Why You Should Support Your Colleagues Unconditionally Even When Things Get Tough

What to do when your colleague quits mid project...

It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a colleague. Especially when they leave at a pivotal moment for the company or at the peak of a work sprint that they are supposed to be leading.

Let me paint you a picture -

You’re deep in a work sprint that will take your next app to its launch. You’re on your way to a meeting with potential clients and you get a text message from one of your team members that says, “Hey I’m really sorry but I’m not going to be able to finish this project. I’m going on a road trip.”

Your first reaction might be to get angry with them, even curse at them. (And I did, to myself). These are valid reactions but I’d urge you to think twice before acting on them.

By all means, acknowledge your emotions, take care of yourself, and ask your soon-to-be former colleague questions if you feel it will be productive for you - I’ve even worked with someone who has a punching bag in their office to let off steam.

Burning bridges goes two ways which is why I decided to react differently to my colleagues no-notice departure.

I’ve had dozens of team members quit over the past decade, and some departures hurt more than others. No matter how difficult it might be, it’s important to support your colleagues unconditionally and here’s why.

You have to remember that your colleagues are first and foremost, people. People have lives with needs, thoughts, and feelings that you may or may not be aware of.

At some point, you decided that the people you hire and work with are worth taking a chance on. You’ve already made an investment in your colleagues either with your time, money or most likely, both.

If you’re a good leader, you will have seen a departing colleague grow and learn from you and the company and culture that you have created, built, or fostered. They might not realize it in the moment, but you’ve made an impact on this person’s life and they will take skills that you imparted on them with them for the rest of their lives.

So how did I react to resignation in the form of a text message?

First I tried to understand what was going on in this person’s life and realized it was a “trying to find myself” trip and that there wasn’t much I could do to get them to stay (oh and I tried). So what could I do?

I said, “Okay we’re really sad to lose you, and you’ve put us in a tough position but we will adjust accordingly. Have a great trip and keep me posted on your travels."

I switched a few things around internally and was extremely grateful to my remaining team who was presented with the burden of completing their former colleague’s work. I also stumbled upon the past colleague's travel blog and felt genuinely happy to see this person thriving and achieving what they set out to do.

After several weeks of following his blog and reaching out to check in with him, he asked to come back and work with me again. What would you do?

Image by Anna Vi on Unsplash