The fragile leader: Why some organisations collapse when one person leaves

“A tree does not make a forest, but a forest is impossible without a tree.” — African proverb

Many Nigerian organisations are built around strong leaders. These leaders carry history, customer confidence, investor trust, and institutional memory. Their energy becomes a competitive advantage, their persistence keeps the doors open and their judgement protects the enterprise from avoidable risks. Yet the same qualities that drive success can also create fragility when organisations become overly dependent on a single personality. The leader becomes indispensable not because the role demands it, but because the organisation is not mature enough to function without them.

The result is a familiar pattern: growth while the leader is present, uncertainty when the leader pauses, and crisis if the leader steps away. The organisation is busy but brittle.

Years ago, a fast-growing company in a consumer-facing industry made impressive progress under a founder who personally negotiated contracts, reassured major clients, resolved operational breakdowns and intervened directly in disputes. Staff admired the clarity and urgency. But when the founder began spending extended periods abroad to pursue expansion plans, the organisation slowed. Decisions waited for approval, customers sensed hesitation, and internal confidence dipped. The business recovered only after processes were clarified, authority was delegated and the founder accepted that leadership required building others, not only carrying them.

In a different sector, a respected professional services firm struggled to transition after the retirement of its founding partner. The firm’s reputation had been anchored in the founder’s credibility, judgement and industry presence. Successors were appointed, but clients quietly shifted their work elsewhere, believing that the firm’s identity was inseparable from one individual. It took years to rebuild confidence through visible new leadership, external certifications and a deliberate shift from personality to institution.

Another example comes from a family-owned enterprise that relied heavily on the patriarch’s relationships to secure supply lines and manage credit risks. While the business prospered, internal processes were informal, and governance depended on remembered understandings rather than documented systems. When the patriarch’s health declined, family members discovered that goodwill alone could not replace structure. Suppliers demanded formal agreements, banks requested clearer risk documentation and employees sought predictable decision-making. The business endured, but only after painful adjustments that could have been anticipated earlier.

“The leaders who build durable organisations create systems that survive their absence. They insist on documentation not for bureaucracy, but for clarity. They delegate authority because accountability cannot flourish without autonomy.”

These stories reflect a broader Nigerian business truth: leadership brilliance is often easier to find than institutional depth. It is not unusual to see organisations where the founder or chief executive reviews every budget, attends every client pitch, signs off every hire and resolves every dispute. At first, this centralisation feels efficient. Over time, it becomes limiting. Staff stop thinking independently, customers rely on personal access and the organisation becomes talented at execution but unprepared for continuity.

A strong leader is an asset; a dependent organisation is a liability.

The African proverb teaches that a tree does not make a forest. The presence of a strong leader can inspire, attract talent and shield the organisation during storms. But a forest requires other trees: deputies who can lead, managers who can decide and teams who can protect standards without supervision. When these elements are missing, succession becomes a cliff rather than a passage.

The leaders who build durable organisations create systems that survive their absence. They insist on documentation not for bureaucracy, but for clarity. They delegate authority because accountability cannot flourish without autonomy. They encourage disagreement because they understand that succession is not only about title but about courage and conviction. They mentor successors early, not as a contingency, but as a duty.

The question for Nigerian business leaders is not whether you can carry the organisation. Many have done so impressively. The question is whether the organisation can still walk when you stop. If your presence accelerates the business but your absence freezes it, the enterprise is not yet an institution. It is a project with a hero.

Succession is not merely the moment a leader hands over. It is the long process of ensuring that the organisation has more than one centre of gravity. It requires building confidence in others and accepting that leadership measured only by personal indispensability is leadership unfinished.

The proverb reminds us: a tree does not make a forest, but a forest is impossible without a tree. Visionary leaders are vital. But enduring organisations require others who can also see.

For Nigerian businesses seeking longevity, the challenge is clear: build so that when one person leaves, the work continues with discipline, maturity and conviction. Strength is measured not only by what a leader carries but also by what the organisation can sustain when the leader steps aside.

A leader’s legacy is not what the organisation achieves while they are present. It is what the organisation continues to achieve after they are gone.

Dr. Olufemi Ogunlowo is the CEO of Strategic Outsourcing Limited, a leading provider of personnel and business process outsourcing services in Nigeria. He is also a regular columnist on employment and workforce strategy.

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