For three years, every time I thought about “succession planning,” I felt a pit in my stomach. Twenty years after co-founding Integrate Health, I could feel that the time was coming for me to make a change, but I was terrified. I was worried about what a transition would mean for the organization, I was concerned about who would take over, and most of all, I was terrified of letting people down, especially our staff, partners, and patients.
Today, I am in the midst of a successful succession planning process. I have gone from viewing founder transition as something to be feared, to a natural transition for a healthy organization and a signal of organizational success. I will be stepping down from my role as CEO and handing the reins to Emily Bensen, current Chief Partnership Officer, on January 1, 2026. This decision has been met with overwhelming support from our staff, partners, and patients. I am eager to share my learnings in the hope that others can avoid the fear I felt and move confidently into the steps needed to implement an effective succession planning process.
Here are three key learnings to help fellow founders and CEOs as you navigate your own journey to decide why, when, and how to transition.
Why?
This is a question that every founder will have to answer for themselves. My journey to and as founder and CEO has been a beautiful one. What a luxury it is to write that sentence! Why then would I ever bring this journey to an end? In many ways, my decision to transition when I and the organization were at the height of our success was difficult for others to understand. When I shared my decision with one supportive funder, she cocked her head, squinted her eyes, and asked quizzically, “But you’re not old, and the organization is not failing, so why?” Many fellow CEOs and founders have asked me how I knew this was the right time to step away. For me the answer came first with a stark realization: no one was going to make this decision for me. That realization was followed by a lot of inner work. While I could feel my own energy waning, I could see growing enthusiasm and potential in my colleagues. My singular goal was to position the organization for continued and greater success. Ulitmately, I decided the best way to do that would be to step back from the day to day and create space for new leadership to step forward.
When?
After years of looking for a sign, it was a jolt to finally accept that I would have to make this decision for myself, that in fact I was the only one who could make this decision. I started the work of reflecting, journaling, and discussing with my loved ones. Then I shared my feelings with a trusted inner circle.[1] For me this circle included fellow CEOs who were in the process of a transition. I was grateful to learn from Liz Jarman, former CEO of Living Goods, and Emily Bancroft, former CEO of VillageReach, both of whom were helpful advisors and supportive friends. This small group provided invaluable feedback and helped me to put a structure, a timeline, and plans around my decision. Research suggests that leaders who see themselves as stewards, rather than owners of an organization, manage transitions more effectively.[2] Set up the support structure that will help you steward the organization through this important transition.
How?
Once you’ve decided it’s time for a transition, your first step must be to go to your Board. As a Board Member, your single biggest job is CEO transition! Your most important role as a Board Member is to think about, be prepared for, and when it happens, support an effective CEO transition. Full disclosure: this was a scary one for me. As a founder with a tenure greater than two decades, I cannot fault my Board for having grown accustomed to the idea that I would be around forever. This was partially my fault. CEOs, if you are not already talking about this with your board, start now! Because this idea was not on my Board’s radar, I had to proceed slowly, first with individual conversations to inform each Board member personally and explain my thinking, as well as to hear their advice and questions. This led to a full Board discussion and ultimately the creation of a Board subcommittee to lead the process. The subcommittee drafted a leadership success profile, reviewed organizational structure options, considered internal and external recruitment pathways, and ultimately vetted and selected an internal successor. For me, the Board began as a scary place to start having hard conversations and became the driver of a rigorous and highly effective transition process.
Once you’ve involved the Board, don’t recreate the wheel. When I started thinking about my own transition, I did so in isolation and fear. I had no idea how many valuable resources exist to help CEOs and Boards navigate this important process. There are many tools and resources, including transition experts, that can be adapted to guide the Board and outgoing CEO through an effective process. I had the great fortune to work with a transition coach, Christa Gannon, who provided me and our Board with an extensive set of tools. Accessing these resources combined with my coach’s ongoing guidance allowed me to manage the process of communicating the Board’s decision and planning for CEO handover extremely efficiently. This was critical because CEOs are still doing our very large day jobs while also managing the transition process.
[1] https://edbatista.com/2024/01/handing-off-to-a-new-ceo.html
[2] https://theboardroomafrica.com/succession-planning-is-failing-because-no-one-talks-about-power/