I got the job!

Have you ever given notice?

Chances are you had one of two experiences:

1. Dread and delay: giving notice was HARD. Not because you weren’t ready to go, but because you were worried about how your manager would react.

2. Excited and ready: giving notice was easy! You felt prepared and solid in knowing your manager would be supportive and excited for you.

Today I’m going to break down how to create the conditions for a direct report who’s excited and ready–another leadership green flag.

Plus, a few warning signs for when you’re veering into dread and delay territory.

Let’s get into it.

It starts on day one

Set expectations. A solid culture of trust starts with setting expectations. Role expectations, behavior expectations, growth expectations, and real timelines for checking in. This goes both ways: as a leader, you need to understand what your direct reports expects of you, the role, and growth so you can determine when expectations are misaligned.

Repetition. Repeat after me: I care about your career development here and wherever you might go next. Say it out loud and often when you’re having career conversations with your directs.

There’s a dose of reality here: we don’t live in a world where someone will stay with a company for decades. It’s okay to acknowledge that your direct report, or you, might leave at some point. The more this is normalized, the more comfortable we will be having these conversations.

Make the conversation a habit. You need to have ongoing career conversations. Are they experiencing the growth they want? Does your company offer the experience they need? When do you know it’s time to move on, and how do you plan for it?

Most secretive searches happen because these details aren’t transparent.

Follow through. If you say that career development is important, you need to follow through. Are you providing training or stretch assignments? Your actions matter in helping to build trust.

Keep it between you. This is a step that often goes wrong, but one of the best ways to build an excited and ready culture is to keep these conversations confidential. Don’t make it a habit to share without explicit permission.

Dread and delay warning signs

You can start with great intentions and still veer into cultivating dread and delay. Here are a few warning signs to look out for and self-audit:

🚩 Ignoring performance conversations. It’s a way to “quiet quit” your responsibility as a manager. If you feel yourself avoiding the check-in, ask yourself why. And don’t be surprised if your directs start shopping.

🚩 Saying one thing and doing another. If you promise your direct an opportunity for growth and never follow through, they’ll track it as not being able to trust your word.

🚩 Having big reactions to bad results. If you’re finding yourself constantly having big reactions when you get news that you don’t like, be careful. You’re sending a signal that “bad news” won’t be received well and truth-telling should be avoided.

Bonus: a script for when someone gives notice:

First, congratulations! I’m so happy for you and what sounds like an awesome new opportunity. We’ll of course miss you here, but are so grateful for the time, effort, and dedication you’ve given to [company name].

I’d love to take this in and come up with a plan for the next two weeks. Can we reconnect tomorrow at [time]?

You’re welcome to tell people you work with directly, but let’s come up with a wider communication plan tomorrow. Make sure to send [HR person’s name] an email giving your written notice and confirming your last day. They’ll follow up to confirm and be another support as you transition.

I can’t reiterate enough how exciting this new role sounds! I know you’ve been eager to [areas of growth], and I’m looking forward to seeing your impact.

Why does this matter?

Creating a dread and delay environment is indicative of a working culture that isn’t working.

Why?

When your directs are spending time searching for a new job instead of focusing on their current job, it impacts business results.

I’d much rather know when someone is ready to move on and help them do so while planning for how to cover/backfill their role, than be surprised in a 1:1 and overwhelmed at what happens next.

In the world of Talent

👀 When to go low and when to go high: At the SEC championship game last weekend, the benches cleared and several LSU & South Carolina players were ejected. There are lessons to take-away from how both coaches responded, namely: when do you publicly back your team and when do you publicly uphold accountability? My POV: always take the high road publicly. You can have a different conversation with your team 1:1. But backing away from accountability is a slippery slope that sends the wrong message.

🫂 10 ways non-Muslims can support their Muslim colleagues during Ramadan: Mukhtar M. Ibrahim shares ten ways to support your Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. Head to his post for the details, see a quick summary below:

1. Avoid assumptions

2. Be understanding

3. Be respectful in general

4. Offer schedule flexibility

5. Educate your team

6. Educate yourself

7. Offer flexibility around prayer times

8. Be patient and kind

9. Don’t be afraid to ask respectful questions

10. Offer words of encouragement

Kat’s corner

🍀 St. Patricia’s Day: today was my Grandma Pat’s birthday, her absolute favorite day of the year. After she passed away in 2018, we started celebrating St. Patricia’s Day with all of the things that remind us of her the most. Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton records, mini-donuts and cinnamon toast waffles, movie marathons and sleep overs. Happy heavenly birthday, Grandma Pat! We love you truly.

🎲 Games my kids love to play: a week of solo-parenting later, and here’s what my kids are super into right now (these are two very active almost-four-year-old boys): hide-and-seek, playing dinosaurs, using the kitchen table as a track for their cars, making a “volcano” out of pillows and blankets and launching themselves into it, playing with the hose outside, and taking a star bath (put a starlight in the bathroom and turn out the lights, that’s it).

📺️ What I’m watching: I can’t stop watching Couples Therapy on Hulu. I’ve just about binged all three seasons in record time and can’t get enough of Orna (the therapist).

🫶 Special shout-out: this week’s shout-out goes to my friend, Shannon Ogborn, and our one-year anniversary! This week last year we were at HR Transform, building the foundation for a lasting friendship. I’m so grateful to know you, Shan! There are few people who go harder for job seekers than you!