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Writer's pictureAlexis Robinson

The Art of "Letting Go"

Okay, I know I’m late on posting the rest of my Leadership Conversation Series but something sparked in my mind this week. I couldn’t help myself! I had to write a post!


So What Inspired This Post? What Happened?


Let me tell you what happened! What had happened was (yes, you have to do the voice in your head) Monday, 3/14/2022, I officially transferred a team to another organization. I came to Amazon to build a function that became a mechanism that eventually became a work-stream with many personnel operating within it. Doing this work defined my career at Amazon and was based on a discipline that I've honed for over a decade. As I grew to become the Head of U.S. Government Security & Compliance, this work-stream and its team members were still a soft-spot for me and had a heavy amount of my time and investment because of my familiarity. It was my baby. And when the opportunity presented itself to transfer this work-stream to its rightful home and rightful place within our greater AWS Security organization...I let it go.


Was it easy? HELL NO. It took me time and coaching to reckon with what I was doing and why.


Was it simple? Also no. There was a lot of moving parts that allowed this work-stream to stand on its own two feet and sustain itself. There was also a lot of strategic conversations that occurred between the two organizations as well as impacted parties.


Did it hurt? Not as much as I thought it would. Once I got over the initial shock, everything started to make sense. I've been looking to build my skill-set into a new territory and shift my career a bit. Because I had been preparing for this and had a good support network, the sting wasn't long-lasting.


In fact, all of this has inspired this very post. Transitioning has allowed me to learn a lot this past year. I can't wait to share it with you. Let's walk through how we can "breathe, stretch, shake, let it go."



What does “Letting Go” truly mean? What does it involve?


When I'm talking about letting go, I'm not talking about personal relationships (which is it's own blog post, LORD). I'm talking about the positive corporate situation of evaluating a function, team or department and allowing it to transition to another person or organization for its future development and success.


It actually happens all the time in Corporate America but it's not always talked about in the best circumstances. Most of the time, we hear of it as a hostile take-over (or we assume as such) or a reorganization or a corporate reshuffling. In the gossip world, we think of this world as a system of winners and losers. Someone had to have lost in order for a piece of their kingdom to move to another, right?


WRONG!


In a lot of organizations, you'll find, what I call, "Professional Builders" and they are some of the most revered people within an organization. They have a peculiar talent and when you meet them, you realize that they are a jack-of-all-trades. They can come into an organization and build a mechanism to solve a particular problem or business need with the appropriate people, processes and tools around it. Then, once it's up and running, they leave! For these people, letting go involves migrating that function to a more sustainable and long-enduring set up. It also means validating that the function, once transitioned, has all of the components for longstanding success and doesn't fall apart as soon as they have left. This is the evolution of a company, and a proper one too.


In the next section, you'll understand how "Nothing lasts forever, man, I guess so." You should be "waiting for the let go".



Why is it important to “Let Go”?


Letting go is important on several levels professionally. At a macro level, organizations make sacrifices on a regular basis in order to ensure the mission or the vision stays the course. Transitioning functions and departments across the organization is crucial to ensuring the business stays operationally effective. We talked about professional builders in the previous section. That, everyone admires. However, there is a different type of builder that Amazonians are pretty adverse to. "Kingdom Builders" are individuals that continuously amass personnel and scope under their span of control. Sometimes this is purely for selfish reasons and sometimes its because they think that they, alone, can solve the world's problems. Whatever the reason, oftentimes, if you find functions cobbled together without a thread of sense under a single leader, your head should be cocking to the side in confusion. This is either because of a temporary alignment or you're in the presence of a Kingdom Builder. It's not even about Machiavellian intentions, because someone could actually mean well. Kingdom Builder actions manifest by not looking out for the best interest of the company long-term and that there is a lack of trust in other organizations' mission and culture where a function should belong. You'll start to see duplicative functions, wasted resources, and lack of alignment towards a common goal and purpose. This affects the company's bottom line.


Letting go has more advantages on an individual level. It allows you to become a well-rounded person through building a professional profile that's unique and varied. When you are so focused on one area or committed to one discipline or product, it doesn't allow you to grow or even be considered for new opportunities. You can become stunted when new technology, new areas of disciple or even just life moves past you without you freeing yourself up to learn and capitalize on these new changes. Years can go by and easily you can be on yesterday's technology or yesterday's practice struggling to find relevancy. When one hoards familiar territory, you can end up becoming a blocker for someone else's vision, opportunity and progression. People underneath you can become bitter or disheartened waiting for YOU to move to the next thing. Additionally, not letting go can be a sign of unfortunate hubris. That you and only you can continue solving a problem or that the maturity of a function starts and stops with you. NEWS FLASH! It doesn't. No matter how good you think you are. It can honestly become better and bigger with another person's critical eye with personal bias removed.


