Transitions Done Well

The important balance in transitioning work


I've been thinking about role transitions lately - specifically handing off an old role to someone who will carry the torch forward - and I've come to the conclusion that there is a careful balancing act that isn't often discussed: the balance between setting someone up and getting out of the way.

Generally, when we think about transition, we spend alot of time getting the next person up to speed on the work, the team, the strategy, and what we'd do next. And, while these transition items are important, they are mostly aimed at continuity. The subtle implication is that, while handing off the work, you're trying to replicate yourself - the way you approach the work, the way you would handle situations, the way you would lead from here.

While continuity is fine - the missing counterbalance in this equation is the possibility that the person coming in likely has different ideas, fresh perspectives, and will carry the mantle better than you could in this next chapter.

So my new thought on transitioning is, instead of focusing solely on continuity, to find a careful balance between explaining how you got here without directing where to go next. Set them up, then get out of the way.

Because the reality is, the work from here is theirs to dance with - and they may choose to dance differently (better?) than you would.

Congrats to my backfill! Excited to see where you lead the work (I hope I've gotten out of your way).

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric

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Improvement via Repetitive Tasks