Imagine this scenario: Your best employee has just given her notice. You’ve tried changing her mind, to no avail. Her last day is two weeks from today.
How do you feel?
If you’re like most managers, you’re somewhere along the spectrum between “concerned” and “utterly panicked.”
• Where are you going to find someone as good? (or even half as good)
• How much are you going to have to pay a replacement? (probably more than the former
employee)
• How long will the search take? (longer than you think it will)
• How much time and money will you have to invest in the search?
• Who will do her work in the meantime?
Even when things go as smoothly as possible, it can take months to replace a key employee.
But what if it didn’t have to be like this?
What if you had a list of candidates who were already pre-screened for experience and skills?
That would take a lot of the heat off, wouldn’t it?
You’ve got to expect that you’re going to lose good people from time to time, even if you’re doing everything right. If they’re any good at all, they’re approached regularly by recruiters like me—and some offers are simply too good to pass up.
Don’t wait until your superstar gives notice to start looking for a replacement. Develop a pipeline of candidates yourself or hire someone to do it for you. It sure beats praying to the retention gods.