Step-up as you step-out

Things you can do during your notice period (or right after you decide to leave your job) in order to maximize your impact & learnings

Last year this time (Jan 4th) was my last working day at Uber. After I made the difficult decision to move on, I wanted to focus on making sure there was minimal disruption to my team & stakeholders. Also, in the spirit of continuous learning, I wanted to soak in - learn and absorb everything that the company had to offer.

There are plenty of resources like a TO-DO list on “what to do before your last day” geared at maximizing your benefits — FSA, credits, claims, insurance etc. Those focus on the monetary aspect and there is nothing wrong with that, those are great. However, in this article I want to share how not to burn bridges, maximize your impact and learnings before you move-out and move-on. I hope you find it useful.

1. Breaking the news - IMO The chronology should be — Tell your manager first, the direct reports next, HRBP and stakeholders, then all the people close to you and your day-to-day interactions in a 1:1 format. You will be surprised if the news leaks through grapevine, people feel sad/offended and somehow take it personally. It is emotional for them as well!!!

2. Learn new things - In the spirit of continuous learning, which I am a huge proponent of — take as many eLearning courses as possible. At Uber, we have a self-serve platform called uAbsorb — These courses are self-timed and automated with quizzes sprinkled in as well as graded to make sure one is paying attention. I enrolled and re-enrolled in so many courses that I have benefited from throughout the years. A refresher was good. Also took a lot of new courses outside my day-to-day work.

3. Heads-up - Send your goodbye email early (not on your actual last day) & to a wide audience (Think: distribution lists that capture everyone you might have overlapped. The longer the tenure at work, the wider you should go.)— give people time to read, process, ask questions, say goodbyes, set-up 1:1 time with you etc.

4. Make yourself available (Office hrs) - Google Calendar has a wonderful & easy tool to publish your office hours. (Think calendly). I recommend to take advantage of that. I had set-up 25 to 30 mins ish cal slots which makes these 1:1 booking very easy and self-serve. I linked it to my goodbye email and encouraged folks to book 1:1 time with me if they wanted to chat. I was overwhelmed and very touched by the response!!!

5. Document & knowledge transfer - Make sure you spend ample time with your direct reports, your stakeholders, your closest POD for a smooth hand-off and give them a soft-landing. Give them multiple resources and alternative options so they don’t feel lost and completely abandoned by you.

6. Employment letter - Most companies have this as a self-service tool in WorkDay. Make sure you get a digital copy (PDF) with dates, designation, roles & responsibilities (more the merrier) on your very last day (to capture accurate tenure). You never know where you might need it - mortgage/re-fi/bank loan documents come to mind. Getting this later on might be painful or high friction.

7. Give feedback (PERF) — Luckily in my case it was peak PERF time (when is it not, you may ask) but even if it isn’t PERF time, it is extremely important that you don’t leave holes in other people’s 360 feedback so make sure to document, give timely feedback or complete your endorsements before your access is cut-off.

8. Seek feedback — be vulnerable and seek feedback from all directions as to how you could have done things differently, or any tips & tricks for your next role, any learnings to take forward — things you do best and things to avoid (even if those are perception issues). See what theme emerges and you might stumble upon a blindspot. Super helpful to reflect on as you are embarking on your next adventure.

Before starting your new journey, this might be a good time to reflect, introspect and have a game plan to start afresh. Double-down on your strengths and watch-out for past mistakes or blindspots.

Those are my 2 cents, I hope you find it useful. I look forward to y’all contributing to this so comment and/or DM me if you have suggestions to add to it.