Why I Do This Work and What I Stand For: The Places Where Leadership Meets Humanity
I didn't set out to become an expert in how people leave organizations. But after watching too many brilliant leaders exit jobs broken, bitter, and burned out – and seeing the organizational damage in their wake – I knew someone needed to name what we were all experiencing.
Leadership transitions happen to all of us. Not a single one of us still has the same job we had at 16. Yet we treat these inevitable moments as organizational emergencies rather than predictable inflection points deserving of intention and planning.
I do this work because I've lived it. I've moved across countries, shifted between sectors, left roles I loved, and been pushed out of spaces where I thought I belonged. Each transition taught me something about what we owe each other when paths diverge.
I do this work because our current approach to leadership transitions is damaging both people and missions.
We're collectively pretending that leaders are interchangeable parts in organizational machines, rather than human beings carrying institutional memory, relationships, and wisdom.
When we fail to acknowledge the humanity in these transitions, we create a cycle where:
Leaders burn out rather than leave when it's time, damaging their health and the organization
Organizations lose critical knowledge during hasty handoffs
Teams experience unnecessary trauma from poorly managed transitions
Communities served suffer through the ripple effects of institutional instability
The next leader inherits an organizational culture damaged by unprocessed grief
This work sits at the messy intersection of organizational development, leadership philosophy, and community care. It's about navigating the universal experience of necessary endings with dignity, intention, and – when possible – joy.
“This work sits at the messy intersection of organizational development, leadership philosophy, and community care. It’s about navigating the universal experience of necessary endings with dignity, intention, and – when possible – joy.”
What I Stand For
In a sector often guided by urgency and scarcity, I stand for a radical reimagining of how we approach endings and beginnings.
I stand for truth-telling, even when it's uncomfortable. Too many transitions are shrouded in vague language and sanitized narratives that serve neither the departing leader nor the organization they're leaving. I believe in naming what's happening, acknowledging what's being lost, and being candid about what's needed next.
I stand for the dignity of all parties in a transition. The departing leader deserves to leave with their contributions recognized. The organization deserves a thoughtful handoff of responsibilities. The staff deserves transparency and stability during change. The incoming leader deserves a clear understanding of what they're stepping into.
I stand for intentional legacy design. Leaders should have agency in shaping how their work continues after they're gone. Organizations should benefit from the accumulated wisdom of departing leaders. Both deserve processes that honor what was built together.
I stand for organizational cultures that normalize transition. When we acknowledge that all leadership is temporary from the start, we create healthier expectations, better succession planning, and more resilient institutions.
I stand for the integration of equity principles in transition work. Leaders from marginalized communities often face additional burdens during transitions, from being held to higher standards to receiving less support. This work must address those power dynamics directly.
I stand for challenging the narrative that nonprofit work requires martyrdom. The expectation that leaders should sacrifice their wellbeing for the mission creates unsustainable cultures and ultimately damages the very communities we aim to serve.
I stand for seeing transitions as opportunities, not just challenges. When handled well, leadership changes can be moments of organizational growth, strategic realignment, and renewed energy for the mission.
At its core, my work is about creating a world where leadership transitions aren't organizational emergencies but expected moments of transformation handled with intention and care. Where leaders can be fully human – arriving, contributing, and eventually departing without trauma. Where the handoff of responsibility strengthens rather than weakens our collective impact.
Because the truth is simple: how we leave matters just as much as how we lead.