Leading Companies Online Magazine Archives
When Good People Leave
By Ray Smilor, Beyster Institute Executive Director
Everyone who leads an organization encounters times when good people decide leave. Given the time and effort it takes to recruit talented people and the work it takes to retain them, it’s never easy to lose a high performing individual.
When a good person leaves, there’s an immediate vacuum in the organization, especially if the person is well-liked and respected in addition to being key in generating business, raising revenue and reinforcing the values of the organization.
So why do good people leave?
Research seems to show there are two key reasons that people opt to go elsewhere—one positive and one negative.
Good people leave because they don’t like their boss or the work situation in which they find themselves. Over time, if the boss is inconsistent, difficult to work with, untrustworthy, unable to share credit, mean-spirited, intolerant, or swift to cast blame, eventually good people get fed up. They decide that life is too short, and actively look to get out and go elsewhere.
On the other hand, good people leave because they encounter an opportunity that is simply too good to pass up. They have this “now-or-never” feeling and begin to realize that if they don’t pursue this opportunity then they will always regret not trying. In this case, the allure is the next challenge or the chance to take on a really exciting initiative or the ability to take personal ownership in another venture. They opt to leave not because they are dissatisfied with where they are but because they get a new sense of where they want to be. Often in this case, the appeal to leave is not because they’ll make more money, though that could be part of the deal, but more likely the move is tantalizing because of the promise of personal growth or the chance to spread one’s wings or the attraction of a more compelling mission. In this situation, there’s not much a leader can do to pull the person back in.
Personally, I’ve encountered both. I left an organization that I helped to start and that I truly loved being in, because I was offered the chance to change the world (at least in my mind) and I knew that if I did not take that offer, that I would regret it the rest of my life. In that case, leaving the organization was bittersweet. I was proud of the organization and deeply admired and respected the people, and especially the leader, I worked with. But I knew that I had to leave to pursue another worthy goal.
I also left another organization when the leadership changed. The culture seemed to change, and I came to feel that I had contributed all that I could to that organization. It was simply time to move on.
I’ve also been in the situation when good people have left the organizations that I’ve led. Fortunately for me, I think they left because of that irresistible pull to pursue what was to them a more meaningful mission.
Just recently, a really outstanding individual decided to leave the Beyster Institute because he received an offer that he just couldn’t refuse. It’s a chance for him to extend his leadership and management abilities, take wider ownership in a venture, and put his personal mark on helping to build a company. I will miss him, and I’ve told him so.
I learned a lesson about this transition from George Kozmetsky, a remarkable entrepreneur and leader, who was a mentor to me years ago. When I opted to leave his organization, he asked if there was anything he could do to keep me, including offering more pay or a higher title. I told him, no, that I really needed to make this move. He then said:”OK, what can I do to make this as good a move for you as possible?” We both felt a loss, but he evidenced no anger or irritation. His generous spirit made me realize that one can take some satisfaction in seeing good and talented people move on to wider and more responsible roles that help them grow as managers and leaders.
So when a good person gets that irresistible urge to try something else and decides to leave an organization that I lead, I do feel a loss, but I also know the excitement of looking ahead to something new and try to make it as good a move for that person as possible.
That’s the nature of real opportunity.
©2008 The Beyster Institute and its authors and their entities. All rights reserved.
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