Today is the first full day since Pope Benedict retired.  Even though I am not Catholic, I thought it was very moving and thoughtful how gracefully he has moved on into his new position. This move into a private life was a shock to many, as a Pope has not retired in over 600 years, but looking at it now was a very well thought out calculated decision by the Pope.

Many times as businesses grow, leadership changes and even though the Catholic Church is a church it is still very much affected by a leadership change in the way a business would be. Although there are many conspiracy theories as to why Pope Benedict stepped down, he stated that he wanted to ensure the continuity of the church and to keep the forward momentum that he could possibly lose as his health declined. I don’t think it was a coincidence that his retirement happened during Lent and there will be a new Pope by Easter.

Other great leaders in business have had very similar noble acts of surrendering leadership including Steve Jobs. Jobs knew that his health was declining rapidly and stepped out of running Apple to allow his predecessor, Tim Cook, to take the reigns while Jobs was still alive. Steve Jobs knew that he had been a visionary that held the company together and knew that Mr. Cook had large shoes to fill.

Both great leaders relinquished day-to-day control of their organizations, while they were still living.  Both Pope Benedict and Steve Jobs knew that this was in the best interests of the organization and its future.  I think this is a very noble act and is the sign of a great leader but at the same time is incredibly hard for many of us to do. 

When you are passionate about what you do and want to see it grow and have control of that growth.  It is a very exciting place to be so when it is time it is very hard to give up control and let others do what you have done for so long.  I think the sign of a great leader is giving up that control so the future of your company or organization can keep its forward momentum while maintaining stability.

Do I think this was hard for both of these great leaders? Yes. 

Do I think that it was something that they had to work on? Yes. 

In the end both Steve Jobs and Pope Benedict knew what was best for their organizations and gracefully passed over leadership in a well-planned process.  They didn’t throw up their hands one day and say, “I’m done,” and walked out.  No, they had a specific day and time as to when they gave up control and knew exactly the process of what was to be followed to get the best person in the best position to try and fill their shoes. 

What is your plan of how to change leadership in your organization?  Are you thinking now about who your predecessor could be now?  Are you molding that person to run your company if you had to step down?  I think these are all very valid questions to ask as a business owner because if you are in a small healthcare staffing agency or even a large public company the question needs to be raised, “who would I want running my healthcare staffing agency?”   Have a plan and be like Jobs and Pope Benedict, a great leader.