5 Signs it Might be Time to Step Down from a Leadership Role

It’s not bad to resign from a management or leadership role. By not bad, I mean for the company and yourself. Not so much for your ego though. For some people, there will come a point in their career where they’ll have to come to terms with the reality of the situation. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with your leadership skills. It’s just that the work is too toxic, or you’re starting to think your team might be better with someone more resilient. I’m sure your ego will survive; once you realize stepping down is actually a good decision. You can still do great in other roles. Is it Time You Move on to Other Roles? Here are 5 signs it might be time to step down from a leadership role. These are five things that you can look at to decide.

1. The Pressure is Killing You

Leading a team is tiring. All their problems, challenges, and failures are on you. If they make a mistake, you’ll be the first one to hear about it from upper management. As if the pressure from one side wasn’t enough, the people in your team also look up to you. You’re their mentor and the development of their career in the company is practically in your hands.

Because of constant pressure from all sides, you’re motivated to do your best. But the source of your motivation is also a great source of your stress. It’s because you care for your team and their performance.

2. You Think Other People can Do a Better Job

It’s easy to feel irreplaceable when you’re the boss. You’re good at what you do, no doubt. But are you still as good when you took on that position? Could complacency have caused you to stop learning, stop innovating?

If you’ve been in that leadership role for quite some time, and are no longer challenged by your responsibilities, then it might be time to start looking for your successor.

3. You’re Not Getting Invited to Important Meetings and Work Related Events

You might stop getting invites to important meetings when the higher-ups no longer care about you. This might mean the upper-management no longer values your opinion, or else is talking about finding ways to replace you. It’s the same thing when you stop getting feedback and criticisms. There’s a huge possibility that management already gave up hope on your skills and your team.

4. You’re at a Dead-End Job

You’re already at the top of the field for your job and department. There’s no room to grow, unless you switch fields. You feel like you’ve already learned everything there is to learn. If this is the case, would you be happy doing this until you retire?

5. Someone with an ALMOST Duplicate Job Description Gets Hired

You’re the boss, yes. But leaders and managers are replaceable, too. Yes, the leadership team might say there’s enough work for the two of you. They might even say the team is growing.

Is your team actually growing though? Did they also hire people with similar skills as your team? If that’s not the case then your team isn’t really growing. Management might have hired someone with a different leadership style, or they just want to change directions so they hired someone to spearhead that change.

If you are experiencing ANY of these challenges, before you step down from a leadership role, call one of our leadership development facilitators. Sometimes, minor changes in the way that you manage and lead your team can create fantastic changes in their achievement. Getting a good leadership development coach can help! By identifying what your real strengths are as a leader, a coach can help make sure that this (or your next) leadership role is more of a perfect fit for you.