After seven and a half years in my current role as a manager, I’ve decided it’s time to move on and have accepted a new management role.
Over that time I’ve learned a lot, made some significant changes, and had the opportunity to work with some great people. As I’ve been preparing to leave, I’ve noticed a couple of interesting things about what happens when managers move on.
The first is that it often creates movement in the wider system. When a manager leaves, it can motivate others in both the old team and the new team to think about their own next steps. Sometimes people step into opportunities that weren’t available before. Sometimes they decide it’s time for a change themselves. One person moving on can create growth opportunities for many others.
The second is that moving on acts as a plate-clearing exercise. After seven and a half years in the same role, I’ve accumulated responsibilities, projects, meetings, committees, and informal obligations. Like barnacles on a ship, they build up gradually over time. Many of them were valuable, but together they create weight and complexity.
Changing roles scrapes off those barnacles. It forces a reassessment of what is truly important and creates the opportunity to start fresh. Rather than carrying every commitment forward, you get a clean slate and the chance to be more intentional about where you invest your time and energy.
One of the unexpected benefits of moving on is realizing that transitions don’t just create opportunities for the people left behind. They also create an opportunity to redesign your own working life.