Introduction
Discover the emotional reality of leaving long-term teams as an interim leader. How do you adjust when the calls stop, routines fade, and familiar rhythms disappear? Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege to work with four different teams—each for a stretch of at least 14 months. That’s long enough to build trust, share countless meetings, laugh over inside jokes, and create a rhythm that feels almost second nature. It’s also long enough to make saying goodbye more complicated than just transferring responsibilities and closing your laptop. Leaving a team doesn’t happen overnight. You gradually unplug from the group chats, cancel recurring calls, and wrap up that one last shared project. But emotionally? That takes longer.
The Trusted Train Line.
Working with a team for that long often feels like riding a familiar train route. You learn the stops, the rhythm, and the small signals. You know when someone needs backup before they ask. You feel part of a crew that’s moving together in the same direction. Then the assignment ends. The train pulls into its final station, at least for you. You step off, and the train keeps moving. That’s when the real shift begins.
The Invisible Threads That Stay Behind.
What I often miss most isn’t the work itself, it’s the patterns and people. Daily check-ins that anchored my mornings. Unspoken ways of working that made collaboration effortless. That comforting sense of belonging that grows over time. You build a mini ecosystem with its own norms, pace, and humor. And when you leave, that system continues—just without you.
The Quiet Phase of Re-Adjustment.
After each departure, there’s a quiet moment. The calendar is suddenly empty. No more Monday syncs. No familiar Teams notifications. Even the silence feels oddly loud. This is the paradox of interim work: you’re trained to let go, but each departure still leaves a mark.
A Soft Landing After the Exit.
What helps is pausing, really pausing, to reflect. I often take moments to think about what made this team unique. What did I learn? What will I carry forward? Sometimes I stay in light contact. Sometimes I don’t. Both are okay. What matters is making space—mentally and emotionally—for what comes next.
Finding a New Balance.
Gradually, I let go of the old habits tied to that team and prepare to build new ones. I try to embrace the in-between phase, not as a void, but as a reset. It’s a rare moment to regain perspective, recharge, and prepare for a new journey. Because here’s the truth:
You don’t really leave teams behind. You carry them with you. Quietly. Like familiar tracks on a trusted train line.
