The head of the MongoDB database company recently took it upon himself to be transparent as he announced his exit earlier this week. Max Schireson has served as CEO at the company for more than three years, and on his blog he decided to point out his primary reason for stepping down: to spend time with his family.
While this phrase is something of a retirement cliché, Schireson went about it a little differently. For one, his blog post actually tells readers something about his family, giving them an idea of what they do together and why this decision matters so much to him.
He also used the opportunity to make a point about gender assumptions when it comes to the end of a person's CEO tenure. Though women are often asked publicly about juggling family life and their careers, Schireson said, male executives have the same concerns to consider.
"As a male CEO, I have been asked what kind of car I drive and what type of music I like, but never how I balance the demands of being both a dad and a CEO," Schireson writes. "Friends and colleagues often ask my wife how she balances her job and motherhood. Somehow, the same people don't ask me."
What kind of things will the ideal CEO candidate for your company value? How will they handle balancing difficult work decisions with their own considerations? Statements from leaders like Schireson show a strong personal code that can be important to discuss in the executive recruitment process.
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