In Praise of Leaders who 'Step Down'

Should knowing when to step down be a leadership characteristic we start to praise and cultivate?

This past week, yet another global leader, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, voluntarily stepped down. Hugely popular, she is the longest-serving person to hold the post. Though facing difficult discussions, which is not particularly unique for a politician with 16-years in senior office, what is notable is that she stepped down at the very moment when her election ballot issue of Scottish independence was set to be tested.

To greater global shock, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister stepped down voluntarily immediately prior to an election for which she would have been a shoo-in due in part to her widely lauded leadership efforts of the pandemic.

These leaders went to battle, suffered the scars of their toil, and moved their armies forward successfully. While many offered congratulations and thanks, there remains a quiet and less spoken sense of disappointment not just in their decision to step-down but in the leaders’ very abilities; as if these leaders suffered from sort of limitation or failing. As if a greater leader in their stead would have gone further and pursued more. ?

In commentary that has followed, there is also the undercurrent of their stepping down as demonstrative of a more feminine trait, one lacking the fortitude of their male counterparts. To this, notwithstanding my initial reaction to throw the gloves on myself, I want to more rationally suggest that this trait is far from a limitation and should instead be interpreted as the future of leadership. Amongst so much talk of systems being broken, I suggest that the act of ‘stepping down’ or ‘stepping aside’ should be considered as the next phase in the evolutionary path towards the advancement of leadership.

Arden said, "I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also when you are not."

Passing the baton to another who is able to run clear minded and at full speed is, I suggest, a purposeful act of leadership. It is not the absence of leadership. There are efficiencies to be found in a kind of leadership that embraces short distance sprints towards excellence rather than marathons towards what is often only mediocrity.

What is it about us that revels in the idea that leadership must be extended to-the-death?

Everywhere we turn, we face leaders whose grip on the first chair seems to be more purpose-driven than the reasons for them occupying it in the first place. This extends far beyond our political leaders to the seats of CEOs of our most celebrated organizations. Think of the great efforts and expense of keeping that leader in place. Think of the untapped potential of those who could be leading with fresh and focused thinking. Think of the cost to the people and the causes they originally came to serve.

Knowing oneself so well, so selflessly, to admit that our capacity for work is less than 100 per cent is not part of any leadership rule book. It’s a very human condition that we rarely allow our leaders to be. The allure of great leadership has never been a fully human pursuit, but one more aligned with tales of gods and religious figures. As a result, we’ve at best muted, or at worst silenced, what is an untapped potential for advancing the practice of leadership.

Sturgeon said, "Since the very first moment in the job, I have believed that part of serving well would be to know, almost instinctively, when the time is right to make way for someone else. And when that time came, to have the courage to do so, even if many across the country, and in my party, might feel it too soon. In my head and in my heart, I know that time is now. That it is right for me, for my party, and for the country.”

Keep a keen eye on the trend of leaders stepping down. And when it happens, indulge me and play a little game: put your first thoughts aside that what they have done is a condition of weakness. Instead, think of it as an act of intentional leadership. My bet is that – in all but the rare case – we will continue to see this new generation of leaders and new brand of leadership generate more stable transfers of power and more positive and efficient outcomes for us all. This trend will also welcome in a new cohort of leaders that are currently repelled or otherwise prevented from stepping up to the plate today.