So... You Just Got Dumped

When a team member resigns, your response is highly dependent on if they were in one of two categories.

Resignations are rare at kitchen & bath CRATE and TBS. Reviewing our former office team members list, I count 5 in 13 years. Not bad!

Alas, when it happens, it’s a gut punch.

And I find dealing with a resignation has stages, just like grief:

First, there’s denial: I can’t believe this is happening. This has to be a sick, twisted joke.

Then anger: How could they be this ungrateful? After all, I’ve done!

Followed by bargaining: Maybe I can change their compensation, benefits, job description, etc., to make them happier…

Which leads to depression: Why is “everyone” leaving? I should just close this thing.

And finishes with acceptance: It’s time to move on. This will make us better.

However, while all resignations share similarities, it’s essential to put the situation into one of two categories quickly. Let’s call them the “They Were Great” category and the “We Can Do Better” category.

They Were Great

In this situation, the resignation comes from a rockstar team member. And I don’t mean “they used to be a rockstar,” but “they are a rockstar.”

This one is a lot more challenging than the next category. You likely won’t see it coming, and it will have a significant negative impact on your business. Bonus points if they’re leaving for a competitor. (I’ve not experienced this, but it happens all too often.)

Here, it’s important to understand what you could have done better. It requires a deep introspective look at the role the person was filling, your company culture, the context under which they’re departing, and, in retrospect, what you could have done better.

When a rockstar leaves, you have to use the situation to improve, thus reducing the odds of it happening again. It’s a you issue, not a them issue, most likely.

We Can Do Better

While this context can still be painful and unexpected, you typically move through the “stages” more quickly and often come to the realization that you truly have a chance to get better.

Perhaps the departing team member’s performance waned over the months. Perhaps the job description kept growing, and they did not. Perhaps their life situation changed, and they no longer had the “C” in the GWC (Get it, Want it, Have the Capacity). Perhaps you realized their long-term future with your organization is dim but, for now, they were sufficient.

Whatever the reason, this case is less about introspection (although one might ask why you’re keeping a team member who is clearly not an “A” player) and more about finding a significantly better replacement.

Let me be frank: you have a chance to improve here and were given a gift in their resignation. It’s forcing your hand, yes, but forcing you to upgrade.

So ask yourself: what am I looking for this time that the departing team member lacked? If I could redesign this role, what might it look like? What one key attribute or skill is most important in the replacement?

In these “We Can Do Better” circumstances, there has not been a single instance where the replacement we brought on board did not outperform the departing individual within eight months. See, there’s hope!

Moving On

Ultimately, we must remember that businesses are groups of humans, and we’re all screwed up in some way.

Life is hectic, complicated, and messy. Over the last 13 years, I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as “stabilization” when humans are involved. If things feel stable, it’s just because you don’t see what’s going on below the surface.

So what are we to do? Have a plan, think through as many “what ifs” as possible, and when that resignation occurs, make sure you put it in the proper bucket above.

Books of Note: I hear there’s a movie out about Nike, Phil Knight, and the quest for them to land an endorsement deal with Michael Jordan? Got me thinking of Shoe Dog, a classic business biography. I rank it as the best of the genre written by the actual business founder (Knight). He is a skilled writer, and you’ll enjoy the book, I promise.

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