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Leaving Well in the Workplace

Leaving Well: out in the wild

Published 27 days ago • 1 min read

For many folks, it feels scary to begin thinking about leaving their organization, and even scarier still to think about how to begin TALKING about it.

I'm excited to share a few examples of Leaving Well, in the wild. Real world opportunities to learn from others who are treating their departures as something they are able to navigate, on their terms, as well as a few "as soon on" podcasts to share.

First up, Dr. Sherece Y. West-Scantlebury, who is retiring from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. She says:

My legacy is not a building with my name on it. It’s a field more willing to challenge the norms. It’s a foundation that makes equity the default, not the exception. It’s a team that leads with courage, and a community that holds us accountable.
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To my fellow leaders, my advice to you is to leave before you’re forced to, go when the organization is healthy and the bench is deep, and leave in a way that builds power for those coming next.

Next up is the former CEO of East Fork (their pottery has been on my wish list for quite some time!).

​In this article, she shares:​

It is with so much hope, love, fear, pride, relief, excitement, confusion, clarity—all of it—that I announce I’m passing the role back to the hands of my capable husband and continuing a slow but steady process of stepping out of East Fork's daily operations and into the next chapter of my life. This transition is the most seismic feeling of my whole life; I've been cycling through grief/relief since I made the decision in April.

I’ve worked with enough nonprofits to know that leadership transitions often feel like the ground is shifting beneath your feet. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Recently, I joined Heather Burright on the Learning for Good podcast to share ways nonprofits can prepare for leadership changes with confidence—not fear. We talked about how to create a culture of preparedness, why succession planning is really about systems (not just people), and how to care for your team during seasons of change.

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👥 About Leaving Well: Providing interim leadership and proactive succession planning for nonprofit organizations. Because your next leadership transition is coming whether you're ready or not. Visit us today or hit reply to this email and let us know what support your organization needs.

Gravel Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30213
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Leaving Well in the Workplace

Naomi Hattaway, Founder and President

Your Leaving Well guide to navigating workplace transitions 🧡 I normalize workplace transitions one organization + person at a time. Leaving Well is the art + practice of leaving in the workplace, with intention + joy.

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