| This study employed phenomenologically inspired narrative identity to explore how former business owner CEOs experienced sense of self during separation and transition from their company. The inquiry engaged 16 executives who ran companies ranging in size from 18 to 500+ employees as they detailed their stories of walking away from roles as owner CEOs.;The foundational research for this topic included Ebaugh's work on role exit, Ashforth's research on role identity, Ibarra's writings on career transition, and Mahler's research on work role transitions. The former CEOs' narratives were analyzed using a stage and valence model depicting both the continuum of the separation experience and the characterization of each stage as a positive or negative state of being. In addition, a coding scheme was developed to analyze themes manifested in the narratives. The diverse yet synchronous stories resulted in three conclusions that have value for current owner CEOs and those professionals who advise them.;The first finding was that these visionary and by necessity, forward-looking leaders often failed to allocate sufficient time and effort to prepare for a personal state of being shift following a sale of their company or transition into retirement. This failure to prepare for a new role identity and associated role sets was often due to the CEOs' emphasis on executing a successful sale transaction to the exclusion of all else. The lack of personal awareness resulted in the second finding which was the former executives experiencing a diminished sense of self and dissatisfaction with the exit event. An adverse state of being was especially true for those CEOs who transitioned into new roles as employees of the companies that acquired their firms. These individuals experienced both personal and social role identity dissonance. The third finding was an outgrowth of the first two -- the CEOs' almost universal ability to work through the adverse and unanticipated states of being into a positive sense of self.;The study provides recommendations for professional advisors to CEOs and opportunities for future research on the topic of executive transition.;Keywords: identity, role, role identity, transition, sense of self, CEO succession, role exit. |
