Episode 114
How to Step Down From Leadership Gracefully
What happens when a leader decides they're done leading? In this episode, Bob and Josh tackle one of the most uncomfortable topics in technical leadership: stepping down from a leadership role. Whether you're the one considering walking away from the org chart, or a team member just told you they want out, this conversation is for you.
Bob shares his personal story of transitioning from a senior development leadership role at iContact to an agile coaching position—a move that required navigating salary adjustments, title changes, and the inevitable shift in organizational perception. He credits his boss Ralph Kusuba for handling the conversation with grace and business acumen, recognizing Bob's value beyond just his title.
The hosts draw an important distinction between organizational leadership (titles, org charts, formal authority) and leadership as a way of being (influence, modeling great teammate behavior, cultural contribution). While you can step away from the former, Bob argues you can never truly abdicate the latter—and he'd "smack you with your own hat" if you tried.
They also explore how to recognize when someone has genuinely reached their limit versus when they're just hitting a sticky spot that coaching can help them push through. The key insight: if you're leading well, these conversations should be rare. And when they do happen, the leader's job is to find a gracious glide path—just like NFL coaches who step back to coordinator roles and become invaluable advisors to first-time head coaches.
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