Transitions & Endings
Every leader loves beginnings. Few have the courage to end things well. But everything — every season, every strategy, every story — has an expiration date. If you can’t end, you can’t grow.
Most organizations fear endings because they mistake them for failure. In truth, endings are an act of leadership maturity. They clear the field so new life has room to grow.
Patterns I See
Zombie projects: Dead initiatives still walking because no one wants to admit it’s over.
False hope addiction: Clinging to “maybe next quarter” instead of facing the truth.
Avoidance leadership: Leaders stall endings to avoid conflict, wasting months of momentum.
What Leaders Miss
Endings aren’t punishments; they’re pruning.
If you can’t prune, you can’t bear fruit.
Clarity always comes after courage.
There’s a sacred sequence to transition: ending → neutral zone → beginning.
The neutral zone — that disorienting in-between — is where leaders are remade. Most try to skip it, chasing the high of the next new thing. But that middle space is where depth forms and wisdom takes root.
Good endings require grief. Something dies, and pretending it didn’t just guarantees you’ll carry the corpse into your next chapter.
Working With It
Name the ending. Say it out loud. Ambiguity keeps people stuck.
Create ritual closure. Mark transitions with meaning. Celebrate what was; release it with honor.
Hold the neutral zone. Don’t rush to fill the void. Let reflection and rest do their work.
Design the re-entry. The new beginning needs structure — otherwise you’ll rebuild the same dysfunction in a new shape.
Questions Worth Asking
What’s ending that you’re pretending isn’t?
Where are you keeping something on life support to avoid the pain of loss?
What lesson is this ending trying to teach you before you move on?
Who do you need to thank before you turn the page?
Field Truth
Endings aren’t the enemy of vision — they’re the compost that makes new life possible.
