Can aged care leaders resign well? Uniting NSW.ACT’s outgoing CEO Tracey Burton shares that conscience plays a part

As the sector continues its transition post act, it hasn’t been lost on leaders, advocates and seniors that a fair slew of professionals in the top job have put in their resignation. The sector has seen wide-ranging, valid discussions regarding energy to persevere, in an industry not for the faint of heart. As well, extensive workshops and policy recommendations to protect leaders and front-line staff from burnout. But at a time of immense change it is worthwhile to enter into another conversation, that of leaving well, for both leaders and organisations. What ingredients make up the decision to step away, with a robust corporate report card and a settled heart? Following on from her resignation announcement, Tracey Burton of Uniting shares that as leaders are a mix of personal and professional, so too should the elements that go into the decision and approach to leaving a corporate role well. At the centre of her decision, corporate and community health played key roles in bolstering her conscience to know it was “the right time.”

A big decision

Burton is clear as to the weightiness of the decision: “being the chief executive of Uniting these last eight years, it’s been an enormous privilege, and so this decision to stop has been a really big decision for me.”

And so in a complementary sense, there had to be clear markers for her that the organisation and its people could and would thrive with her departure, “the heart of it is my deep satisfaction that Uniting right now is sitting in such a strong position that it really feels like the right time to leave for Uniting.”

Corporate report card

Burton plainly shares, “I would feel bad about choosing to leave if I wasn’t so sure that Uniting’s in such a great place.”

“Last year, the board and executives did a deep dive into our strategy to make sure that settings are right. We got some real clarity about what we’re going to do over the next horizon or two of that strategy. It’s really stable.”

For the many that have chosen to make aged care their career, it is well understood that a ‘tight’ executive team is one that will help the centre hold. Not quite knowing what or when new rules might appear, Burton notes the need for stability in transition. “I wanted to stay and settle our new Chair, Liz and ensure that our turnover was down to twelve per cent turnover.”

Leadership that seeks to uplift others to thrive independently of those in executive roles means entrenching humility into an organisation’s practices. And the result Burton sees is resilience through transition, “I feel very confident, it’s the leadership, the culture, the ambition and vision. It’s really helped by a lot of people, that’s not helped by me directly.”

“It couldn’t be in a better state for me to be literally stepping away.”

Positive dualism

Burton sees that in her decision to step away, she has been able to care for both the business and her own family and she feels, “just so blessed to be in a position to do that.”

For those that have poured themselves into aged care, the conscience of leaving the business well is an ever present and heart-felt consideration. Going past corporate structures, Burton’s language sees Uniting as a business-family. And so, to leave well meant not just a clear conscience, but an expectant one of what can come next for Uniting.

“I would never have wanted to make a decision that would compromise Uniting. And I’m so glad I don’t have to do that.”

Providing the levity that many on the outside don’t know exists heartily in aged care, Burton good-naturedly jokes, “I didn’t have to say, ‘Oh, um, Uniting.. I have to go and do this other thing’…Uniting is just in such a good place.”

“I’m so delighted for where Uniting’s at, and now I’m really ready to go live life in a different pace, and genuinely give back more back to my family who have supported me all these years.”

Fresh energy

Burton shares that she believes in “leadership renewal”. Strategically there is merit to step back and have joy in the “fresh energy onto our strategy”, she says, “this will be a really good thing.”

When it comes to the confidence to leave, Burton notes a deep pride in the type of people that aged care and healthcare attract. In seeing the greater trends of aged care personnel, and the qualities of emerging leaders, a hopeful balance emerges. Burton shares, “they attract people who want to come and work to serve others. They attract people with those values of compassion and respect.”

Speaking about fellow peer Linda Mellors who is leaving Regis, Burton notes, “there is a great benefit of both organisations being in a strong position, so we can leave with the confidence that it will go on.”

Leaving includes transition

Burton says of the transition time, “I’m very lucky, I’m not in a rush, I don’t need to leave until the new person arrives.”

From this vantage point, Burton shares that outgoing leaders have the ability and gift to help support the handover, to bolster the newly arrived leader as the rubber hits the road, “I will really encourage them to spend a good bit of time on the road meeting the Uniting people.”

At the heart of success is people Burton assesses, in operational normalcy and in times of transition. Another key component of the ability to leave well is facilitating the new leader to form the relationships that are the bedrock of aged care management.

“If I can stay long enough to give them the gift of a really strong orientation period, where they don’t have to run the thing while also learning it. I had that gift when I arrived from my predecessor.”

Burton shares, “I was able to hit the road and learn so much and meet so many people. It really set me up for success, so if I can manage that, I think that would be wonderful.”

“I’m grateful to be able to contribute to setting up this person for success, which will also be a good thing for Uniting as well”. Burton champions personal values of collaboration, support and morality. Being satisfied in them as a leader is grounding for her, these elements having a profound place in leading aged care organisations from strength to strength, even in the midst of change.

Multi-faceted emotions

Burton highlights the multi-faceted emotions she has encountered since her announcement of resignation, “the main reaction I’ve had, which is lovely, is that people are saying they’re sad for themselves and Uniting, with instantly pivoting to be really happy for me.”

She shares that far from the awkward, hostile or toxic fracture points painted in Hollywood of executives leaving, leaders, organisations and staff can have the emotional complexity to hold space for a multitude of reactions. And importantly, that selflessness and the quality of staff is deeply present in aged care.

