How I Send off Team Members

Send off team members with pride and dignity - no matter the case!

As a manager of a team with reports, you represent an important person. You’re an authority figure to team members. You control the fate of your team members within the context of the company: positively and negatively.

When a team member leaves - from through their own volition to through something involving human resources, I have a rule:

Always send team members off with Pride and Dignity.

I treat a team member leaving as a closing of a chapter of everyone’s book. Your book with them, their book with you, team member’s books with each other, etc.

Closing books is full of emotions and nothing more complext than emotions at work! (Don’t believe me, ask human resources!)

My belief is even if the relationship between you and the team member deterioriated to a point of everyone can see things aren’t working out - as a manager, send the team member off as if they are moving on to their dream job.

Close the book on the best note possible - because afterwards, it will be a start of a new book for you, for them, and team members:

You go from being colleagues or coworkers or team members to: friends.

I treasure all the relationships I continued or created after the professional relationship.

If you worked with or for me and reading this - reach out. I would love to hear from you.