deep level – faced by this leader and the organization.

Going into the announcement, I expected to witness a gasp, followed by an “Awww…”, followed by, perhaps, a spontaneous corporate display of gratitude like applause.

But none of that happened.  And I don’t think the crowd’s response was due to a lack of appreciation.

I think it was shock.

Upon this leader’s announcement, the entire room, which had just displayed an attitude somewhere between easy-going and joyful, was suddenly silent.  They remained in a hushed state for the remainder of their time together, and only broke the demeanor for a prompted applause by the individual facilitating the announcement.  See, this leader had just carried his audience through a very typical yet very heart-breaking season for an organization of its kind.  And I think they simply didn’t know how to react to the prospect of him soon not being there.

Only with the announcement over and the crowd breaking up did this leader and his wife, who have worked side-by-side throughout the tenure, receive their audiences’ unique expressions of, “We’re sad to see you go.”  They spanned the spectrum – from firm handshakes to tearful embraces to statements of, “We’re going to celebrate a good
time through this sad occasion!”

And I realized:  this happens all the time when good leaders leave and we never hear about it.  And after a search on Amazon for “leadership departure”, it occurred to me that someone needs to write on the topic of leaving well.  A few
title suggestions: Leading to Leave Well or When Good Leaders Exit.

Leadership is a process that always comes to an end.  And while looking to that end shouldn’t be the focus of a leader’s time with an organization, it should certainly be thought about.

Anyone read anything on this? Am I just missing the literature? Or is it all memoirs that I should be reading?

~Kristen Hayner