Harish Palaniappan's

Power, in Business terms, is considered synonymous with Energy, Strength, higher Intelligence and decision making skills. Sometimes even negative energy (as in Evil) or influence, or, egoistic characterists.

People in powerful positions in Businesses, feel both the positives and negatives of being powerful and some of them strive hard to keep an imaginary barrier in their heads to separate its negative characteristics from tempting the Brain from doing things.

Some Chairmans, CEOs always insist in eating with their lower order employees, having get-to-gether's too very often officially and unofficially to the extent of considering drinking their Coffee with their subordinate employee, even if its thier 8th Coffee for the day.

All powerful people in Business like being there.. in their top post as CEO or chairman or General manager of their company. And only differ in what they like it for. While some, like it because of the feeling of responsiblity and control of their Business's various parameters of growth and attitude, some, like it for the pride of having achieved such high ranks in business after all those years.

Exercising the top most powerful position in the company, is very commonly the interest of all Middle-Level managers and assistants/subordinates of the top ranks. Though very similar to the old days of kings where dynastic successors were numbered based on their heirarchy to the throne, Business obviously don't go that extent to deciding who carries the baton next.

In big Businesses, most often except a few exceptions, the process of identifying a successor from an internal pool of top brass, or appointing a new person to the top post, simply goes by the normal recruitment processes. With interviews and discussions over a few weeks to few months shortlisting candidates and finally selecting the right person.

After living in the top slot for a while, and earning the top pay packet for a few years, some managers decide to step down themselves to give way for a new person. But, many top managers leave office only when they decide to retire.. or when they retire by virtue of health and non-confidence of their collegues.

We could say that a top-level manager giving up his office by means of stepping-down or by retirement is a 50:50 ratio. The top-level manager, however he/she leaves office, is considered responsible for the consequences of the business even for the couple of years after their exit.

This is very often why most CEO's step down to be a chairman / chief mentor of the organization to still be able to control or monitor the newcomers work and decisions in his office space.

In the backdrop of all this, there are many advantages for a manager stepping down after a couple or more years in the top post, which many managers overlook and stay till retirement.

Advantages of Stepping down.. and points to consider to decide when to step down:

> Avoid Stagnation at the top level:

The top order of any company is always the most stagnant part of the company, only because the CEO can't become a super CEO or further, because there are no such positions. And so, the subordinates of a CEO are not happy people after a couple of years being the same CEO's subordinate...in the same level of office. Like in politics, the every other guy next to the prime minister wants to become the prime minister. This is not a bad thing... the idea of doing things for the company from its apex is always a tempting feeling.

Like people age, companies too age with the same people at the top level. Unlike human ageing, the company ages much faster, and a slow down pitches in.

> Leave at your peak, and feel happy looking back:

You would hear the statement from Sports persons very often, that they want to retire or quit the game at their peak.

The advantage is a happy and proud feeling of achievements during their reign(especially if they had a winning streak at things), and also the compassion and praise people and media shower on them for giving up the slot for younger minds...or bringing a new perspective and freshness to the corner office.

For example, very often, people in top government office, step down for this happiness and pride after having been a president or minister and taking pride in having done things for people.

> For personal Gains:

Though not the best thing to do, sometimes people negotiate their stepping down to personal benefits in wealth, or, other personal gains.

Again, people in government office at a top level have been most attracted to step down on preconditions or negotiations with a pre-determined successor for their position. The personal gains sometimes could be to the extent of not being held later for mistakes in office, be it criminal or civil...and the freedom to live like a high-ranked, high-pensioned citizen with special benefits for self or family from the government.

People quote examples that a Russian president allowed his lesser known subordinate and right-hand man to assume his office in the condition of keeping the new government entirely away from mistakes that the president had committed in his office which otherwise would come to light after his time in office.

> For Personal Health & Family:

High office, is for obvious reasons, a lot of stress and workload,
especially, if there are open issues in office already when you are considering stepping down.

Such stress could get a top level manager carried away into work to create sometimes irrecoverable issues with health, their personal life, and family.

While these issues could aggravate or deteriorate based on how a successor to the position deals with them... it is sometimes better to step down to allow for de-stressing and spending time with family, at the same time introduce a new perspective or thought by means of a new comer to deal which might help resolve the issues at office.

For example, Once a top ranked defence department official in America stepped down because of his family facing lot of threats from external agencies whose criminal/civil activity the official had been monitoring. And as the official stepped down to allow himself and his family be given lesser importance by the agencies, the new official who took over helped bring to justice the agencies quickly.

> To pursue others interests:

Everybody has a life outside office.. yes even the top level managers, though most of them realize it only after retirement.

People grow passionate about some sort of work or activity over their younger or youthful years, and always wish to do things that they possibly couldn't do when they were in the top post in their office.

This could be something in charity like working with organizations to fund charities, or, something passionate like starting a management school or yoga center.

Stepping down after a few years of stressful, hectic, number crunching office hours, these new openings for the top managers, give both the satisfaction of work and more time with family. That is a decent balance to most workaholic managers who just can't stay without work.

Also, in charities, the involvement of an Ex-CEO or Ex-Chairman of a big organization helps the charities a lot, quite immediately.

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The above reasons should more or less cover a spectrum of reasons / advantages of stepping down from office.

There is always a best time to do stuff, especially considering a previously stated point that, though you step down, you will be considered responsible for the consequences or growth of the company for a couple of years after your time, especially if you had stayed in the top post for a considerable time.