It can be tough to undergo a change of leadership. Especially if you’re the outgoing leader.

Sure, there are potentially many effects on people in the organization, but that’s not what I’m focused on today. I’d like to talk about YOUR experience.

The best case is that the change is known in advance, even if not all the details are clear. Soon there will be a specific date, perhaps a certain event at which the announcement will be made. Ideally you see this as a positive thing, the passing of leadership duties from one person to the next.

But you still can be nervous. How will this impact me personally? What about employees, partners, customers and other key relationships? Is my successor ready for the task? What will I be doing after the change?

The first thing is to take care of the people on your team. They might well be worried about being thrust out of their comfort zone, even about their jobs. So your challenge is to clearly articulate for them what will NOT be changing, what definitely WILL be changing, and the things which are probably up to the new leader to decide. Don’t make it a laundry list of fifty things; keep it to the simple principles of the change.

Sometimes it will be important to articulate WHY the change needs to happen, and why now. When people understand the underlying logic, they’re much more likely to support it.

If there’s an implementation schedule or rollout plan, let your people know that. This can be especially important when customers and partners are impacted, but you need to let employees know first so the transition can go smoothly. Perhaps your folks will play a part in helping it roll out.

Then … the key question is who YOU are during this transition. Do you support it? Are you helping the new leader to be effective before, during and after the change? How can you support their decisions, even the ones you might have made differently?

Most of the time a change of leadership is about continuity and development, not throwing everything out and starting from scratch. Keep in mind that you are just one in a succession of leaders.