After three years at my job I decided to move on; my position will not be filled for a while. Some people may have a weird feeling about not having another person take their place: after all, if they don’t replace you, you probably haven’t done much. I, however, think it’s the ultimate badge of success for a departing manager. Here’s why:
* Good management requires good planning. Leaving everything in working order with no issues hanging loose reflects positively on your ability to manage people and operations.
* I established processes and built a well-oiled machine that can keep functioning for a while. By training other people – including my boss – on how to maintain these processes I made it possible for them to keep it going after I’m gone.
* The company will take this opportunity to evaluate the need for this role. The value of middle management is always in question, and re-thinking their needs is never too late.
This will not last for long, though; they will have to fill in the void eventually. It may be the same role or a combination of a few. They may decide to reshuffle other positions and realign management layers. Whatever they do, I hope they find a better, more efficient way to run their organization. All in all, I believe I made a measurable impact while avoiding the job security syndrome.
