[January 6, 2017] There comes a time when new leadership arrives and good leaders make sure that any leader transition is as effective and efficient as possible. When U.S. President George Washington turned over the leadership of American to John Adams, Washington established a precedent whereby he ensured not only that it would be peaceful but that Adams would be given the greatest chance to succeed in leading the new country.
This transition, between incoming and outgoing leader, has been one of the most controversial or boring, violent or peaceful, and unassuming or dazzling events in the history of humankind … but never irrelevant or unimportant. And while it is important for a smooth transition between leaders, it is most often overlooked as an event worth noting.
When a disruptive transition takes place, the effects can be lasting and cause enormous difficulties in the future. For example, when Muhammad died (the central figure in Islam) after uniting Arabia into a single Muslim polity, he left no successor; the effects of which lead to great rivalry and bloodshed between Sunni and Shia to this day.
In more modern times, a transition can be marred in a number of ways that effect how the new leader performs in the leadership role. For example, U.S. President Obama has been accused of setting up foreign policy barriers to president-elect Trump; effectively disrupting the ability of Trump to act effectively at the beginning of his new term.
Military leaders frequently change leadership positions as they advance in their careers. The importance of the transition is so important to ensure success that valuable time and resources are dedicated to it. Good ideas can be obtained from the U.S. Army’s Handbook for Leadership Transitions (link here). Only recently has the Army published such a handbook but recognition of its importance has always existed.
The “new guy” (or gal) who becomes the new leader needs a good transition plan. While it is normally considered the responsibility of the outgoing leader to lead the effort, it is the incoming leader and the organization that has the most to lose or gain from its outcome. Today we hear about president-elect Trump’s “transition team” and his ideas about the transfer of power from Obama to himself.
It is good that Americans are being exposed to some of the disruptions in this transition because it brings forward, in our minds, the importance, complexity, and difficulties of making the transition effective and efficient.
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