Every Tide Ebbs…
There comes a time for every founder to leave the organization he or she began. When you are the founder, it can be difficult to know exactly when that time is. One’s perspective is always skewed at the top of an organization, and this is especially true with one that is as dynamic and diverse as Tides. For a host of good reasons, I’ve decided to initiate the process of stepping down as CEO of Tides. I expect to move onto new things after the search for a new CEO and a successful leadership transition have come to completion within the next year.
For over thirty-three years, I have lived and breathed this organization. I love very inch of it, and every soul who has contributed to its remarkable success over these years. It is a gift to have been able to work with such concentration and focus for such a long period of time. With that gift, we have achieved some remarkable things.
This is not to say I haven’t made my share of mistakes. I’ve made some doozies. But I’ve been blessed with a fabulous group of mentors who have served on our various boards over this time, and we’ve nurtured a frank, truth-telling relationship that has benefited me, and, I trust, the organization. At times, this has been hard on my colleagues, for whom more support and encouragement might have been welcome. But the occasional nudge from on high has inspired us to stretch and, even more importantly, helped us resist complacency.
Tides is, at its core, a collaborative enterprise. Everything we do is a partnership with dedicated people who care about the world around them. They place trust in us, and, in turn, we work from that trust to construct the very best contributions to sustainability and justice that we can conjure. We have also been able to avoid the organizational ‘calcification’ that so often occurs as organizations grow to scale. Taken as a whole, the Tides enterprise ranks as approximately the 95th largest operating charity in the US. It’s truly hard to believe that that is the case, but the numbers don’t lie. That we have been able to do so while remaining deeply committed to purpose and mission – often in ways that make folks with other sentiments blanch – is beyond wonderful. It is a blessing.
By far the most difficult thing about this transition will be leaving behind such a remarkable and talented staff. They have been the very best of colleagues – pushing the envelope, challenging convention, and creating together this thing we call Tides. This is equally true of our many donors, funders, projects, and tenants – the people with whom we partner in so many ways. They have taken us to places and experiences few might have imagined, and they have done so out of their passions for making this world a little bit better for our collective efforts. My gratitude to them is without measure.
I am looking forward to a next chapter in my life, though its prose has yet to be written. I know it won’t be far from the commitments and passions I’ve been following throughout my life, but maybe I’ll have a few extra minutes to rekindle my squash skills, grow a few grapes, or do an extra trip in the Grand Canyon. If the past is prologue, though, (thank you, William), that may be just a pipe dream. Work when mixed with passion demands much, but returns even more. And that is simply irresistible.