Can I stop my most trusted employee from leaving?

Dear Aunty B,

I have just been stabbed through the heart. My staff member who I have basically trusted with my life has just told me they are leaving to go to another company. The reason? They want a bigger challenge.

I am absolutely gutted as they have equity in my business and I have always assumed they were with me until we turned out the lights! She also wants to keep her shares as her new employer is not a competitor. She has the relationship with lots of key clients.

What should I do? I am too angry to talk to her! Is there a chance I can talk her out of it? Should I march the traitor out? She has to work another two months under her contract.

SR,
Melb

Dear SR,

You poor thing. But listen, it is not the end of the world. Your life will go on, your business will go on and this provides an opportunity to restructure it, bring in new people and skills.

No. There is no chance you can talk her out of it. And if you do, what then? You have someone whose heart is not in the business.

Here is what you will do. You will accept that for the next 12 hours you will feel rotten. That’s okay. Work hard today and then distract yourself with a walk, a gym session or go for a drink. Make sure today you immediately start looking for a replacement and consider internal candidates as well as external. That will give you a sense of control. Call the traitor in and be nice to her. Discuss how she will leave nicely, handing over her key contacts. Use the shares as leverage. She can stay a shareholder and so of course she will want to maximise the opportunities for the business on the way out the door.

Then you are going to have to maturely work with her through the next few months and have a great farewell for her. You can do this and you will. In 12 months you will look back on this and recall it was the best thing that ever happened (hopefully).

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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