With the Zimbabwe elections taking place today and president Robert Mugabe standing for another term in office, it gives rise to the question: When should a leader step down and make way for a new incumbent?
One of the great challenges of leadership is knowing when to step aside. Factors that indicate it may be time to hand the reins over to someone new include:
- Are you able to stay abreast of developments in your industry?
- Are you able to physically and mentally do the required work?
- Are you surrounded by managers who are able to do your job, perhaps even better than you?
The 89-year-old Mugabe has run Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is hoping it will be third time lucky as he seeks to unseat Mugabe.
Mugabe, has promised that if he loses, he will comply with the voters’ verdict. With the election results due to be announced in 5 days’ time, we’ll have to wait and see the outcome.