Recently, I just completed a certificate program at the Cornell University. The course itself, was called – ‘Lessons from Ancient Rome’. And I’ll be honest, it as fantastic!
There were so many takeaways… my top one, which I’d like to share today was about, knowing when to step down.
Julius Ceasar. Legend. Not only was a salad named after him but a month too! Crazy!
(The salad was a joke – I’ll explain in Part 2 why I made that joke).
So, this guy, in essence ruled for a long time. The problem was, he was great to start with but then… he became so embroiled in his own deamour that he lost the confidence in the people around him. And that ultimately led to his downfall.
Now.. why was this my favourite part? Because over this module, it was explained to me… to know when is the right time to take a step back. When to stop and when to know that it’s time for someone else to take over.
I see it everyday. I see it at my local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) where some of the older folk are holding onto particular positions on the committee for dear life! (though they don’t have long to live themselves!!)
I see it in politics. I see it at work. I see it everywhere. So I thought to myself, why don’t people let go?
Because of Power.
Power is such a strong element – that when you have it, you don’t want to let go.
Remember the time, you were having your favourite meal – and towards the end, you’d enjoyed it so much but you thought, I could do that all over again, or I could eat more of the same. And if it was offered to you, you probably would continue to eat though it’s bad for your health and you’re just going to get fatter and be so indulgent that you’ll ignore signs from your body to stop.
It’s the same when you’re in a position of power.
Now, not everyone is like this. There are many people who will step away. Many people who know the time is up.
I know most of the folk who read this in the US may not be that overly familiar with the game Snooker.
There’s a chap, Ronnie O’Sullivan, he’s been world champ for a long time.. and for fun, he continues to play in all competitions. He made a very funny remark the other day which made me laugh… but also got me thinking…
This for me – sums it all up. Ronnie is the best. In the World. And he’s open for someone to come and win against him. He’s shared his ailments. Yet he continues, because no one can do better.
This is the same principle, for those in positions of power. Let others have a go and see if they’re better than you. If they can perform as good as you. If their ideas are better than yours. In sports – it can be slightly different to politics – but the principle of knowing when to give up is the same. In snooker, there were many great players who started to get beat and knew time was up.
But in positions of power – when you have it, you fear of getting beat. It’s the fear you need to let go off.
Awesome module this was… about leadership, and knowing when the right time is to leave, quit or move on. So many great examples of people who haven’t… and those who did. Sharing this so that you make the right decisions knowing when to step aside or move on for the betterment of the organisation.
Or if you’re like Ronnie… just carry on until someone can beat you!