I think about endings a lot – good endings and painful ones. I think about the beginnings and whether those endings reflect the promise, or turbulence, of the beginning. I have had a lot of work-related endings, and I have witnessed many more. In my more youthful CEO days, long before becoming a senior temp, I decided that I should not stay anywhere longer than seven years. I had seen too many CEOs and board members that had been in post for over a decade, or decades. I watched and listened as their colleagues talked about them, worked around them and adored them. I saw the power that accrues by staying and becoming the elder statesfolk of the sector. I have talked about fixed terms for CEOs, or at least a more robust review to ensure that their power does not become absolute by dint of a permanence their fixed-term board cannot achieve.

The last year gave us two great examples of endings from the world of tennis. Ash Barty, retiring at 25, told us that she had told her team “multiple times” she was ready to go: “I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level anymore, and I just know that I am spent.” Hearing her on the radio stopped me in my tracks as I was working on an issue where a senior person was spent, but insisted on keeping going. Our causes deserve better than someone worn out, out of ideas and losing credibility. I was also thinking that as a CEO or board member you are rarely afforded the same duty of care as anyone else in the charity. Barty has gone on to become “chief of inspiration” for Optus, an Australian communications company, saying: “I decided to prioritise Ash Barty the person over Ash Barty the tennis player, and in doing so I’ve realised I can help so many more people through my charity work.” There is a useful and rewarding life beyond the identity we grew in our last role.