The Best Time to Prevent a Two-Week Notice
Bob Tiede has served on the staff of Cru for 55 years and currently serves on its U.S. Leadership Development Team. He is the creator of LeadingWithQuestions.com, where his blog—now in its 14th year—is read by leaders in more than 200 countries. Bob is the author of eight widely read books, including Great Leaders ASK Questions, Now That’s a Great Question!, and Success Unlocked. All eight books are available as free downloads at LeadingWithQuestions.com/books.
Whenever an employee gives you his/her two-week notice, you’ll probably have one of three immediate internal reactions:
- “Good!” This saves me from having to let them go.
- “Darn!” I really like this person—but they’re replaceable.
- “Hold on… I need to go throw up!” This is one of our stars! I don’t know what we’ll do without them.
How successful have you been at convincing a Star Employee to Stay after they’ve given you their two-week notice?
If you’re like most leaders, probably not very successful.
The reality is that by the time someone hands you their resignation, they’ve often left emotionally weeks—or even months—earlier. In many cases they’ve already accepted another position. There is usually very little you can say or do at that point to change their decision.
I wish I had a set of magic questions you could ask during that conversation that would convince them to stay.
I don’t.
But I do have a suggestion that can dramatically improve your odds of never having that conversation in the first place.
Start With Your Employee List
Go through your employee list, one name at a time, and ask yourself:
“How would I honestly react if this person gave me their two-week notice today?”
If your immediate response is:
“Good! This saves me from having to let them go.”
Don’t wait for them to quit. Meet with HR and develop a plan for addressing the performance issue now!
If your response is:
“Darn! I like this person—but they’re replaceable.”
Ask yourself, “What coaching, mentoring, training, or new opportunities might help them grow into an indispensable contributor?”
But if your response is:
“Hold on… I need to go throw up! I don’t know what we’d do without this person!”
Here’s my question:
When is the best time to tell them how valuable they are?
Yes! Now!
The reality is that by the time someone hands you their resignation, they’ve often left emotionally weeks—or even months—earlier.
As Benjamin Franklin wisely observed:
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Quickly schedule a meeting with every employee in that third category.
Tell them exactly how much they contribute.
Tell them how much they are valued.
And if it fits your personality and culture, tell them with a smile:
“If you ever gave me your two-week notice, my first response would be, ‘Hold on… I need to go throw up!’”
That conversation alone is a powerful first step in a retention strategy.
In fact, there’s a good chance they’ll tell their spouse, family, or best friend about that conversation over dinner that evening. Few things are more memorable than hearing your leader sincerely say, “We can’t imagine this team without you.”
But don’t stop there.
Now comes the most important part.
Don’t wait until they’re leaving to ask great questions.
Ask them now.
Questions to Ask Employees You Never Want to Lose
Meet with your star employees several times each year and ask questions like these:
- What do you enjoy most about working here?
- What part of your job gives you the greatest sense of purpose or fulfillment?
- If you could change one thing about your role, what would it be?
- What obstacles or frustrations are getting in the way of your best work?
- What can I do differently as your leader to help you succeed?
- Do you feel your talents and strengths are being fully utilized? If not, where are we missing opportunities?
- What skills or experiences would you like to develop over the next year?
- What would make this an even better place for you to build your career?
- Have you ever been tempted to look at another opportunity? If so, what prompted that thought?
- If another organization tried to recruit you, what would make their offer difficult to refuse?
- Is there anything happening that might someday cause you to consider leaving that we should talk about now?
- What can I do—starting today—to make it far less likely that you’ll ever want to work anywhere else?
That last question may be the most important one of all.
Ask it.
Then listen.
Really listen.
And whenever possible, act on what you hear.
Bonus Question: If any of their answers leave you wanting to know more, you can always ask, “Can you please tell me more about that?”
The best retention strategy isn’t convincing great employees to stay after they’ve decided to leave. It’s creating an environment where they know they are valued and never feel the need to look elsewhere in the first place.
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