How to step down as a leader

Opinion

There are so many considerations. When is it the right time? Should you identify your own successors? Whose advice do you trust? How do you prepare for the loss of power?

I have been struck by the contrast between the dignity with which 53-year-old Gareth Southgate stepped down as England men’s football coach and the unedifying narrative around US president Joe Biden as he tried to persuade the world that he was fit to work until he’s 86.

It raises so many questions for those of us who enjoy leadership positions. Is it a personal choice or do others have a say? How do we balance experience versus fresh perspectives? Should you identify your own successors? Is the “devil we know” usually preferable and, if so, how is change best managed? Is it ageist to look to younger alternatives? Whose advice do we trust? How do we prepare for the loss of power and influence?

The ultimate final challenge

Very often, we talk about preparing to lead and stepping up when the moment comes.

But perhaps we should talk more about when it’s time to step down and how that also needs to be planned and prepared for. The way you lead your own departure is perhaps the ultimate final challenge and the moment at which legacy is reinforced — or not. It is a moment as big as any other leadership decision.

Let’s take the issue of age and whether that should be used as a trigger for enforced retirement. These days, we are all living longer lives, and there is something to be said for the wisdom that comes with age and experience.

In March 2022, the mandatory retirement age for judges and magistrates in the UK was increased from 70 to 75 to reflect not only improvements in life expectancy but also the increase in cases that needed dealing with. It was also intended to improve the diversity of magistrates, specifically by encouraging women to apply later in life.

Meanwhile, a swathe of peers announced their retirement from the House of Lords in anticipation of the Labour government’s much-heralded plans to impose a retirement age of 80. Firefighters, the police and armed forces, all much more physically demanding roles, have to retire at 60.

So there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to retirement when it comes to age and the more cerebral occupations like politics, business and the judiciary seem to be at the older end of the spectrum.

Mental capacity comes into play

However, there does seem to be a point of diminishing returns when even experience is valued less than mental agility. And it is where mental capacity, with all the requirements to absorb and memorise complex information, think clearly and make good decisions, legitimately comes into play.

All of us, as we get older, recognise that our memory is not as good, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be an inhibitor to holding high office. We can surround ourselves with people and technology to mitigate the issue.

But what does become a devastating barrier is any slowdown in the ability to process information and think quickly and coherently. There have been rumours for some time that Biden was no longer at the top of his game and, despite those closest to him doing their best to cover for him, in the end the whole world could see it for themselves.

Listening to others

One of the challenges of leadership is to understand that one’s closest advisors may themselves have clouded judgement. They are not neutral on the topic of regime change as it affects their own career prospects. In addition, they will be biased in their own understanding of your future capability, influenced as they are by proximity to your past success and glories.

So this is a time to seek different input. Leaders in the public eye have the mixed blessing of being offered a point of view by various quarters in the media. Even setting aside the inclination of journalists to be critical and favour the excitement of change, the media will influence public sentiment and be a constituency to consider.

Family and friends can come into their own. Unlike your professional advisors, they won’t be privy to all the pros and cons of continuing in your role, but they will be inclined to act in what they perceive to be your best interests.

They will also be cognisant of the impact of the role on your health, happiness and wellbeing, and able to speak truthfully (and perhaps more gently) if they perceive a moment of truth has arrived. This was the role famously played by Denis Thatcher when Margaret Thatcher found it hard to accept the end of her tenure as prime minister had arrived.

It is also a time to listen to other stakeholders and critics. The people whom you serve or who back you financially, as well as rivals. Do they still support you? Are they advocating for change?

A key factor for me here is what people expected when you took on your role. Both Southgate and Biden had time-defined four-year contracts that required formal renewal based on performance.

But a key difference in the case of Biden is that when he was competing to be the Democratic candidate against Bernie Sanders, he described himself as a “bridge” who would pass on the torch to the next generation after one term. Changing his mind subsequently and trying to hold on to power did not play well for him.

Unfinished business

So, finally, we come to personal pride and the reluctance to surrender the power that comes with leadership.

To lead at all requires self-belief and ambition, as well as skill and competence. It’s an obvious thing to say, but you must be attracted to the responsibility that comes with being the ultimate decision-maker and rewarded by the work that gets done under your leadership.

Giving it up is not easy. The loss of influence is instant and devastating. It is why Queen Elizabeth famously refused to name her successor until her very final days because she knew a rival court would form the moment she did so.

Stepping down is not only the precursor to the end of a professional life, but it also represents living with a sense of unfinished business. It can vary in impact and legacy, but we must accept that it is not possible to do everything you hoped to during your tenure.

Your final job as a leader is to know when it’s time to pass the baton on with grace and generosity to the next generation, so they can themselves be as effective as you were.

Jan Gooding is one of the UK’s best-known brand marketers, having worked with Aviva, BT, British Gas, Diageo and Unilever. She is now an executive coach, chair of PAMCo and Given. She writes for The Media Leader each month.