Does your talk match your walk? - Transitioning as Founder CEO

Where there is a beginning there is an end…I must however confess that when I founded The Youth Banner in 2010, spent days and nights thinking through our flagship program, putting all I had learnt together, consulted my colleagues in the youth employment arena and used every resource I could gather, I never thought of the end.

I spent five solid years fully focused on achieving our Vision: Developed and Economically Empowered Youth, and Mission: To create an enabling environment for youth to earn sustainable incomes. It is only last year, five years later, that the thought of leaving was planted in my mind. This was when the Chair of The Youth Banner (TYB) Board and I attended a governance workshop organised through one of our development partners. The participants were from different organizations, some younger and some older than TYB. We learnt many useful things on governance but my take home was that I never want to be accused of bringing TYB down because of the Founder’s Syndrome. My one question was when does the Founder become a problem to the organization? I will be talking more about the Founder’s Syndrome in the coming weeks. At the end of the three days’ workshop my mind was made up: I will leave TYB while the going is good….

At the same governance workshop, I was reminded that in the NGO-type organisations, (TYB is registered as a company limited by guarantee without shares, therefore a Not-for-Profit), the founder has no shares. This means that irrespective of the time, energy and resources spent at the organization, when the time comes to leave, you only walk out with your handbag (in my case). Even the computer belongs to the organisation!

For two months after the governance workshop, I was totally distracted and this was probably for the first time since I founded TYB in 2010. I asked myself hard questions like: How many active working years do I still have (God permitting)? How many more years do I want to give TYB? What does work beyond TYB look like?

This month, 1^st July, I finally wrote that letter, the resignation letter. It is not the first resignation letter I have written but this one was completely different. I was resigning from the organization I founded. I almost felt like I was divorcing my family. I will be serving a three months’ notice as agreed with the Board. Note, in most cases you serve notice as agreed on the employment contract. I do not have an employment contract, nobody contracted me, I just started working….

My resignation letter in part said and I quote ‘It has been my great privilege to work with an exceptionally dedicated team of managers, officers and trainers. I am exceedingly grateful for all the long hours and hard work The Youth Banner employees have put even at challenging times.

Whilst thoroughly looking forward to my next phase, I must say that I will miss working at The Youth Banner, the organization I founded and whose Vision and Mission I still believe in. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your CEO these last 6 years’

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing this transition journey with you. Keep following...