[ebarker]

Not to get too morbid but when an individual gets older, wins accolades, retires, gets the gold watch, and rides off into the sunset that is an expected lifecycle. The person dies, hopefully after a satisfying and productive life. A natural thing.

A team is not a person. It is an institution that is living breathing dynamic thing that evolves and adapts to new challenges and situations. It isn't fair to the team or its benefactors that they get permanently 'benched'.

Giving the team a 5 year break is a great idea. It is a good time to reflect and think about what they really want to achieve next and it will help motivate the troops when they get back in the game.