The Best Leaders Know When To Go.
René Carayol MBE
Author | Leading Executive Coach | Inclusive Leadership Keynote Speaker
In the world of leadership, the traditional obsession with experience is rightly being challenged. Nowhere more so than by a batch of fresh, young, heads of state who are far less polarising and far more selfless than their more experienced counterparts. Jacinda Ardern has been the role model for them all: Justin Trudeau, Sanna Marin, Gabriel Boric?to name a few.??
Whilst it was with deep regret that I heard about her abrupt departure, it has served as a reminder to us all that the best leaders know when to go. Not least when you contrast her open and honest resignation with the unseemly clinging to office of the likes of Johnson, Trump, and Bolsonaro. These alpha males needed serious encouragement to leave.??
Ardern’s decision brought me right back to Nelson Mandela’s similar story, serving just 1 term after waiting for 27 years in prison. He knew his work was done.??
The Power of Compassion?
We won’t just remember Ardern for her leaving at the right time, but for the kindness and compassion she brought to everything she did. There is something that every Chief Executive can learn from this generous and empathetic leader. She showed humility and care through the toughest moments, such as the Christchurch Mosque shootings, giving her support to victims and their families. Her leadership through the pandemic was much challenged, but still demonstrated her ability to make tough calls, while remaining connected to how people really felt.??
The toughest call of the lot comes when you’re no longer at your best and perhaps there are others who could do the job better. It is the truest sign of a great leader to move on from the job of your dreams.??
At the peak of their powers, popularity, and fame, the two founders of Google passed the reins to Eric Schmidt. They had brought in Schmidt knowing he was better equipped to deal with the next phase of development and growth for the business they had grown and shaped.??
Larry Ellison at Oracle, Mark Benioff at Salesforce, and Mark Zuckerberg at Meta might just take note of when is the best time to move on. Elon Musk, for all his brilliance, doesn’t seem to know when to start and when to stop. The danger with being brilliant and being at the top is that you stop listening to advice from others, thinking that you know it all.??
领英推荐
Thought for the Week?
"Leaving at the right time is a sign of strength, not weakness."
?Becoming an A Player?
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* I help C-level executives to regain body confidence in 12 weeks through my L.E.A.N method *
1 年Some leaders should learn that.
Excellent thoughts, well put. thank you. Can you please forward it on to some of those "leaders" who are clinging to power rather than remaining in position to lead and to serve.
Transformation and Change - Interim Director, Senior Consultant, Executive Coach
1 年Wonderful post René - thank you
Publisher at The Free Range |?Here to help you write right | The evolution of niche digital magazines will kick off in 2025
1 年Brilliant piece, René Carayol MBE ... what resonated like a pair of symbols to the head was this line: "The danger with being brilliant and being at the top is that you stop listening to advice from others, thinking that you know it all." What's so powerful about it is that, even for the majority who AREN'T brilliant but who are in positions of power (from business owners to managers and even parents), the default is often to think we know it all and to stop listening to those around us.
Candid words of advice. I'll take it! My mother used to say - if you don't hear, then you will feel!"