Stress - An Employee Walks In and Quits

"Thank you Rick. The employee who was on the fence gave me his notice on Friday. Because of your training, I was not surprised, we had thoroughly vetted his thinking (via weekly coaching conversations) and it was an easy step to let him walk away. As he was talking I heard your words "how hard would you fight to keep the employee", and I had decided a couple of weeks ago that I would not. Your training was invaluable in the process. I also had a plan in place in the event he did resign (a virtual bench), so there will not be any significant disruption in our operations."

This was an email I received over the weekend. My response to it was as follows:

"That is really is good to hear. Thank you for sharing this with me - it feels good that our discussions and your actions, more importantly, enabled this result. Knowing is not enough we must do and you did."

That's right knowing it not enough, we must do. We are all too busy, too uncomfortable to take 10 minutes a week to sit down with each of our direct reports and have a coaching conversation. We are all too busy, too uncomfortable to take an hour a week and focus on building a virtual bench of A Players that we can bring in when needed.

"Recruiting is a process, not an event. It must be ongoing and continuous. Can you imagine only going after a new customer when you lose an existing one?"

- Jack Daly

What is hard is stepping back and seeing that the reason we are so busy and uncomfortable is because we are not doing the very things (above) that will make us less busy and less stressed and more comfortable in the future.

"At most companies, people spend 2% of their time recruiting and 75% managing their recruiting mistakes." 

- Richard Fairbanks, CEO of Capital One

"If I am on the wrong road it doesn't matter how good I get at speeding down the road. It's the wrong road."

- Steve Chandler

Learn to coach - quit managing - and learn how to build a virtual bench of 'A' Players. But remember knowing is not enough you must do!

Here is my presentation on these subjects if you want to learn more:

• Video format streaming (no pause)

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