Leaving Well: Your Team

Throughout our recent posts about transitions and possibilities, we’ve been hearing from many of you that you’re ready to leave your current work. No matter your reason for leaving, it’s important to consider what leaving well, looks like for you.

Last week, we shared an overview of three areas you could focus on; your team, your priorities, and your health. Focusing on these three areas can support you to leave feeling satisfied and ready to tackle your next chapter.

Today, we’re taking a deeper dive into your team, and then over the next two weeks, we’ll cover your priorities and your health.

When we say “your team” we mean all of the people you’re connected with in the work you do. Consider the leaders, peers, colleagues, employees, vendors, and contractors, as you’re reading through the suggestions below.

One of the things that can blow up the intent of leaving your current job with grace is if you’re caught off-guard by another person’s emotions, and then find yourself reacting defensively to them.

In order to respond as a leader and continue to stay engaged,
it’s helpful to PAUSE and set an intention
about the type of legacy or reputation you want to leave behind.

PAUSING

As you may know, we strongly believe that PAUSING is foundational to your leadership – whether personal or professional. Pausing can help you decrease your reactivity and increase your ability to respond respectfully.

To help you prepare, we’ve come up with some typical situations where you might need to PAUSE before responding.

Before reading the scripting examples, we encourage you to think about your goal. What does “leaving well” look like for you? Once you have your goal in mind, using the PAUSE will be easier.

SCRIPTING

If people are angry or sad that you’re leaving, PAUSE, and think about your goal. Then, using your goal and one of the suggestions below, consider what your response might be.

• “I know my departure is a disappointment for you, and I appreciate you understanding that it’s time for me to move on.”
• “I’m sorry that my leaving is upsetting to you. I’ve enjoyed working with you, and it’s time for me to move on.”
• “This was a difficult decision, and I will miss you (this place, this group of people, this team, etc.).”
• “This was not an easy decision to make, and I will certainly miss working together. I appreciate your support and understanding.”
• “I know that my departure may create extra strain on you/the team. I’m working out a plan for what my last weeks/days/months will look like and am happy to collaborate with you on it.”

Don’t leave these conversations to chance. We recommend writing out some scripting examples, before you make your announcement, so that you’re prepared to respond to others’ reactions.

Take care of yourself during this time. Be extra careful to eat well, move throughout the day, and get a good night’s sleep.

Navigating your emotions and the emotions of others can be tricky. PAUSE often.