When a Leader Leaves..

It's hard to say goodbye to colleagues; it's even harder to do so when they’ve had a significant impact on you.? It may feel like the world is ending.? You may feel sad, or sick to your stomach.? You might take it personally, and blame yourself.? You may have thoughts like quitting, quiet quitting or even moving across the country.

What you’re feeling is pretty normal.

Not surprisingly, being shocked, sad and scared is quite normal, but I'd recommend saving the irrational actions and reactions for another time.? Good leaders are hard to come by, and when they have a positive impact on you and your team, the pain is felt immediately - this is completely understandable and expected.? But we often forget that great leadership is a gift; and never permanent.? Great leaders do amazing things, but they also need to keep reinventing themselves, sometimes within the same company,? another company, or in a completely different industry.

They leave because they have more to offer the world.

Consider the great leaders we know of.? Most have not dwelled on just one role or company; they have reinvented themselves and their products/services over and over again.? They’ve shuffled people around, and built a culture of change, along with a great leadership team to continue the mission all while creating the next generation of leaders.? This is just another important trait of a great leader.

Now you have to carry the torch.

Once you are past the shock of losing your leader, you must spend some time reflecting on their contributions to your career, your team and the overall business.? If they were a great leader, then they most likely left the business in great shape, with a leadership team that is well prepared for the transfer of responsibilities and a great go forward plan.? All great leaders do great succession planning; it's not just about having a candidate in place, it's about the readiness of the organization to keep marching forward towards their North Star, without losing the culture and passion of the team/organization.

Time to embrace the new.

At some point, a new leader will arrive, and knowing that there are big shoes to fill, that leader will most likely spend time listening to the people across the organization, understanding the culture, embracing expectations while understanding the shared vision of the group.? It’s important to give the new leader a period of time to adapt and learn, before bombarding them with questions and thoughts. This will enable them to take the helm gracefully, while embracing the new organization.??

The only constant is change.

Change is nonstop - we lose people, change companies, we move; it is something we have to learn to deal with and be resilient.? A departing leader is quite the same, and even though it does have a major impact on everyone involved, it is a part of life.? Embracing it, celebrating the wins and the lessons learned, and then carrying it with you for the indefinite future, is the best way to honor the departed leader and to transition to the next person who takes the helm.