“People have said to me that they know how hard I’ve worked, and how big a role this is, and so they’re expressing their joy for me, knowing how much I love being a grandmother and all those things. So that’s really beautiful.”

For leaders contemplating a next step, the quality of leaving is also largely made up of the quality of organisation and people they are leaving from. Burton shares how she has been profoundly touched by the reaction of professionals at Uniting, in seeing her for her corporate contribution but also vitally, seeing her as an individual with personal importance.

“I have always felt valued, and an important part of team Uniting, and for them to care enough about me as a person to say this is joyful and ‘wonderful for you, Tracey’, that really means a lot to me.”

Selfless leadership is strategy

In not only settling her heart in leaving but deepening the groundwork of a job well done, Burton shares it is not in her career trajectory that she is uplifted. It is in the countless messages she has received since her resignation announcement, “a number of people are saying how much they appreciate the role I’ve played in helping them take their next step, in growing.”

“They share that I saw potential in them and encouraged them, and people were able to grow in their aged care career at Uniting, and that means a lot to me as well.”

Showcasing an approach to leadership that is equal parts personal conviction and corporate strategy, Burton shares that in seeking to genuinely provide opportunities for those in your care, whether they stay or leave, a quality of culture is entrenched. And she recognises that while people may leave, they may as surely return. It’s the quality of leadership and tone on leaving that has a monumental impact, for personnel do have long memories.

“I worked previously at an organisation that when people left, they were treated as if they were very disloyal and I’ve never done that.”

Burton advocates, “I’ve always said to people, ‘I can understand you need to grow your career, I can see that’s a good growth opportunity for you. So off you go and do that.’”

“You never know, you might come back.” Burton chuckles good-naturedly, “we call them boomerangs.”

“Hopefully there might be an opportunity to come back and you’ve grown and had different experiences and that would be wonderful.”

Burton is assured, “I do think it’s important that leaders send people off well, because there is a chance you’ll recruit them back again.”

The ethics and pragmatics of leaving

The lessons from childhood may yet hold a place in high-performing corporate role management. Burton shares that, “in terms of leaving well, I just think honesty is important.”

“It can be a very awkward time to resign, so honesty is part of leaving well, and if you can, have enough time to do the preparations to set the incoming person up for success.”

And for the organised ones up the back, yes indeed, neat and ordered notes have a huge part to play, “make sure that your files and notes and things are ready, just to make it easier for them.”

The journey of leaving

In reflecting on what she will cherish from Uniting, Burton has too many stories, and they joyfully come flooding out. A theme that comes up time and time again is the selflessness and capability of the staff at the organisation, the “Uniting people” as Burton names and treasures them.

“I could just go on and on with these stories, the one thing I will walk away treasuring is the heart of the Uniting people.”

“They’re just awesome.”

She shares that in her first few months of coming onboard at Uniting, she went to a facility that was no longer fit for purpose and was being demolished to be rebuilt. She expected the residents to think it was an awful place to live but what she encountered floored her and has stayed close ever since.

“They spoke about being loved by our staff. Feeling truly loved by our staff.”

Burton shares, “we at Uniting get to participate in the lives of Australians and to walk alongside them and try and help them have the life that they choose.”

“That there are literally thousands of Uniting people that turn up everyday that bring that heart to it, such that our residents would feel loved. That just blows me away.”

It is with this joy, treasure-trove of memories and truths, which Burton says she will step into her next phase of life corporately and compassionately knowing the quality of the Uniting team. And so, in good conscience she pivots, now taking the time to “use some of my energy for my family and lovely friends who have put up with me for years” alongside further ideas percolating.

Personal validity

Burton kindly shares that personal conviction has its place in professional decisions. She laughs, “after 45 years of getting out of bed every day and going full tilt, I’m not very good at work-life balance, I have always thrown everything at my work.”

She highlights that her husband has been incredibly supportive over the years as the primary family carer and provided “lovely support” and so now, after decades of pouring out for a vital industry, “I feel it’s really time for me to live life a different way.”

Burton’s comments are critical witness to the approach of leaving well, with both corporate and personal satisfaction robustly intact. Far from the dogmatic culture of work till you drop, they are an indication of honouring organisational and personal needs. As is the way with many top-performing athletes leaving on a ‘high’, so too perhaps could be the way for heartfelt and brilliant corporate executives.

Growing anew

For many whose heart, intellect and passions have been poured into aged care, the ‘never-quite-leaving’ is a well-cherished “bug”.

Burton is no different, “next year I’d like to find a way to continue to influence care reform, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about it and I don’t want to waste that.”

“I’d really like to try and help to make the world a better place for people, and also for young people.I’m very passionate about young people transitioning to adulthood and how they can be supported into the future.”

Burton’s story highlights key dynamics of leaving. It can be multi-faceted, at-times feared, sad or awkward but it has the potential to be joyous, good and handled well by all parties. It can also mean renewal, for organisations, for those leaving, those incoming and for those that receive the departed in their next chapter.

“I got the advocacy bug from being a part of Uniting, I’d love to find a way to participate.”

As she steps forward into her next phase of life, Burton is confident in the decision to leave, confident in the strength of Uniting, and confident to meet the new. Leaving well is good for an organisation, and its personnel, ready to make way for fresh beginnings.