Updated October 2025Leave Well™
How to End Strong and Start What’s Next with Intention.
Most leaders give two weeks’ notice and disappear. The ones who leave well turn their final chapter into their finest leadership moment.
↓ EXPLORE THE LEAVE WELL FRAMEWORK
LEAVE WELL™ — EVERY EXIT SHAPES WHAT COMES NEXT.
Leave Well™ is a system for finishing strong and moving forward intentionally.
It helps leaders close one chapter with confidence and keep relationships strong for what’s next.
WHEN ENDINGS BECOME LEADERSHIP MOMENTS
What It Means to Leave Well
Leaving a role isn’t just a career move — it’s a leadership moment.
When the story of your work gets told, the ending often shapes what people remember most.
Leave Well™ is a behavioral-science-based system that helps executives finish strong, protect relationships, and carry their credibility forward.
It’s not outplacement or job-search strategy — it’s leadership strategy for endings.
Leaders who practice Leave Well learn to:
Reflect on impact and lessons learned.
Communicate their transition story clearly and with grace.
Connect forward so their network and momentum stay alive.
Because how you leave is the story people keep telling — and it’s worth getting that story right.
The story isn’t over just because you’re leaving.
WHY MOST EXITS FALTER
The Problem: Most Leaders Leave on Autopilot
In high-visibility roles — especially in biopharma — how you leave echoes long after you’re gone. Yet most transitions are rushed, reactive, or emotionally charged. Leaders either:
Check out early, leaving relationships behind.
Vent frustration and quietly burn bridges.
Or focus so narrowly on what’s next that they neglect the impact of how they leave.
The result? Lost momentum, strained credibility, and missed opportunities to shape what’s next.
Leaving well isn’t about etiquette — it’s about leverage.
It’s how you close one chapter while setting the conditions for the next to begin strong.
When it’s time to move on, even great leaders default to the basics: give notice, send farewells, hand off projects.
But those final weeks carry disproportionate weight.
That’s when reputations stick.
It’s when colleagues decide whether they’d follow you again — or whether your story ends flat.
How you finish is the proof of your leadership.
WHAT DRIVES LAST-DAY BEHAVIOR
The Common Mistake: Stopping Short of Leaving Well
Most leaders don’t leave badly — they just miss the opportunity to leave well.
They underestimate how much the ending matters.
You’ve led teams through layoffs, launches, and late nights — but when it’s your turn to go, the emotions hit differently.
You start second-guessing, over-explaining, or rushing through the goodbye.
It’s not a lack of professionalism.
It’s human wiring.
1. We remember the ending, not the middle.
That’s the Peak–End Rule.
People will remember your last few weeks more than your last few years.
A thoughtful handoff and gracious goodbye do more for your reputation than a dozen past wins.
→In my BioSpace feature, “Everyone Talks About Making a First Impression — But What About Your Last One?”, I explored how people remember endings more than beginnings.
2. We cling to what we might lose.
That’s Loss Aversion.
Even after you decide to move on, part of you still wants to hold on — to projects, access, or the comfort of being needed.
It’s the same instinct that makes leaders stay too long, just playing out in the final stretch.
→As I wrote for BioSpace, “Job Hugging” — holding on too long in the name of stability — often creates more risk than it avoids.
3. We mistake the role for who we are.
That’s Identity Threat.
Leaving can feel like erasing part of yourself.
You start wondering who you are without the brand, the team, or the authority that came with the role.
But endings create space for definition.
They give you a moment to decide what part of your leadership carries forward — and what you’re ready to leave behind.
When you see what’s really driving your hesitation, you get your agency back.
You stop reacting and start designing the story people will remember.
People remember how you made the ending feel.
A SYSTEM FOR FINISHING STRONG
What Actually Works: A Framework for Leaving Well
You can’t control every part of a transition — but you can control how you show up in it.
The leaders who leave well don’t wing it. They follow a clear framework that turns uncertainty into credibility.
Leave Well™ helps you move through three deliberate stages:
1. Reflect.
Look back with intention.
Clarify the impact you’ve had, the lessons you’re taking with you, and the story you want your exit to tell.
This isn’t about self-promotion — it’s about self-awareness.
2. Communicate.
Plan your message before the rumor mill does.
A clear, confident narrative about why you’re leaving and what you care about next builds trust and steadies your team.
It’s leadership in motion, not spin.
3. Connect.
Design your next chapter by design, not default.
Protect relationships, stay visible, and leave doors open.
The best exits strengthen your network — they don’t sever it.
When leaders follow this process, they don’t just exit gracefully — they finish strong, protect their credibility, and step into what’s next with momentum.
The way you close a chapter says as much about your leadership as the work itself.
WHY THIS IDEA IS STARTING CONVERSATIONS
Where the Idea Shows Up
Leave Well™ is showing up in articles, interviews, and conversations about leadership transitions.
Explore related writing and features:
Everyone Talks About Making a First Impression — But What About Your Last One?
What people remember most isn’t how you start — it’s how you leave.Job Hugging Won’t Save You — The Hidden Risk of Playing It Safe
Why holding on too long can quietly stall your growth and credibility.Loyalty Is a Flawed Strategy — And It Can Cost You
When loyalty becomes fear in disguise — and how to recognize it early.U.S. News & World Report: How to Resign Gracefully
Featured expert commentary on timing and communication during transitions.Medium: How to Quit Your Job the Right Way (Without Burning Bridges)
A practical guide to finishing strong, protecting key relationships, and turning your exit into opportunity.
KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING
Stay Connected in the Way that Fits You:
Practical Perspectives
Once a month.
Personal reflections and behavioral-science insights for leaders navigating change.
Weekly Blog
Every Friday.
Practical ideas on leading yourself, others, and the business.