result
About
IN EVERY ISSUE
1.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Let’s Work Together and Make Some Magic!
2.
Publisher’s Message
Collaboration You Can Feel
3.
FROM THE EDITOR
Collaboration Opens the Door for Shared Leadership
Calendar of Events
4.
FEATURES
5.
Preparing for a Smooth Handoff: The tender, scary, and rewarding process of working towards a successful leadership transition
6.
The unexpected effect of AI on creativity: Protecting the human need to create nurtures motivation.
7.
5 Takeaways to Embrace – Collaboration as the New Currency
8.
How Collaborative Improv Comedy Techniques Can Enhance Client Engagement and Business Development
COLUMN
12.
2025 MCA AWARDS
The 2025 MCA Judges
13.
2025 MCA AWARDS
The 2025 SMPS Marketing Communication Awards Winners
14.
2025 MCA AWARDS
HITT Contracting Wins MCA Best of Show for High-Voltage Year-End Meeting
15.
2025 MCA AWARDS
Carollo’s I-FLOAT Campaign Wins MCA People’s Choice at Amplify A|E|C
16.
2025 MCA AWARDS
Interview with Brad Thurman: 2025 Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award Recipient
17.
2025 MCA AWARDS
SMPS Names 2025 Chapter President of the Year: Olivia Farquharson, CDMP, PCM
18.
2025 MCA AWARDS
SMPS Recognizes Of the Year Awards at Amplify A|E|C
19.
2025 MCA AWARDS
Congratulations to the 2025 Class of Fellows
20.
2025 MCA AWARDS
Congratulations to the New CPSMs
Share:
Share:
By Sarah Wortman, CPSM and Emily Walker
FEATURE
The tender, scary, and rewarding process of working towards a successful leadership transition.
People now ask me if I'm passing the torch. I always explain that no, I'm keeping my torch, and using it to light the torches of others… We each need a torch if we are to see where we're going, and together, we create so much more light.”
— Gloria Steinem
As those of us with “a little snow on the roof” start to think about retirement, especially if we are not equity partners in our firms, the instinct is to keep it to ourselves. We fear that transparency about our plans will lead to being placed on the bench, being excluded from key meetings or decision-making opportunities, or worse, that the decision about when to retire won’t be left up to us. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that, if we don’t actively and deliberately transition leadership of marketing to the next generation, we risk leaving chaos behind. Is it complicated? Absolutely. Is it sometimes painful and scary? Absolutely. Can it also be rewarding? I believe the answer is a definitive yes.
The importance of a thoughtful exchange.
A 2024 Manpower study of the state of talent in business said the following: “As Baby Boomers retire, the absence of emerging leaders within these organizations is becoming a painful reality. Without proper preparation, organizations risk facing serious setbacks in maintaining stability, growth, and employee morale.” Often, firms are either keeping their senior talent longer, elevating their junior talent a bit sooner than they might typically be ready, or relying on consultants to fill the gap.
I think there’s an arc to this kind of handoff that is similar to passing a baton in a relay race. The recipient has to start running as you approach, so you’re travelling at the same speed before the handoff. The transfer of the baton has to be deliberate and firm, because the person you’re handing it to is looking ahead, not behind. Finally, once the baton is out of your hand and you slow down, you’re watching something you’ve carried for a long time move past you and keep going.
Because transitioning is a team sport, I posed the following question to myself and to the colleague who seems most likely to inherit my role: What are the three most important things we need to consider and do before the baton is passed?Baton Passer Role and Outlook:
Develop a plan and a timeline for when and how I will hand off my responsibilities, knowledge, and task management, and share them with the appropriate parties at appropriate intervals.
I started creating a plan about two years before my anticipated retirement date. I began sharing parts of the plan first with the person whom I suspected would inherit my role, then later with my boss, key principals, and colleagues with whom I work most closely. I am open to some flexibility in my departure date and am willing to collaborate with my leadership to ensure it works for all of us.
Luckily, I have someone to whom to pass the baton. If I hadn’t, I would have started looking outside the firm for a replacement and made recommendations to leadership on who I thought would be a good fit. Even if it isn’t going to be my decision to make, I wanted to be thoughtful about who might succeed in the role, given what I knew about my firm and the key players in it. The actual hiring decision will be up to the leadership of the firm.
Find strategies to help me manage the inevitable anxiety and uncertainty that come with making this kind of change.
In addition to having career consequences, retirement has notable emotional consequences that need to be managed lest they leak onto those you work or live with in inappropriate ways. Circumstances can change and require a rethinking of the plan. As we proceed, I recognize that I need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. For me, a combination of coaching and journaling has helped me find my way through. Use whatever resources work for you.
Find a way to celebrate when all is said and done.
I read an interesting article by Anne E. Beall, who built a business, sold it, got all of her employees well-situated in the new firm, then retired… and no one did anything to mark the occasion. She went on to share how often men are feted in some way upon their retirement, yet few women are acknowledged on their way out the door.
It’s important to give yourself something to look forward to, whether it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip, a party, or a chance to share a meal and have a toast with your team. I think it’s essential to ensure your departure is marked in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Baton Recipient Role and Outlook:
Ensuring my new role is clearly defined, including what the expectations are and how they differ from those of my prior title and position.
Firms grow and shrink, as do teams, which means that roles are continuously evolving. During the transition, I look for clarity about what is expected of me in my new role. The more clearly it can be outlined and defined, the more effectively I can ensure that I pass the baton of my current role to others to fill, allowing me to concentrate on new responsibilities and goals.
Backfilling: Ensuring my position is backfilled correctly, which is challenging. There’s so much historical knowledge that can’t easily be transferred when you’ve worked in multiple roles across an organization for many years. It can be tricky to strike a balance between being a resource for historical knowledge while stepping into a higher-level role, and empowering other team members to take on tasks that upper management has traditionally relied on me to handle.
Whether bringing someone in from outside the firm to take my role or promoting from within, we are disrupting the status quo, so it’s important to ensure team members understand why we’ve made the choices we’ve made to minimize the possibility of losing key team members who fear they’ll be unhappy with the changes.
Mentorship: Mentoring and gradually delegating responsibilities to team members to build their confidence and readiness to step into entry-level management positions on the team and test their interest/skills in management.
One advantage of a transparent and gradual transition is the ability to create agency among those on my team I promote or whose responsibilities get shuffled so that I don’t always get pulled back into the day-to-day tasks. Learning how to guide effectively, to give people opportunities to earn autonomy in getting things done, and hopefully create career growth opportunities for my team is part of passing my own baton.
Collaborate for the Best Possible Outcome
While this transition, like all big changes, will likely play out differently than we might imagine, ongoing preparation and dialogue with those most affected helps lay a firm foundation for a successful transfer of responsibility and authority, and also opens a door to a new phase of life for all involved.
Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Emily Walker is an experienced marketer with a focus on proposal development and business development within the A/E/C industry. She joined the SMPS Seattle chapter in 2017 and served on the Board of Directors from 2022-2024. At MG2, Emily works to develop brand-defining proposals and strategies to win meaningful work
Connect on Linkedin
Sarah Wortman, CPSM, is Currently Director of Marketing at MG2, an affiliate of Colliers Engineering and Design, Sarah has worked in marketing for architects and engineers for over 25 years. When she’s not at the office you can find her behind her potter’s wheel (see her work on Instagram as AECSarah).
Connect on Linkedin