When you lose your best performers for no reason
“Smiling has always been easier than explaining the reason behind your sadness.”
These words tell the story of a leader. There’s so much going around when you are leading a team. Running a business is like participating in a war - it can be gruelling at physical, mental as well as emotional levels. This is the reason I say that a leader is a fighter. In the end it’s all about smiling during the pain and making it through the battle.
What looks like a perfectly fine working organizational structure is not always the same on the inside. You know why - because a company is made of real people. And, real people have problems, have dreams and aspirations, and real people move on from one thing to the other. That’s not always bad, but sometimes understanding why they moved on is beyond understanding. This is what lays the foundation for my article.
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So, how does a leader cope up when the best workers leave for no reason? Well, here are some effective ways that can help -
Talk it out
The first thing that comes to mind in such a situation is - why you choose to leave? And, the best way to discuss it with the person leaving is to talk it out.
Schedule an exit interview to know their opinion and views about the current state of affairs at office. Do they have any feedback? Even when you know your team is doing great, it’s always good to ask for suggestions on what else could be done.
Instead of keeping any hard feelings about it, use it as an opportunity to make your processes better, and see how you can improve as a business unit.
Create a plan
Obviously you had a plan with your best performer in mind. Now that he or she is gone, what next? This is the big question that starts to lurk around when your best employees leave.
You need to get on with an action plan. Here are some things you can do to handle the situation in an efficient manner -
- Don’t keep the news behind the curtains for too long - keeping it hidden could give rise to rumors, gossip and conversations that could disturb the trust of the team, which you would not want.
- Ak for inputs from team members - it’s always good to reach out to the people in your team in such situations. Talk to them to discuss what could be done now, and how to handle the situation without bearing a loss.
- Use this as an opportunity to find the hidden talent - situations like these are perfect to find out the hidden talent in your company. Do keep an eye on how others in the team react to situation, you never know the jewel that was hiding all this while could come up shining during this phase.
Spread positivity
Watching the best person in your leave the company can be heartbreaking. But that’s not all - it could spread a vibe of negativity in the organization and amongst the team members as well.
This is the true test of leadership. This is where you, as a leader, need to step up your game one notch and keep the atmosphere positive. Don’t leave any scope of confusion, and keep the reasons behind the person leaving the team in the open. This will make sure that everyone has the right information, and no one is relying on their so called ‘reliable resources’ that are spreading false rumours about the exit.
Get on with the game
In the end, it’s important to remember that road to entrepreneurship might have its cracks, roadblocks and setbacks, but the important thing is that you have to move on.
You have to make sure that things continue to happen at the same pace. Keeping things positive, and pick up things from they have been left by your best performer leaving. It can turn out to be a tough time for you and your business, but remember tough times don’t last, tough leaders do.
Have you been through similar situation? Would you like to share your side of the story about losing your best employee? Do let me know in the comments section, I’d like to know your story.
Originally published at YourStory.com.
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About Author:
Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. A passionate leader, Sandeep is always on the lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and companies. He is also a featured writer on LinkedIn and a contributing author at YourStory. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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Vice President - Operations (COO)
6 年May I also suggest looking in the mirror. I appreciate some circumstances can be different but for the most part people leave people. Before you look to improve processes look to improve yourself
Expert in success strategies to solve people issues for small business and family business leaders??Hiring, Coaching, & Assessment Strategies??Keynote Speaker, Talent Advisor/Leadership Results Coach, and Business Author
6 年There is always a reason. The real reason may be subconscious. The key question, "What are you unwilling to hear?"
Regional Sales Manager, Canada & Western US
6 年Many of you have stated continual communication with your staff is critical to have your finger on the pulse of the company. I agree. I did this with my construction company and had some of the longest tenure in the area I was in. I knew exactly why my people were leaving before they told me officially. This allowed me to prepare for them leaving. In addition, I recently left a business where I continually informed my managers the issues that were causing issues with my performance. I did go through an exit interview with the owner. I felt it was a waste of time. He should have known the issues and corrected them. I did not repeat them in the exit interview, only stating I was offered a position that I could not turn down. Exit interviews are not necessary when you are continually communicating with your employees.
Texas Water/Wastewater operator
6 年Nice read however there is always a reason.. problem is are they comfortable enough to tell you? Are they honest with thier thoughts? I always believe you have to have a relationship with your team. So there you have the trust, you spread positivity on a regular basis, if you are pro active rather than reactive you can build a team that will stand the test of time. Exit interview make me laugh I have seen many and as normal the info they give is discarded because they are leaving, they are just disgruntled, blah blah. Ummm no pay attention to what info you are given.