How do leaders know when it's time for a change?
I’ve been reflecting on that idea a bit recently through my work with leadership teams in transition. As organisations move into a new phase, it is often accompanied by a shift in what is needed at the leadership level.
As the organisation faces up to new challenges, some leaders pick the timing perfectly and move on voluntarily, allowing for an orderly transition to new blood. Others, however, find themselves being (sometimes brutally) nudged out the door. Changing times sometimes call for fresh faces - but the leader themselves may be the last to realise it.
All roles in our professional journey have a use-by date. Few people see out their entire career in only one role. Well-adjusted leaders with healthy self-awareness are able to ‘read the room’ – and know when the time has come (for them and the organisation) to move on to new challenges.
It doesn’t have to be negative
We often fill our heads with negative self-talk. Leaders are not immune - and especially so when it comes to making pivotal decisions about careers.
But moving out of a role voluntarily does not have to be negative - even if we have been told throughout our lives not to be a quitter. Stepping away can actually be quite liberating – for you and for your employer.
After all, if you choose to leave a role, it:
- Doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right role for you at a point in time
- Doesn’t mean you weren’t successful while you were in the role
- Doesn’t mean your employer wasn’t grateful for your contribution
- Doesn’t mean your staff, peers, and customers didn’t get value from you
- Doesn’t mean people didn’t enjoy working with you
- Doesn’t mean there isn’t something even better waiting for you next
Leaving your job is simply a recognition that either the needs of the organisation have changed, your needs have changed, or both. It’s that simple.
When the organisation’s needs change
Like us, organisations grow. They change over time.
The leadership capabilities that organisations need in start-up or growth phases are different than those needed in consolidation or decline. If you are an experienced hand, perhaps your insights are most valuable when coaching newer teams. As those teams mature, perhaps they need fresh thinking, not tried and true methods?
Perhaps the organisation you work for is sinking and needs the skills of those experienced in rapid rescue. It’s okay if you’re not the right person to be the saviour - there may well be others out there are more capable. Sometimes an outsider’s perspective is exactly what is needed to turn around a flailing company.
Perhaps the pace inside the organisation has picked up remarkably and you just don’t have the energy and stamina to match it any longer. Your health needs are important to prioritise. Maybe the emerging stress of a role is no longer worth it – even if you once found it exhilarating. It’s fine to admit that you are done with the adrenalin and to move on.
What would be worse than any of these scenarios? To recognise that your employer’s needs have changed and for you to do nothing. To stay in a role stubbornly, even if you are no longer the right fit, is not fair on the organisation and it’s not healthy for you.
When your needs change
Sometimes you reach a point – even in a role you’ve loved – where you feel that you’ve given all you can. Perhaps you’ve been a part of some major successes, growth, triumphs, and crises – and you might not have the energy and stamina in you for more of them. Recognise the burnout and call it for what it is.
Perhaps you are simply ready for a new challenge because there is no growth left for you in your current role. Stretching yourself and learning skills beyond your current capability is an important part of deriving a sense of achievement and motivation from your work. Not all roles deliver that forever.
Maybe you have stagnated at a level where there’s no possibility of promotion on the horizon. It’s okay to have made your contribution and to start looking elsewhere for the next step in your career. Don’t stay trapped in a role by managers above you.
Ultimately, if you can no longer give the sustained energy and drive that your organisation and your team deserves, it’s healthier for them and for you to move along.
The silver lining
The current tight employment market provides some comfort for leaders looking to shift roles. The National Skills Commission predicts employment growth at the management level across all eight broad occupational groups from now until 2026[1].
You may know from your own experience how hard it is right now to recruit good people – and I hear it constantly from the leaders I work with too.
Perhaps you will be the next good person to land in the job market, ready to be thrown into a fresh challenge with an eager new employer?
[1] Source - https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/topics/employment-projections
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