We\u2019d all like to retain our best managers and employees forever or at least for as long as possible.\u00a0 But sometimes our corporate wants and needs conflict with what is best for an employee and his or her career development.\u00a0 We cannot legally stand in the way of an employee resigning to pursue a dream, but we can leave a bad taste with that person and chip away at our corporate culture by not cooperating or even helping the employee move on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t take much to publicly wish a departing employee well, to throw a small celebration, to coach the outgoing person if asked, and to listen and receive fair criticism at the moment of the exit interview.\u00a0 And sometimes, the story that results is one that joins the ranks of super-tales, to be told again and again.\u00a0 Here is one such departure story I tell often.<\/p>\n
Tom rose through the programming ranks to become the chief architect of my software company, with 26 programmers in his fold.\u00a0 The company had grown to 233 employees and served 16% of all automated hotels worldwide at that time.\u00a0 Each week, Tom and I would have an informal lunch and discuss issues that ranged far and wide.\u00a0 Tom almost always had ideas to contribute, particularly about marketing programs and opportunities.<\/p>\n
[Email readers continue here…]\u00a0<\/em><\/span> One day Tom came to me and said, \u201cI want to transfer to marketing. I am tired of programming.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cBut Tom\u201d, I protested,\u201d you are in charge of the family treasure.\u00a0 All of us depend upon you.\u00a0 Oh, the humanity\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Tom insisted, and nothing I could say would stop him from resigning, selling his home, and moving away. Five years later, I received an email from Tom.\u00a0 I keep that email in my leather note portfolio, carrying it with me wherever I go, pulling it out often to read portions to audiences during my workshops, or just for fun to fellow private equity investor friends.\u00a0 \u201cHello again, Dave,\u201d it began. \u201cAfter looking around a lot, I have landed as employee number seven at a Seattle-based startup called Amazon.com.\u201d\u00a0 Tom goes on to extol the opportunities, describe his job in marketing with creative opportunities at every turn, and then\u2026 \u201cMy founder is in round two of capital-seeking, looking for increments of $100 thousand, and if you\u2019d like, I\u2019d be happy to introduce you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n In one of the most understated several word paragraphs in history, I responded by email, \u201cGee, Tom. Good to hear from you.\u00a0 Keep me informed.\u201d\u00a0 After recounting this story, I then ask my audience to guess what an August, 1995 angel stage investment in Amazon might have been worth at the IPO, getting lots of range in the responses.\u00a0 The answer is $31 million.\u00a0 $31 million return from $100 thousand investment, or 310 to1. That story always gets a laugh as most everyone of us recalls the deal we didn\u2019t do, the investment we didn\u2019t make, the opportunity we shunned that turned to gold.<\/p>\n So you never know what good things will someday come, especially from talented, driven associates you nurtured but released into the wild when their time had come<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019d all like to retain our best managers and employees forever or at least for as long as possible.\u00a0 But sometimes our corporate wants and needs conflict with what is best for an employee and his or her career development.\u00a0 … Continue reading