How do you react when someone unexpectedly quits the team right before a big deliverable?

Our reader poll today asks: How do you react when someone unexpectedly quits the team right before a big deliverable?

• I get extremely frustrated and feel betrayed or let down 8.59%
• I get frustrated, but departures are a fact of life 39.92%
• I get annoyed, but they have to do what’s right for them 38.19%
• I’m happy they found a better opportunity 13.30%

Saying goodbye at an inopportune time. It’s the natural ebb and flow of people coming into your organization and departing it. Many of you (49%) report being frustrated when they leave right before a big deliverable. In fairness, that’s an appropriate reaction. Their departure has left the team in a pinch and unless there’s a strong bench to draw from, sufficient resources, or enough advance warning to put a transition plan in place, their departure has left you in a tight spot. Communicate expectations with team members related to departures – well in advance of them leaving. Let them know you’re happy to help them move onto new roles but that you expect the courtesy of enough advance notice to plan for their departure as well as the request that departures take place after the completion of major deliverables if possible. It might not prevent them leaving but they might stick around long enough to make sure they don’t leave you in a bad position.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.