151: Saying Goodbye to Team Members

Are there times when saying goodbye to team members is the right thing to do?

“I would be a bad boss if I told you to stay here. As much as we love having you on the team, you need to do what’s best for you and your family.” Over the last few months, I’ve found myself saying this a couple different times to team members who were in a place where they felt that a change was necessary. Saying Goodbye to Team Members can be hard.  Either for personal reasons or professional reasons.

It’s easy to become defensive, or take it personally when a team member approaches you about potentially leaving the team.

Was it something I did as a leader?

What am I doing wrong that they don’t want to stay?

Of course, you can explore those questions if you’re experiencing a great deal of turnover. But, typically, if it’s you, those team members will just leave. There’s no discussion; simply a notification: “This is officially my resignation notice”. But, if you find yourself in a situation where a team member approaches you about potentially leaving, and you end up in a conversation about priorities, life goals, and continued fit, then I’d venture to say that you’re doing just fine as a leader.

I remember approaching a boss several years ago and the conversation basically went like this: “I’ve been offered this position in an academic program, full benefits, retirement, the works. The problem is, I really love the team here and the work we’re doing is meaningful.” I’ll never forget what my boss said to me: “Rafi, I’m not saying this because I want you gone, but you’d be foolish not to seriously consider the offer.” We then had a real discussion about my life priorities, career goals, and how this team fit into that list. Now, I went on to stay with that team until our consulting project was over, but the lesson from that conversation has stuck with me since then.

I’m still learning this and working on it myself, but I have come to believe that being a “good leader” is essentially the same as “being a good person”. And that starts with looking out for the best interest of those on your team, even if that means that they end up leaving the team for other opportunities or roles. Not every boss I’ve ever had would have had that conversation with me. But, I’m forever grateful that I’ve been blessed to have learned from some great leaders over my career who modeled this style of people-first leadership.

I read in a book once that your clients won’t remember you in 20 years, but the people who will remember you are the people you worked with, and especially the people you managed or led. If you want to have a real impact in your industry, perhaps a way to do that is by being a good leader to your team, and letting them spread their wings and hopefully they’ll create positive waves wherever they end up.

What we cover in this Episode:

• Building a strong work culture that promotes conversations rather than notifications
• Challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare team members
• How these conversations are different than letting a team member go due to performance issues
• Looking at saying goodbye to team members as a way to continue to build a strong work culture
• Leading in a human way
• A bit of my backstory and career history

We post videos of certain podcast episodes, including this episode, which can find on the YouTube Channel.

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Join Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi), principal of Rehab U Practice Solutions and host of The Better Outcomes Show as he explores the possibilities of a new healthcare. Guests range from clinicians trying new techniques and treatments to executives and entrepreneurs exploring new technology, innovative service delivery methods, business models, and organizational structures. Grab a copy of the book: Better Outcomes: A Guide to Humanizing Healthcare. Or, hire Rafi to speak at your organization or event.

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