Few things reveal as much about a leader as how he handles his own succession.. Mature leaders understand that preparing new leaders is an essential part of their mission. Those who are insecure — especially those who have let their ego take center stage — avoid, slow down or sabotage this process. For them, succession poses a direct threat: to its importance, to your legacy, to the image they built.
I have witnessed this behavior several times.. When someone on the team starts to stand out, there is no encouragement — there is silence. When a powerful idea comes up that didn’t go through leadership, is it discarded or appropriated. When talking about preparing the team for strategic decisions, the answer is evasive. It's as if succession planning were admitting one's own professional mortality..
“It is only by truly being ourselves that we can connect with others.” Donald Winnicott
Winnicott, by exploring the concept of falso self, helps us understand the root of this dynamic. Some leaders construct a persona that appears strong, visionary, indispensable — but, behind her, there is a deep fear of not being enough without the position they occupy. This artificial professional identity needs to remain at the center at any cost. And the cost, oftentimes, is the renewal of the organization.
For those led, the consequence is a cycle of stagnation. Talents are not developed, autonomy is pruned, opportunities are scarce and, what is more serious, culture begins to revolve around the preservation of a single figure. This stifles innovation and retains the creative energy that should circulate freely throughout the structure..
But it is possible to grow even in this scenario — although the path is more tortuous. The first attitude is not to wait for the “godfather” who will boost your career. If direct leadership avoids preparing successors, It is up to the professional to seek other ways to develop: mentoring outside the formal structure, strategic courses, involvement in transversal projects.
Another point is to understand what this resistance to succession reveals about the leader — and what it can teach about you. Sometimes, Living with someone who impedes other people's growth can give us brutal clarity about the type of leadership we don't want to exercise. This experience, although frustrating, has a formative value.
It is also important to visualize your deliveries in an intelligent way. Not to rival the leadership, but to ensure that your trajectory does not become invisible. Record achievements, share learnings, build a reputation for consistency. Leaders pass — but professional credibility remains.
Preparing replacements isn’t about giving up power — it’s about expanding it. But not everyone can see this. When the ego occupies the leadership chair, succession becomes a threat. E, in these cases, the strength of the leader lies in growing even without authorization, and not forgetting the essential: true power is not in staying on top, but in multiplying paths for others to get there too.
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