On a smaller level, the most often time people transition is when they're leaving a company. Doing an effective and thoughtful transition allows you to leave in a positive light and with a positive perception from your previous leadership. You never know where people go and your impact could influence a later decision or opportunity to bring you back.


Moral of the story, as an organization and as an individual, you don't want to be, "slipping near the edge, Holding something we don't need, All this delusion in our heads, Is gonna bring us to our knees". See what I'm doing here? Catch on yet?


When Did "Letting Go" First Manifest In My Career?


Now this Amazon transfer wasn't the first time I let a function go. There have been several in my career. There was transfers due to completing a predefined term, such as in my roles within the Black Professional Network (BPN) or student committee groups at University of Maryland (UMD). However, I don't really count these, because I knew from the very beginning that I would need to transfer. There was also times when I was moved from projects and I was forced to transfer. I don't count those either. Whether through a term or being "voluntold" to move to a project, these didn't have my full agency. The first time that I actually intentionally gave away an important role or function was when I became Manager at EY.


Most of us have been told that one progresses by focusing on a topic, getting really really good at something, and then becoming an expert. However, it wasn't until I was at EY that I realized becoming well-rounded is WAY more important. For most of my early career, I served the same client. I had intense deep knowledge about all the client's departments, mission-critical functions, personnel, and movements. Year after year, I would train new company personnel on their own systems and security posture. I built up a solid rapport with everyone in the security department. I could answer any question about the history of their groups. Except one...


"Can you tell me what other agencies are doing?"


That was my dreaded question. Besides being wrong, there was nothing more that I hated than just not knowing the answer. I had never been truly on another client in that capacity, so I could never really answer this question. I took a colleague's advice and finally brought in my, then, Senior Manager, Lisa Lally, who responded with a variety of examples from her career and time on other clients. She regaled them with stories of what happened here and what was similar about their situation and the outcome of the other agencies implementing her recommendations. The client looked at her with stars in his eyes and was truly engaged. My Senior Manager more than delivered. She assuaged the client that the challenges that they were facing wasn't new. However, if they stuck to the recommendations that EY had, they would be on par with their other agencies and could start progressing things to the next level.


Now this isn't a post about client satisfaction. BACK TO ME! While she was explaining, I was nodding along and giving the right social cues and encouragement back to the client. Internally, I was having a personal crisis. I realized that I was pigeon-holing myself by staying on the same client year after year. It wasn't complacency on my part. I was taking on stretch assignments and bar-raising work, but it was within the same client. If not on that client, it was the same domain of work. In other words...


I was getting too comfortable.


Though I knew what I needed to do, letting go of my client and pursuing a new one shook me to my core for obvious reasons. However, once the personal decision was made, I discussed the situation with my partner, made arrangements for a new client, and transferred the team effectively! Letting go was like jumping into the deep end of a pool. But ultimately, I told myself the following (in so little words): "So let go, so let go, hmm, jump in Oh, well, whatcha waiting for? It's alright. 'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown" Yeah, you probably caught on by now...



What are the signs that it's time to "Let Go"?


Okay now you're persuaded! You understand the reason why you need to let go of a function. How do you know? Well look no further! Here are a couple of signs from my experience that signified, oooh girl, time to move along or let it go.

  1. The work is becoming too easy. We've all been here in our careers. When you're clocking in for work and executing the runbook. Ultimately, you're going through the motions and you're not being challenged. Depending on your priorities in your career, this might be just fine. But if you're unsettled and restless, then this might be the very sign that it's time for something new. Or you're bored...straight up bored. It's time to make a change!

  2. It's been at least two years in the role. Generally, it takes two years to step in a role, own it and make it your own. However, this time frame is a good barometer to do a check-in with yourself and your career. Within those two years, you might be heads down focused on delivery. After that's over, pop your heads up for air. Check your surroundings. Things might be at a good place that it's time for you to do something else.

  3. Another organization appears like the proper home for your function. While you're popping up for air, look around the corner. Oh! There's another organization that looks a lot like home for what your team is doing. It's not that you have to automatically think of transferring, but you should definitely take note. Maybe this organization just wasn't mature enough yet to absorb the function you built. But now...it's looking mighty ready! Let's be clear, this is not a selfless decision. As other organizations are getting bigger and bigger, they're also going to be looking at yours too. If it makes common sense for your function and this organization to be together, politically, it will look much better for you to make this a seamless move. Besides, it's better for you to make the decision for it to move (timing, resources, responsibilities) instead of someone else making the decision for you. You'd rather have a seat at the table regarding your career than being on the menu.

