Hickman had overriding power.
I don't think this is a "I got outvoted; guess I'm out" thing.
Hickman came in with a plan, he built up the presence of the franchise - completing his goal - and he found a way to wrap things up on a timeline that works for him in the present.
He is ready to move on to something new himself. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be.
Or at least, that's how I'm seeing things and what seems most likely/logical.