The Leadership of Letting Go
There is something special about Fall.
There’s something in the crispness of the air, the shifting light, the blaze of color across the trees that feels like an invitation to pause and pay attention. But more than anything, fall reminds me of one of the most profound lessons nature has to offer: the power of letting go.
Trees don’t cling to their leaves, no matter how beautiful they are. They release them — not because they’ve failed, but because the season has changed. That release makes space for rest, renewal, and eventually, new growth.
And maybe, as leaders, we are called to the same practice.
Why Letting Go Feels Hard
Most of us have been taught to hold on.
Hold on to responsibilities, even when they drain us.
Hold on to roles, even when they’ve run their course.
Hold on to ways of working, even when they no longer serve.
We cling because letting go feels like loss.
We fear that if we release something — an expectation, a commitment, a part of our identity — we’ll be left with nothing.
But the truth is, letting go is not about emptiness. It’s about making room.
Just as trees shed leaves to prepare for winter, we let go to prepare for what’s next.
The Leadership Lesson in Fall
Leadership that never lets go becomes overburdened. It becomes heavy with outdated practices, unsustainable expectations, and roles that no longer fit.
Fall reminds us that release is part of growth.
✨ Letting go creates clarity. It frees us from carrying what no longer belongs to us.
✨ Letting go creates space. It opens the way for new opportunities and deeper alignment.
✨ Letting go creates trust. It reminds us that we don’t have to grip everything tightly in order to lead well.
The mark of a wise leader is not just how much they carry, but what they’re willing to lay down.
What Might We Need to Release?
Each of us has something we’re holding that no longer serves:
A commitment that drains more than it gives.
An expectation (from others or ourselves) that has become impossible to sustain.
A role or identity we’ve outgrown.
A way of working that made sense once, but is no longer aligned with who we are becoming.
Letting go doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility. It means choosing to carry only what truly matters, and setting down what no longer does.
My Own Season of Release
This fall, I’ve been reflecting on my own leadership. I’ve noticed how easy it is for me to cling — to commitments, to the pace of productivity, to expectations of myself that leave little room for pause.
And yet, every time I’ve chosen to release something, I’ve been surprised by the freedom that follows. By the clarity that comes. By the way new energy, new creativity, and even new opportunities flow into the space I’ve created.
Like the trees, I’m learning that letting go is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom.
An Invitation
This fall, I invite you to look at your own leadership with the eyes of the season.
👉 What are you holding that no longer serves you?
👉 Where is it time to release, so you can enter the next season with clarity and strength?
👉 How might letting go create space for something new to emerge?
Because leadership isn’t only about what we take on.
It’s about what we release along the way.
A Cor & Kin Reflection
Take this to your journal:
“What am I being invited to release this season so I can grow with greater clarity?”
Write without judgment. Notice what rises. Then consider: What one step could I take this week to practice letting go?
Because sometimes the most courageous leadership act is not holding on tighter — it’s opening our hands, and trusting that what we release will make way for what’s next.