  4. Someone on your team is looking for a stretch assignment. You got someone ambitious? Overreaching? Have they, themselves, mastered their role? Then you can guarantee that they're going through #1 or #2 above. It doesn't take long for a subordinate to turn that reverent perspective to bitterness. You know what that means? Has your mother ever told you, "You're not made of glass. I can't see through you?" Damn it, you're in the WAY! If you know for a fact that your team member is looking for a stretch assignment, you should be planning for either your ascension or your movement. Most people have had a situation where they've been blocked because someone is just staying too long. It doesn't serve anything or anyone. So get out of that person's way for their achievement and to minimize their frustration. It's better you do that than they leave because you unintentionally blocked their opportunities.

  5. Your leadership is transitioning and is looking for someone to step up. Or vice versa, your leadership opens a new position. They're looking for someone to step up. You look up the qualifications and you realize that you're actually qualified. This is a good time to make transition plans and put your hat in the ring! Even if you don't get it, at least your leadership is aware and can shape another opportunity for you. Here's another layer to this. Most people work hard and they feel like leadership will SEE their efforts and automatically put them in the running. However, on the other end, leadership might be looking at that hard-working employee and assume that the person is happy where they are. Or worse, that it's too risky to move that person because of how integral that person is to the operation. Think of it like this. You never know when leadership is looking for someone to step into a new opportunity. If you meet any of the other signs here, start the transition process to signal to your leadership that you're ready for something new regardless if it's in flight or not.

  6. There's nothing left for you to improve. Key word. There's nothing left for YOU to improve. If it feels like the cap is on the pen and there's nothing left in your capacity to move and shake your function, it's time to leave for your function's sake. Another person objectively can look at your function and make improvements that you never thought possible. Once I decided to let go and hire a new manager, there was so much joy watching this manager build, hire, and progress a strategy better than I could've ever done. We are not infallible. Let's not let our functions and our organizations suffer due to our own pride.

Once you identify any of the signs above, you should start making plans. Some of these signs were one of the things that I and fellow colleagues saw before we ultimately moved on and took on new challenges. However, plans best made doesn't mean they take the sting out of letting go. For me, "I would give grace but I'd rather give closure (I know), I would take breaks but I'd rather move forward (I won't)."



Who inspired me to “Let Go?”


Besides Lisa Lally, mentioned above, there were a lot of people that helped inspire me to "Let Go" and guided me as a struggled with the concept of transitioning:

  • Jodi Scrofani - Jodi is in charge of Regulatory Operations with AWS Security and she was one of the first people that I reached out to. In her 7 year career at AWS, she has a lot of experience standing up teams, driving for improvement and migrating teams to their proper homes. She encouraged me that transitioning teams was natural and allowed for progression and growth. She inspired me that it was okay to reinvent myself several times over and come out the other side a better person. She checked in on me after the transition to see how I was feeling.

  • Samara Moore - I call her "boss lady". Throughout the transition, she provided guidance on navigating effectively, reviewed transition plans and ensured that we were fair and equitable for both parties. She helped with how things should be communicated and back when I was the direct manager for this team, she opened my eyes to where my career could go.

  • Sara Duffer - Sara is the current Technical Advisor and Chief of Staff for Amazon and one of the best mentors that I could possibly have. In fact, 1 year before transitioning this team was on the table, she was the first one to mention that I should diversify my experience outside of just this function. She was so casual about it and I was so confused at the time. I didn't understand why I had to give up a sure thing, but she had the foresight. When I came to her with my dilemma, she was patient with me and explained how the best experience as an Amazonian was to have a varied career. She imparted that I really should be 75% utilized, never 100%. That's so that 25% of my time is available for new opportunities to take on or to be swept into new issues that lead to a new scope.

  • Chetan Dhadankar - I wouldn't be able to feel so comfortable letting go if I didn't have a person that was one of the best managers to transition this important work to. Chetan came in, learned quickly, empowered the team, asked the right questions, and drove the right actions out the gate. When you have a partner like this, you feel emboldened to move to the next phase because your team is in good hands.

Externally, there are a lot of individuals that have emerged as role models for the art of "letting go". One of the top ones that I can think of (thank you, Jodi for the suggestion), is Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney. Who leaves Disney at the height of Pixar and Marvel movie fame? Bob does! Any why? Because he wanted to leave on top! More details will emerge after his announcement, but Bob is truly a character story of how to transition effectively and knowing when it's the right time to leave and follow a different path. He had taken the time to self-reflect, understands where his passion truly lies, and pivoted effectively. But he could not do this without consistently building for long-lasting success the entire time. And when he did finally transition, there was barely any missteps or false starts. Everything kept moving forward and Disney leadership could reflect on Bob's tenure fondly. That's what I'm talking about!


In summary, having good personnel to coach and uplift me was absolutely necessary to allow me to let go mentally and trust the Amazon process. With this support system in place, it was"hard to say goodbye", but, "I'm ready to let go.



How do you “Let Go” successfully?


Finally, I've gathered some best practices through the years to ensure a successful transition. Take it or leave it, but at least you got the guidance!


