Why would you be willing to see your employees leaving?
Departure is a separation, a loss, and we may be tempted to get flooded by negative emotions. Instead, departure is a new beginning, for both sides, an opportunity for learning, renewal, and rebound. If the came to see you and discuss about their future, no matter what if they leave or stay, thank them for their trust.
As a manager, you are here to support people at two key points in their careers:
- helping them grow, succeed in their roles,
- and prepare them for the future.
Regardless of the underlying causes of the departure, focus on the positive aspects for both parties. The easiest is when it’s an internal move, one that is desired and hoped for. The most difficult is when people are worn out, and you have somehow either observed the decline or contributed to it. Both sides should learn, and an open discussion to initiate the healing process could be desirable, but it is not possible to do so systematically. Find a way to ensure that the people leaving will have support from one colleague, learn from this experience, and demonstrate to your team that you are learning from it and evolving.
Managers are not machines, perfect and knowing everything. We can all make mistakes, and we have to learn not to repeat them. By doing so, you start the healing process for yourself, your group, and the person impacted.
In a nutshell, become the manager who systematically sees the glass half full and learn from the half-empty side.
Why are all the departure opportunities
Departure for another internal position:
The person continues their journey within the company, thereby changing their environment to meet their expectations. For you, the managers, this marks the end of your support for this person. And you can continue to monitor their progress from afar. With positive support and an effective and sincere transition, the group will measure the coherence between your words and your actions in terms of support for progression.
Departure for a promotion:
The person has just seized an internal opportunity with growth that is easier for the group to see. For the manager, if the promotion takes place within the group, transparency in the process is one of the key elements to demonstrate the sincerity of your approach. Therefore, for the group, this becomes another example of the coherence between your words and your actions, thus strengthening the group.
Departure for an external opportunity:
Voluntary on the part of the person, so their choice is generally dictated by an opportunity that is hard to miss. It is up to you, the manager, to thank this person for their contribution. By participating in their reflection, ensuring their choice is serene, you will also learn a lot about yourself, your leadership, and how to enhance the attractiveness of your group, as well as the desire to stay. And for the group, seeing that your approach is open, sincere, and remains coherent, and that your feelings do not dictate your reactions, will increase their confidence in you. Yes, managers, you are human, and you can and will feel emotions, but they do not define you. It is what you do with these emotions that counts. And your group will witness this.
Departure when one is hurt and bruised:
For those of you making this choice, even if circumstances and business decisions have deeply affected you, this departure is your decision. The feelings you experience are normal, and they do not define you. Your choice, your freedom, is to determine how you will react and rebound, for yourself and your loved ones.
For you, the manager, learn from this: listen, listen, and listen to your employees. Guide people to understand the rationale, the whole picture, and the why. This effort of rationalization, along with your sincere support for the person and the group, are the actions you can take to help maintain team cohesion and continue to move forward. Because, and this is one of the difficulties, the competition does not stop, the clients and your partners still have the same needs, and for the longevity of the company, you must keep your team moving.
And finally, for the group, seeking a new member is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective and new viewpoints. It can also help rebalance the diversity to maximize the group’s richness. This selection is a moment of mobilization and motivation. It will be part of a series of upcoming articles on recruitment.
With a positive departure that fosters a positive dynamic within the group and among employees, it strengthens the team dynamic. An improvement in the appreciation of the company and the group by employees is achieved through the concrete demonstration of this vision of support, help, and advice, creating a situation where both sides benefit from this departure.
The pitfalls:
The classic: « this person is indispensable »
Accompanied by the dramatic statement « Without them, your service can no longer function. » This is not acceptable. If this is the case, you must take immediate action because you are putting your business at risk. Anyone can win the lottery, get sick, or want to change. Do not block or slow down a job change. Ensure that your group has alternative solutions with team members capable of taking on part of the tasks of others, in terms of both skills and flexibility. The slowdown is the exception and must be explained to everyone.
Why? A pure business reality, the group’s perception of your attitude and openness in these moments can have a positive or negative impact on future personnel movements and the internal attractiveness level of your group.
The second pitfall is letting your emotions guide your response.
To illustrate this concept, do you feel a sense of disappointment when someone leaves? It is a reaction that one might want to qualify as natural or normal, and it is. If this feeling dictates your response, it highlights the fact that your feelings are more important than those of others.
So yes, in the past, I have felt this emotion. I have welcomed and trained many young engineers, and after three years with you, they left, just when the investment is paying off. By not letting myself be guided by this emotion and taking a step back, I realized that the employee had also invested in this evolution and had found elsewhere the accelerator they wanted based on what they had learned from the group and the projects. And this encourages me to become a better manager.
So, if you feel this emotion, name it and let it pass. Do not block it within you, do not deny it, understand its roots, accept it, and move on.
Conclusion: The vision I propose to you
Your sales and competitive sides must come into play now: So, does your group offer the best opportunities? Your success depends on your team, as the sum of their accomplishments will be a measure of your leadership effectiveness. You want a winning team with the best in their positions.
To be attractive internally, a group must offer a great atmosphere and serve as an incubator of talent, encompassing all talents. And so your colleagues from other departments will want to spend part of their experience in your group. If you reach this level, then your group will shine internally, attract talent, and achieve above-average results.
Diversity (in all its forms: profiles, experience, training, gender, origin) and mobility are two key factors in creating a vibrant and dynamic group that will make a difference. For this, do not block mobility, encourage it!
Question: And you, how do you help people during this transition?
Read the part 1 explaining the steps we are going through during such transition.
Read the part 2 sharing four different situations
🛠️ Three simple actions to support departures within a team
Welcome the departure with an honest and calm conversation to:
thank the person for their contribution,
understand what motivated their choice (without judgment),
wish them sincerely the very best.
This sets the tone: we don’t hold people back — we support them.
Inform the team quickly, with transparency and respect. Say:
why the person is leaving (within what can be shared),
what it means for the group,
how the transition will be managed.
This moment is essential to avoid rumors, interpretations, and unnecessary hurt.
Use each departure as a mirror to strengthen the group’s attractiveness
After the transition, take a moment to ask yourself:
What does this departure teach me about my leadership?
What does it reveal about the employee experience in my team?
This is the logic of legacy: leaving the group stronger than you found it.
👉 These three simple actions strengthen your leadership posture and unlock your potential.
Coaching or Mentoring: Your Choice, Your Growth
I’m Franck Dervault, drawing on years of professional experience and now advancing toward certification as a coach. I offer two distinct paths:
- Coaching to help you unlock your own potential through reflection, presence, and guided discovery.
- Mentoring to share lessons, strategies, and insights from my career so you can navigate challenges with confidence.
Whichever path you choose, my goal is the same: to help you realize that you are wiser than you think, with immense potential waiting to be unlocked.
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