How can Birmingham leaders step up? By stepping away
Birmingham Business Journal: Guest Notebook Entry
Imagine stepping away from your business for three months. Could it survive without you? For most business owners, the thought feels impossible. Yet, as leaders in high-stakes roles, we often sacrifice more than we realize by refusing to step back. Whether we justify it as a rite of passage or a necessary evil to keep operations running smoothly, we often fall into the trap of never truly stepping away because we think our businesses can’t run without us.
As the founder of a Birmingham-based strategic communications firm, I faced this reality head-on when gearing up for my third maternity leave in five years. I anticipated it would follow the same pattern as my previous leaves — a whirlwind of last-minute emails, around-the-clock contingency planning and standby availability if things blew up.
A few weeks from my due date, a trusted mentor challenged me to walk away completely for three months. No emails, no phone calls, no texts. I realized the greatest gift I could give my team and myself was this chance to grow and experience authentic trust. So, I took the plunge and committed to a three-month fully disconnected leave.
What I discovered during my time away wasn’t just that my team could survive without me — it was that they could thrive. Here are five lessons I learned from taking a step back.
1. You are not as important as you may think
This realization isn’t an attack on self-worth, but rather an acknowledgment that a well-prepared team is capable of handling challenges in your absence. As owners, our businesses often feel like our firstborns, but stepping away allows rising leaders to prove their own resilience and creativity.
2. Allow space for growth
This experience gave my team the space they needed to collaborate and learn from one another. Without me unknowingly being the central figure holding everything together, they discovered new levels of synergy, trust and respect for one another’s expertise.
3. Trust is a two-way street
I trusted my team to run our business without me for three months, and in turn, they also trusted me as a business owner to relinquish control. No one would have known if I had been quietly plugged in and checking my email – but how would I know if I could trust myself with succession planning if I didn’t give it my full effort now? Stepping away requires mutual buy-in to shape the long-term growth and vision of the business.
4. Embrace life happening
Even with the best planning, life happens. During my leave, an unexpected situation threw a wrench in our carefully crafted plans. But these unpredictable moments reaffirmed the importance of establishing guardrails — partners you can lean on in the face of high-stakes decisions.
5. Practice what you preach
Stepping away is also about creating a culture that practices what it preaches. It challenges organizations to evolve in ways that daily leadership cannot always achieve as role models for healthier workplaces.
Stepping away to step up
When I returned, my team was stronger and more confident than ever, which both humbled and inspired me. By stepping out of daily decisions, I gained clarity to focus on strategic priorities that better leveraged my strengths to work on our business, not in it.
After a decade of running a business, I’ve learned that stepping back isn’t just a personal reset — it’s an investment in your organization’s future. While not everyone can take a full sabbatical, every leader can create intentional space for their team to redefine roles, grow in confidence and flourish with innovation.
So, I challenge my fellow Birmingham business leaders: Is holding on too tightly worth missing the opportunity to see others rise? For me, the answer was clear. Growth — for both your business and your team — requires trust, courage and the willingness to let go.
Stepping back isn’t just about taking a break. It’s about transforming your business into something stronger, more sustainable and less dependent on any one person. Take the leap. Trust your team — and yourself — to unlock a brighter, bolder future.