Microwaves and Incoming CEOs: Trusting What Comes Next

Effective July 1, Jared Taylor will become CEO of ScribeConcepts.

The funny thing is, this transition didn't begin this year. It didn't begin when we recently announced it to the company. It didn't begin when we updated organizational charts or discussed succession planning.

In many ways, it began years ago.

I remember standing before our leadership team at a May 2025 summit and, quite intentionally, presenting Jared with a literal key to the organization. It was a symbolic moment, but I knew the reality would be more complicated. While I was entrusting Jared with greater responsibility, I was still very much involved in the day-to-day operation of the business. I was there to support him, support the team, make decisions, solve problems, and, if I'm being honest, maintain a certain level of control.

In 2025, Jody presented COO Jared Taylor with a key, symbolizing the transfer of leadership at ScribeConcepts.

After all, that's what leaders do, right? At least that's what I told myself.

Then life intervened.

Health challenges over the past few years forced me into a position I never would have chosen for myself. By this past November and December, my world had become remarkably small. Doctors advised me to limit myself to just two activities a day. Two! For someone accustomed to running a company, leading a team, caring for family, and managing a hundred moving pieces at once, that felt nearly impossible.

Did it help me slow down? Absolutely. Did it help me let go? Mostly, but not entirely. Even while I was resting, there were moments when I felt certain situations needed my input, guidance, and oversight. Maybe even my control.

Then something happened recently that helped put all of this into perspective.

I bought a new microwave.

The old one still worked, but the handle had broken. The new one sat in a box for weeks while I considered my options. I had skilled professionals (plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, installers) working throughout my basement renovation and, for a bit of cash outlay on a weekend, one of them could have installed the microwave quickly and efficiently.

My son Niko had a different opinion.

"Mom, I can do it."

Niko is thirty-one years old. He works full-time. He practices and tours with his band. He's an active father to my sweet granddaughter. He has a full life and precious little spare time. But he insisted. If I have a microwave that a professional can install and he tells me he can handle it, then maybe my role isn't to find someone else. Maybe my role is to trust him. The truth is, I didn't need the microwave installed that day.

What I wanted, though I didn't fully realize it at the time, was for my son to feel confident in his ability to do something for me. Within a couple of hours, the microwave was installed. Naturally, his perfectionist tendencies surfaced a few times along the way, but he got it done. Then he moved on to several other projects around the house that needed attention.

As I watched him work, I realized the microwave had never been the point. The point was trust. The point was allowing someone else to step forward. The point was resisting the urge to say, "I'll just do it myself" or "I'll hire someone else."

And suddenly I saw the connection.

Recently, Jared and a few others attended a conference. He often sent updates about potential clients, opportunities, and conversations on behalf of ScribeConcepts. A few years ago, those conversations would have come directly to me. Today, they come through him.

Jody Knowles and Jared Taylor

Even more encouraging, he isn't carrying that responsibility alone. Over the past several years, we have intentionally built a leadership team capable of making decisions, solving problems, and creating momentum without relying on a single person. Some of these leaders have been with us for years; others are newer voices already making a meaningful impact. Together, they represent something every leader hopes to build: a team that can move forward with confidence. And behind them stands a remarkable group of individual contributors whose daily work makes all of our success possible.

This is what succession is supposed to look like. Not a leader stepping away. A team stepping forward.

When Chris died, I inherited more than a company. I inherited uncertainty, responsibility, and a question that lingered in the minds of others and often in my own: Can she do this? Three and a half years later, I find myself asking a different question. Can I trust others to do this? The answer, it turns out, is yes.

Leadership is often portrayed as learning how to take charge, make decisions, and carry responsibility. Those skills matter. But there are other lessons that may be even harder: Learning to let go. Learning to trust. Learning to recognize that the people around you are capable of more than you sometimes realize. Perhaps the greatest measure of leadership is not how indispensable you become. Perhaps it is whether the people around you grow because they worked alongside you.

Leadership is often portrayed as learning how to take charge, make decisions, and carry responsibility. Those skills matter. But there are other lessons that may be even harder: Learning to let go. Learning to trust. Learning to recognize that the people around you are capable of more than you sometimes realize.

So, I’ll say it again: on July 1, Jared becomes CEO of ScribeConcepts, and the truth is, he's been becoming CEO for quite some time.

Just as the microwave didn't make Niko capable, the CEO title isn't making Jared capable. The capacity existed long before the title arrived. The title simply recognizes what has already been earned.

And perhaps that's one of the most difficult lessons leadership has taught me. If you've surrounded yourself with people you trust, delegation isn't a loss. It's a gift. Not just for the person receiving responsibility. But for the person finally learning to let it go.