Many interesting stories came out from the Lakers in the past
several weeks regarding Kobe's last day in the purple and gold. Some of
which we can learn valuable lessons when dealing with employees who are
resigning or retiring.
One of the more intriguing ones from my perspective actually came
out after Kobe's final game was over for a few days. The Lakers' General
Manager was reflecting before a press conference regarding next year's roster.
The story goes that he has a marker board in his office where he outlines
the next year's roster. There are always changes and very few players do
not get erased at some point. Well, for twenty years Kobe's name was
there. The GM tried to erase it for the first time in a long time, and it
didn't come off. He had to get out some cleaning spray and really scrub
it before it faded away.
Kobe's legacy will be forever remembered, but as any organization
that loses a good long-time employee, the Lakers will have to move forward and
re-build. Here a few things to keep in mind when your organization loses
an employee to a resignation or retirement:
1) Embrace
the future without forgetting the past. Now that Kobe has finished his
illustrious career, more than just the media can speculate if it was the right
decision to keep him those extra two years and almost fifty million dollars.
Without focusing on the negative, it is a healthy part of the process to
talk about strengths and weaknesses of the employee who is leaving. What
qualities do you want the replacement to have that the former employee may or
may not have possessed themselves?
2) Don't
try to hire the exact same thing. Hear me out as many of you may be
thinking that is precisely what you want to do. Think of the Lakers - is
there another player out there right now, either through the draft or a free
agent acquisition, that is guaranteed to be the next bedrock of the franchise?
Very unlikely. Same thing can probably be said of your
organization. If it is a good employee especially that is leaving, it may
be difficult and take time to find someone even close to the same ability,
price range, and skill set. Be patient and open-minded to what might be
best for the near future of the company.
3) Treat
the process with respect, even if you are glad to see the person go. We've all had those employees that
left and no tears were shed. That does not mean you should throw a party
because the office gossip leader is gone or that employee who always seemed to
be complaining about something. Others are going to resign in the future
and/or may even be considering it now. Vilifying a former employee will
put some fear and disrespect into the process that is unnecessary. It
might feel good for about five minutes, but don't say or do anything you would
regret later.
4) Be
quick to think about the future. The Lakers did right by Kobe this
year by many measures. On the other hand, they have done the prudent
thing and nearly immediately started talking about their future. Who
their head coach would be, what players they may want to draft, what free
agents they may try to recruit, and how their efforts could impact fans, sponsors,
and the overall future of the organization. They have not forgotten about
Kobe. Not even close. Nor have they forgotten that this is a
business, and they need to get to work right away. When you have an
employee resign, that means you will have clients with un-met needs, colleagues
who have to cover more work, and a management team that may be running thin for
while. You don't want any of that to last for long.
The bottom line is that far too many companies treat the
resignation process as a necessary evil, but not one you need to pay too much
attention to. I am here to tell you the companies that do it right and do
it well are extremely likely to have better retention rates and risk fewer
resignations in the future.
Would you agree?
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