Below are the 6 "do's" when transitioning a function or a team:

  1. Document responsibilities and standard operating procedures. I've said this before. Document, document, and document some more. You never can over-document how you do things, the background of how things came to be, and operational step by step guides for someone that has never done the job before. It allows teams to leverage a reference and reduces the amount of requests to you as you function in your new role. You don't want people still tethered to you EVERYTHING, just clarifications, context, or new concerns.

  2. Coordinate closely with the team that you're transitioning your function to. Don't be unavailable, non-responsive or hands-off. Ensure that the new team has a close relationship with you and feel comfortable asking questions and clarifying processes and background. Schedule time on a regular basis to field concerns. Set up workshops. Make sure the transition is not just a documentation exercise but a holistic training on what you do and how you do it.

  3. Keep your leadership in the loop throughout the process. Leadership should not be blind-sided by the transition. They should understand why you're doing it and should be aligned on how this transition is necessary for the long-standing function of the business. This provides you with an escalation point to help you unblock things that might come up.

  4. Talk to your personnel and explain the transition's purpose. It's important to be transparent with your team if there is a migration of ownership. Even if their day to day work is not impacted, letting your team know shows consideration. They could raise concerns or blockers in the process that you didn't anticipate. Unless there's an HR issue blocking you from communicating, when feasible, talk to the personnel impacted and explain the impact of the transition for the benefit of the organization.

  5. Establish a communication plan before, during and after the transition. The communication plan should be more than a simple email. There may be internal websites that should be updated, clients that should be notified personally, or meetings to discuss the transition with impacted stakeholders that should be had. Don't overlook a thorough communication strategy to address stakeholder concerns and to clear confusion.

  6. Establish a monitoring plan. This includes a time-frame in the transition plan where you're just monitoring the function or team operating independently. You're ready to step in for guidance and the team has you as a fall-back or an escalation point. This period also provides you with the validation that the function will continue on successfully without you.

Below are the 6 "don'ts" when transitioning:

  1. Don't half-ass documenting your workload even if you're still around. I remember when a colleague transitioned away from a team. When asked about a transition doc, the person said, "No worries! I'll still be at the company so you can reach out." The team didn't push the issue because the risk seemed low. It wasn't until the person left the team that the team was constantly reaching back to the original team member to transfer meeting invites, gain access to key permissions, get background on outstanding issues, and guidance. This dragged the team member back into the fray of the day to day work that they wanted to avoid. Transition properly and make it serious or you'll never able to truly let go.

  2. Don't brush off hiring the right personnel for the right position at the right time. If there are hiring considerations, the easy option is to hire first come, first in with minimal validation of appropriate qualifications. This option makes the difference in hiring someone rapidly and is the basis for how fast you can offload to another team. However, this might extend how long your transition is. But if you make the right hire, as soon as they're in, the fast you can transition effectively and lower the risk of rolling any processes back to you.

  3. Don't ignore dynamics between the current and future operational functions of teams. Consider creating a RACI reflecting the before and after of your teams so it's clear how interactions and workflows will endure. This isn't an absolute requirement to have this written down but it definitely should be discussed amongst teams.

  4. Don't fail to communicate the existing and future risks to that function. You don't want teams to start over. Any lessons learned or opportunities for greater alignment, new synergies, should be shared with any new members or remaining personnel. Not only is it a heads-up, but it's also a consideration to ensuring the future success of the program.

  5. Don't ignore your mental and emotional state in the process. It's okay for you not to be okay while you're doing this. Take care of yourself. Acknowledging that making this move is hard for you while still understanding that it absolutely needs to happen allows you to address your emotions and give yourself the attention you need as you push forward.

  6. Don't be petty. Last but not least, GIRL (even though I'm addressing the audience as GIRL, it's for satirical effect. I'm really addressing everyone. Don't be offended.). GIRL. You know what this means. Don't do the backhanded compliments. Don't be snarky about it. Don't wallow too much publicly. This is advice for even me. It's really hard not to go to this place because we are all human. And you can't always prevent it. But own it even if it wasn't your choice, strive forward because it's the best choice for yourself and the organization.

For those that receiving a newly transitioned function or team, look no further than Harvard Business Review's "Picking the Right Transition Strategy" by Michael D. Watkins. It goes through a really thorough guideline of how a transition process affects you and has best practices like the STARS framework (Start-Up, Turnaround, Accelerated Growth, Realignment, Sustained Success). Keep it in mind and many other resources as you learn how to transition.


Okay, well that's it!


That's all she wrote!


That's my post about letting go. You can go home now!


Bye.


See ya!


...


Okay if you figured out that theme, then you knew I wasn't going to leave you without doing it! If you're still on the fence on whether or not to let go and take on a new challenge in your career, "It's time to see what YOU can do, To test the limits and break through, No right, no wrong, no rules for you. You're free. Let it go, let it go...."




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