LOSS OF IDENTITY IN SUCCESSION & TRANSITIONING

Few people talk about "the human drama of succession" according to Marshall Goldsmith, one of the world's most respected executive coaches, in a recent teleclass and in his new book, Succession: Are You Ready?   I think it's the pivotal factor and falls into what we call the "personal bucket" of transitioning planning. Why do many incumbents find it so hard to "let go" and leave willingly and gracefully?

There are 3 fairly obvious factors:

*  They see money as a measure of their worth (rather than what it can buy)

*  Loss of power and attention

*  Feeling like a "used to be" - loss of status

And 4 that go deeper into the individual's emotional make-up:

*  Loss of their meaningfulness and impact

*  Interruption of their ability to contribute - potential contribution

*  Loss of the happiness they felt in the job

*  Loss of relationships at work.

All 7 add up to a loss of personal identity. It can be so severe that they can sort of "freak out" near the end of their tenure.

Phyllis Weiss Haserot    www.pdcounsel.com