Planning one’s exit

Planning one’s exit is probably one of the most difficult things to do – especially for people in positions of power, wealth or fame. It would be difficult to get out of it because when one is on top of the world, one begins to think he’s immortal. The reality is Newton’s Law applies to most everything – "What goes up must come down." Even among family businesses and corporations, the foresight of succession planning is highly valued by heirs and shareholders. The key to a fulfilling life and a sterling reputation is knowing when to get off just before the decline. The hard part is discerning when that moment is.

Richard Nixon went up and down so many times during his career. Always a fighter, he once said, "I’m not a quitter." After losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960, Nixon challenged California Gov. Pat Brown in 1962 and lost. In his concession speech, he told reporters, "You won’t have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore." Somehow, no other Republican candidate seemed strong enough to beat the Vietnam-embattled Democrats in 1968. So Nixon ran for president again and won this time, accomplishing many foreign policy triumphs for the United States.

In spite of being disgraced from the Presidency in 1974, Nixon was able to pull himself up again. Roger Stone – one of our associates in Washington, D.C. – planned Nixon’s rehabilitation that gave him some measure of respectability. Nixon was able to rehabilitate his image to a certain level where former presidents – especially President Bill Clinton – occasionally asked him for advice on foreign policy. When Nixon died in 1994, all living former presidents including President Clinton attended his funeral and paid him tribute. With tears in his eyes, former Senator Robert Dole – a personal friend and admirer of Richard Nixon – called him one of America’s greatest presidents. In the end, the disgraced Nixon got the vindication and the acceptance he craved for all his life.

Of course, there are unplanned exits that rightly belong to God’s will. John F. Kennedy best exemplifies this. The tragic death of Camelot’s Prince Jack immortalized him in such a way that people will always think of him as young, handsome, eloquent, and vigorous. Forty years later, JFK’s "one brief shining moment" remains one of America’s most inspiring memories of the 20th Century. Our very own Ramon Magsaysay also exited because of God’s will.

Today, RM is our most beloved president and remembered most for his charisma with the masses. Some historians consider him one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad planned his exit well. I distinctly remember Datuk Hussein, Mahathir’s late brother-in-law and our associate in Kuala Lumpur. In one of our regional meetings in Whistler, Canada, Datuk told me that Mahathir was already planning his exit. I told Datuk that his brother-in-law was smart to do so because otherwise he could end up like Marcos or Soeharto both of whom were deposed. And sure enough, Mahathir paved the way for his successor Abdullah Badawi two years later in 2003. Like Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, Mahathir remains a well respected statesman admired by people particularly in Asia.

Ferdinand Marcos is an example of a man who could have planned his exit properly. Unfortunately, FM thought he was immortal. Tipped off by the Americans that Marcos was terminally sick with nephritis (a degenerative kidney disease), Ninoy Aquino wrote a "Dear Brod" letter to Marcos – both were fraternity brothers of UP’s Upsilon Sigma Phi – through a mutual friend, Enrique Zobel. Since Marcos was sick, Ninoy advised him in his letter that it was time to return the country to democracy before it was too late. Ninoy even offered to help but FM did not heed Ninoy’s advice. The rest is history.

TV anchorman Walter Cronkite planned his exit long before he finally retired from broadcasting. He was one of the most respected journalists in the United States and consistently voted as the "most trusted man in America." When he became a reporter for the United Press, he went all the way to the top to become one of the best American TV news reporters covering World War II up to the Vietnam War. Cronkite exited with a tearful final broadcast in 1981. American viewers could not get over his leaving so much so CBS asked him to do TV specials on many occasions.

In contrast, Cronkite’s successor Dan Rather resigned in disgrace because of the so-called "Killian documents" that criticized President George W. Bush’s service to the Texas Air National Guard in the ’70s during a "60 Minutes" segment at the height of the US presidential campaign. An internal investigation by the network revealed that the producers failed to authenticate the papers. The "Rathergate" controversy badly damaged the reputation of CBS ending Dan Rather’s career abruptly. And of course, there’s my favorite TV host Johnny Carson who had planned his exit for many years. He retired in 1992 and died just last year. Up to this day, no one has come close to Johnny as the best late night TV talk show host.

Last Friday, former Senator Raul Roco took his exit. People will remember Raul for putting up a good fight when he ran for president twice. At the end of the day, one must really plan to leave the scene because ultimately death is inevitable. The Chinese have an old saying – You can lose money or power, but you must never lose your name because that’s the only legacy that you can leave behind. As Alexander Pope wrote in his Essay on Man: "Honor and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honor lies."

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