The following blog comes from a previous post by Pete Kuehni
You come into the office and you hear one of your team say, “Hey boss, we need to talk”
You respond with the obligatory. “Sure, let’s go to my office.”
Meanwhile, your mind is racing with the multitude of things on your plate. Your thoughts may move to:
- “Another issue is the last thing I need.”
- “Can’t they just do their job?”
- “Don’t they see how much there is on my plate?”
Their hand reaches out, offering you an envelope. You already know where this is going. “Boss, here is my 2 weeks' notice.” You feel blindsided, caught off guard; this is SO not a good time!
Sound familiar?
- What do you do?
- How do you respond?
- Do you engage in a discussion?
- Could this be reversed?
- Do you want it to be reversed?
One consistent reality of owning a business or leading is…people. People come and people go. The question for you and me to ponder when they choose to leave is “why”?
The fact is, 100% of individuals will leave their job at one point or another. For some, the time to leave is right and for very good reasons. Unfortunately for others, the situation is very different.
If you are serious about building a long-term sustainable business, finding and KEEPING great people is core. When they leave and they will choose to find out why. This is a crucial strategy for you. This is your job!
Ignorance is NOT bliss – it is ignorance!
Here are 4 reasons why it is essential to conduct an exit interview as your team member looks to head out the door:
- Learning Opportunity
Many business owners are caught in the trap of working “in their business” rather than “on their business”. Each time a member of the team leaves, for good or not so good reasons, there is a learning opportunity. More often than not, this opportunity is lost.
- Identify Potential Risk Areas
An exit interview, done well, provides information that would help identify and possibly address other areas of risk in your business. Not taking the time to really “hear” what the underlying contributing factors are is like putting your head in the sand and hoping that all will be OK.
- The “Wake Up Call”
If you were surprised when you received the 2 weeks notice – you received a “wake up call”. Similar to a hotel wake-up call in the early morning, you can choose to answer or ignore it.
As pointed as it may seem, to be surprised speaks loudly about you and your leadership. What is it about your leadership that created this lack of awareness?
- They May Stay!
In the past, 4 clients have informed us that a key person or persons were leaving. In some cases, this was actually a good thing for the individual and/or the leader. In other cases, the loss would have been debilitating, at least for a season.
In all 4 situations, the potential impact was significant. In 2 of them, by conducting a healthy exit interview, we were able to help the owner and the individual resolve the situation. They ended up staying, everybody won!
Questions for Your Reflection:
- What’s your practice regarding people leaving and exit interviews
- What’s your attitude towards really learning about why people may be leaving? Do you truly want to know and do something about it?
- Do you have a plan in place to ensure a great exit interview is conducted the next time you are informed that someone is leaving?
