Reading · Becoming a Leader

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I recently listened to the HBR on Leadership podcast. They shared a story about Cynthia Carrol who was CEO of Anglo America — a mining company. When Cynthia took over, they had 200 fatalities over five years. She wanted to get serious about safety to reduce the number of deaths a year. So, she went on a listening tour of their mining operations.

One operation in South Africa had a poor track record. They extracted platinum one mile underground, where it was dark, wet, and often only had enough room to kneel.

Others told Cynthia that these fatalities were the cost of doing business, but she disagreed. She shut down the platinum division to allow them time to evaluate their safety procedures, restructure, and retrain.

By taking action, Cynthia and her team reduced deaths from 44 in 2006 to 17 in 2011.

The engineering team you lead likely doesn’t work in hazardous environments like mining. However, this episode made me think about the type of crisis engineering managers face.

One of those is when someone leaves your team, which can happen for various reasons but will affect you and your team no matter what.

So, what should you do to support them?

The following are some tips to help you respond to this situation.

Give your team a heads up

When someone decides to leave your team, your primary focus should be on the remaining team members. You want them to feel motivated, supported, and optimistic about the future.

I learned this firsthand when a valued team member left the company earlier this year. This individual provided support for critical services, led various initiatives, and managed ongoing projects. Losing their expertise was undoubtedly going to have an impact on us.

The challenge for me was how to communicate this transition effectively. People on my team were already feeling overwhelmed with new responsibilities due to a recent organizational change, and most were already operating at capacity. So, I reflected on the questions they might have and anticipated that they’d be curious about the following:

Why the change was happening
What the change is
What’s going to happen next
How this change would affect them

The email I sent went like this:

Hi team,
With mixed emotions, I share the news that [Name] will be leaving [Name of company]. [Date] will be their final day.
[Name] achieved the following milestones: [List of accomplishments]. I’m grateful for their contributions and support and wish them luck with their new chapter.
During this transitional phase, I request your understanding and patience while I strategize which tasks need coverage and will provide an update in our upcoming team meeting.
In our next team meeting, I will share the plan for supporting the most valuable work.

You can use this template as a reference for communicating the change to your team.

Find out what they’ve been working on

Once your team member has submitted their resignation, it’s time to set up a meeting to go over their current responsibilities. While you, as their manager, likely have a good grasp of their ongoing tasks, there might be certain things they still need to share with you. For instance, they may be lending a hand on projects outside of your team’s backlog.

Consider this meeting as a project kick-off of sorts. It’s a chance for you to learn. At the beginning of the conversation, congratulate them on their new opportunity. By celebrating their career move, you set the tone for a collaborative discussion to ensure a smooth transition without making them feel guilty.

In this meeting, here are the key things you’ll want to cover:

Current progress
Estimated completion date
Any challenges encountered
Relevant stakeholders
Task or project timeline

After reviewing their workload, take a moment to ask if there are any additional responsibilities they’ve been handling.

With this information, you can start the decision-making process: determine which assignments should continue, be temporarily paused or deferred.

Distribute tasks within the team

Now that you understand the situation more clearly, it’s time to create a strategy to support the assignments that need to continue.

Start by asking yourself a few questions:

Is anyone within my team able to take on some extra tasks?
Are there assignments that could serve as stretch goals for someone looking to develop their skills?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it’s time to initiate a call with the relevant team member. Explain the situation, let them know their support is genuinely appreciated, and why a task is essential. Additionally, share how you’ll provide support during this time.

On the other hand, if your team is already operating at maximum capacity, you may have to take ownership of a task. By jumping in to help, you will prove you’re willing to roll up your sleeves to support the team and your customers. This action goes beyond words — it can boost your credibility and offer a unique chance to gain deeper insights into the daily grind.

However, remember that taking on individual contributor (IC) related tasks could mean less time for your managerial duties. Set a time limit to keep things balanced and communicate openly with your team and manager about your additional commitments.

Don’t forget about your customers

The first time someone left my team, I spent a lot of time strategizing how to backfill their role and then forgot to email the customer. They IM’d me asking who their new go-to person was, and I felt terrible that they found out through the grapevine.

You did all of the hard work; now, take the time to assure your customers that they are in capable hands. Highlight your team’s dedication to ensuring a seamless transition, and introduce the go-to person for them. And, of course, don’t forget to provide clear instructions for any escalations if necessary.

You can send a similar message to the one you sent your team:

Hi [customer name],
With mixed emotions, I share the news that [Name] will be leaving [Name of company]. [Date] will be their final day.
[Name] achieved the following: [List of accomplishments].
During this transitional phase, [Name] will be your go-to person for support and questions. Please reach out to me if you need to escalate.

In summary

Someone leaving your team isn’t equal to the lives lost while mining for platinum, but it is a type of crisis that you and your team will have to deal with.

By having open communication, prioritizing tasks, collaborating with your team, and focusing on your customers, you can create a solid plan to support the work that still needs to get delivered.