The person who wants to stop working for you is the person you want to invite for an exit discussion.
Some of the best advice I have ever received is from people who worked for me, had a good professional relationship, and, after a few years, decided to move to another job.
I often opt for an exit ‘discussion’ versus an exit ‘interview.’ I don’t focus on asking questions to understand why somebody left my team or company. It’s a waste of time as often it’s a combination of reasons. What I focus on is to understand what I can do better as an individual leader or manager. It’s a perfect opportunity to get the best advice from somebody you have worked with for a few years and have had a good relationship with.
One piece of advice I received in the past and often remind myself of is the following:
“Keep everyone on the same standard as you are.”
I lead by example and tend to keep myself to a high standard. Nevertheless, I tend to have a lot of empathy towards people who work for me, and that has led me, at times, not to demand a high standard. It’s a blind spot that I’ve learned to watch out for, and it is thanks to that piece of advice. It has helped me to keep my empathy strong (it’s an asset) and balance it with the high standard I expect from myself also from everyone else around me.
I would have never been able to get this meaningful advice if I had followed the classic structure of an exit interview where one focuses on the company, if something went wrong, or how to keep that person in the team or the company.
Here is how you can kickstart an exit discussion if you have an opportunity:
“I want to thank you for the time you worked with me, and today I would be grateful if you could share your view on what I can do better. What is one thing I do well and one thing I can do much, much better?”
Never waste the opportunity to get constructive feedback. We get better when we invite others to share it with us.
