Resigned to the fact.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow…” – Shakespeare.

As leaders, managers, human beings – we’re devoted to our workplace and our people.

More than they know.

No one really disconnects from their people, on the train home, during the weekend-filled Netflix, even on annual leave. At least nobody I know. When you invest, you’re wired to connect and care for people. So, no matter how large your organisation or how many decades you’ve led & managed people for – I wondered, ‘what’s the impact, when a colleague comes to you with their resignation?’ (NB: for the purpose of this #soapboxmoment, I’m not talking about leaving a toxic environment or a specific boss – that will come in a future article.)

In terms of how we process someone leaving from our team, is it ever “easy?”

Personally, no and yes.

No, because:

• You build relationships, care for your people, celebrate events together, share skincare tips and genuinely, get to know them & their life.
• If you take your career and your people seriously, it can feel personal.
• You end up, at least once, professional soul searching to ponder, “is it me?” and “could I have prevented it or done BETTER?”
• You wonder is this simply, the first of several…?
• It’s a fair assumption that if you, the people leader is “happy”, it makes sense that your colleagues are on a par on the #happyscale. Right?
• In this world, loyalty (personal & professional) matters to us and is rewarded.
• Maybe you’re sensitive and a person, so reasonably, it just hurts a wee bit.

Yes, because:

• As you grow via your own journey, you know that people and what they want, change. And that’s OK (as well as necessary.)
• In some businesses, there is a ceiling and until someone DIES or moves to Lisbon for example, themselves – there aren’t tonnes of progression opportunities, plus people are hungry and impatient so… #ratrace
• A career is forever. Jobs have a shelf life. This is a fact, so when people leave, it’s just their time, for them. And again, that’s OK.
• A great leader will inspire their people to seek out new opportunities to learn, flourish and explore - that’s what we’re supposed to do.
• A person’s professional trail, much like their personal one, is a beautiful, evolutionary monster. As we evolve, we make choices, because again, life…
• The market belongs to candidates – so can we really blame someone, if they receive a jackpot offer and take it up? As a race, we’re all here for the tempting…

If we’re honest, as a decent person on planet Earth would we ever insist that someone remain our genie in a bottle or champion #thecomfortzone ?

In business, we must accept that some incredibles will want to make their own way and take the opportunity to fly, quite simply because for one reason or another, it’s their time.

Q: As an aspirational, trail blazing role model – are we “good” with that?

A: Honestly? Yes (and sometimes, no ??, but that’s only because I really like and am grateful for those, I’m lucky enough to call my team, every single day.)

I’ve learned that much of life, the happiness that accompanies it, and keeps you SANE is about being “glass half full” or some days, “the glass being GLASS” – so with that, my conclusion, we have two hats to wear as leaders:

1.      To enthuse and infuse our teams in our workplace, as a relentless given.

2.      To reconcile that we may have to let some of our people move on/forward remembering that the connection is there, no matter what. And that we ultimately, we did our job during that time when we worked together.

We will always play a part in the revolving door known as “life’s adventures”, in and out of each other’s lives because that, IS life, “a series of hellos and goodbyes.” – Billy Joel.