If no one wants to step into your leadership role, the problem may be the job itself, not the successors.

A desirable leadership position provides the authority, resources, and support needed to succeed.

Reliable systems, fewer emergencies, and empowered colleagues make the job more attractive to the next leader.

To lead sustainably, build a leadership role someone else genuinely wants to step into.

When a nonprofit executive I interviewed told her board she was leaving, they were not happy. Some staff cried. She cared about the organization, too, and understood why the news was hard to hear.

But something else happened. People started asking about the job.

A few years earlier, the position had been a difficult sell. The organization was struggling, and people knew it. An interim leader who had previously decided she didn't want the permanent role was now interested. When the board asked whether she was ready to take over, she said yes. And others were calling to ask about the open position.

“It feels good to know that it’s gotten to a place where people don’t feel like it’s so scary,” the executive told me. This is a great story. In just a few years, a leader had turned the leadership role itself around.

We tend to judge leaders by what they accomplish while they are in the job. What if we also judged them by whether anyone would want that job when they leave?

When the Job Becomes the Problem

Many leadership positions sound great on paper. But in practice, the expectations may be impossible. Every issue rises to the top, the board expects immediate answers, and the leader is responsible for results without enough authority or support.

Eventually, people begin to believe the job requires a special kind of person. Someone who can work all the........

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