The unavoidable fact is that one day that employee will move on to another job. How you handle the loss, and guard against it happening again, is an important part of your leadership mission. Here are things to keep in mind when that day comes:
Don't Put Yourself in the Situation Again
If the exit of one employee is going to be so detrimental and upsetting to your business, you need to go back to square one and figure out how to prevent it from happening again. Just as you should be documenting what and how you do your job so that others can pick it up and let you focus on other more important aspects, your employees should do the same thing.
Figure Out Why It Happened
Once an employee has decided to leave for another job, there is very little, if anything you can do to change their mind--including a pay raise or perks. Getting to the root cause of why they decided to leave is important. You may have to get the real answer by allowing the employee to talk to someone else. See if there is something you can address in your organization that could prevent this from happening in the future. Understand that as a company grows, it requires different types of employees and leaders to attain new levels, and employee turnover is a natural part of the growth process.
Work Your Network
As a leader, you should always be hiring. Networking events and business connections are not just about getting new business, they are also about finding great talent for your company as it grows or other changes happen. You should already have someone in your mind from your network that would be a potential hire for the position. Most employees only give a two-week notice, which is really not enough time to find a good, qualified candidate. If you are "always hiring" you will be in a better position than someone starting from scratch.
Inc.com
