The Counter

Recently my team and I went through a several month process to identify the ideal candidate for our newly created Senior Director, DevOps role. The role has much significance for our team, company and customers as it represents our future vision for aligning our most precious resource, our people under the best structure possible to gain speed and agility. This role will lead our efforts to join IT Operations and Application Development resources under one leader. It's our thinking, by doing this we'll reduce our time to market for those applications and services our customers need.

As we started down this path several months ago, we were very judicious with who we spoke with as we sought to protect our culture. As the process to fill the role was under way, I stepped aside to let our team led me to the ideal person for the job. They interviewed nearly a dozen people, both inside and outside the company. In the end, it came down to someone who is truly exceptional at what he does. There was much excitement to augment our team with someone of his caliber and once it was determined he was the right fit, we embarked down the offer stage route.

This offer process was different from some in that I knew the candidate. We had worked together before and accomplished some great things together. As he was going through the background check process he called me to say he had received a counter offer from his current employer. He was quite conflicted. He didn't know what to do. He really was excited for what we had to offer, but his wife was very comfortable with what his current role provided. He sought my advice on how to approach things.

It was at this point that I walked him back to a few weeks or so ago when we completed the final round of interviews and I said to him, I'm going to make you an offer to join us. It will be a fantastic offer. One that will transcend your career to the next level. It will be one of the hardest decisions you make beyond who to marry, and to the man you hand your daughter over to in marriage. That aside, I expect your current employer (and my former employer) to make you a counter offer. He looked at me with disbelief as I don't think he expected them to counter. Nonetheless, I wanted to prepare him for the chance they would and indeed they did.

So here we were two people trying to sort through all this. I shared with him, no matter what decision he makes, he cannot make a bad decision. He has two truly great opportunities that will reward him on many levels. It was at this point he said to me... Rob, I don't want to disappoint you. You did everything I asked you to. You met my financial requirements, you gave me time to think about this, and I told you I wouldn't accept a counter offer. I took him at face value but I also knew that until he was faced with that decision, he truly would not know what to do. As we were walking through this together, he shared with me he really wants the opportunity we have for him, he just can't get his wife there. It was at this point, I reminded him that no matter what he decides, I am invested in him and no matter what he decides, he would not disappoint me. The fact is, in my heart of hearts, I knew at this point he had already made the decision, but I needed him to find the way to tell me. That was probably a bigger challenge for him than making the decision.

The next day, he called me to say he made a decision. He accepted the counter offer and agreed to stay on with his current employer. As he was telling me, he expressed his disappointment, he reiterated he just couldn't get his wife to see how this was the best opportunity for him and his family. I said I understood and said congratulations to you. Keep me posted on how things work out for you and remember, I am always invested in you.

Sure I could have spent more time with him to ensure he understood how statistically, most people who accept a counter offer regret it and end up leaving in less than a year. Or I could have spent more time asking why now did they find it in them to promote him and bump his earnings? Or try to target that some of the counter offer was based on what if scenarios that may or may not pan out but I didn't do any of this. Someone asked me why? It's simple, he worked through this with his wife and I know he considered all of this. The fact is, no matter how much you prepare someone for something, they have to experience it for themselves. This is how we got here in the first place...

Honestly in his case, I think it was the best decision for him and his family and I think he will defy the statistics. For his sake I hope he does, but if he doesn't, I told him, the door is open here to which someone had asked me why I would hold a door open for someone who just turned me down. It's also simple, I am invested in him and when you meet truly great people, you always stay connected to them.

This recent experience reminded me of a few things. First, as a leader we invest in people and always seek to prioritize their needs and seek alignment to the needs of our company. I knew all along his decision would be predicated on what was best for his family. It was that very trait in him that made him an ideal fit for our culture as we too value our people and how important their pursuit of work/life integration is to them. Secondly, it reminded me that decisions about one's career carry much significance. As I said prior, these aren't just job changes, they're career decisions and they rank up there with who you will ask to be your life long partner and who you will hand your daughter's hand in marriage too. Lastly, while there's disappointment with losing out on the nearly perfect candidate, there also is excitement for the opportunity to go back and try again. Everything happens for a reason and while we may not know the reason, we have to embrace this was meant to be. It is time to look forward.

My team and I are ready to do just that as we were reminded from my last post, it's time for us to turn the page.