Leaders move into a new position with a strategy for capturing the promise and energy of a new beginning. Leadership transition is an integral process for all leaders of an organization. Diminished careers, disillusioned boards of directors, dysfunctional management teams, bewildered constituents, and all too frequently cynical public reaction flow from an inept transition. Having served as CEO of four organizations, as chairman of the search committee of several others, and as a board member of a number of corporations and social sector organizations, I have participated in many leadership transitions. From these experiences I have learned how essential it is for the leader to begin well and to end well.
Effective leaders plan an exit that is as positive and graceful as their entrance was.
They come to the job committed to the mission and goals of the organization and to their personal goals, with a sense of where they want the organization to be and where they want to be personally when they leave. When those goals are realized, the transition to new leadership becomes a primary focus. It becomes, literally, the ultimate leadership responsibility. When leaders believe it is the best time for the organization's future and for their own, they plan, communicate, and manage the period of leadership transition. In partnership with the board, they involve all stakeholders and constituents appropriately.