Preserving your brand when staff leave and preserving your personal reputation when you move to a new company should be both party’s main aim.

We work within media agency, digital agency, sales and research & insights and I would say brand preservation is a key pre-requisite in any sector regardless of the industry.  Some good old fashioned advice my dad gave me years ago was, “Be careful who you offend on your way up as you will undoubtedly see them on your way down”.

I know I have been tempted over the years to perceive my departure as a huge loss to any business when in fact no-one is irreplaceable and it was my naïveté and immaturity that allowed me to feel such venom when in fact I had simply outgrown my role, or lost my purpose within an organisation.  In hindsight I don’t think I have worked anywhere where there has been cause to loathe or resent my directors or peers.

What is amazing about human nature is our power to live without fear should we so choose. We sometimes fail to realise how much control we have in our own lives and instead of taking control to remove ourselves from situations that make us unhappy we can  start to behave like victims of our environment – despising every morning when the alarm goes off! Rolling our eyes when our team mates say something we don’t like, or laughing at people around us rather than with them.  Another old adage my dad used to say was, “Blowing someone else’s candle out doesn’t make yours shine any brighter – if there’s nothing nice to say then keep your mouth shut.”  As you can see my upbringing hinges around if you don’t like it, leave or change something and quit your whinging.

The mess left following a bitter resignation is vile – it leaves peers feeling torn as to how they should feel. Are they disloyal if they liked the individual? Does their true loyalty deserve to rest with the business that pays their salary? As a manager –Could you have done more? Would you have done things differently?  How can we look after those who are still bought in to the business and their career development within the company?  Nothing is ever clear cut and the emotions and repercussions are far reaching. All I do know is that a modicum of self respect and grace is needed when moving to a new role.  If things were so hideous at your old company then why were you so impotent in the situation? Are you in control or under the control of your irrational feelings? Own your decisions, see the positive in them and do not demean or devalue those who have worked to equip you with certain skills. Even the worst bosses can teach you tolerance, acceptance and discipline in how to behave.  We are our own souls – we choose to either re-act or respond. Being responsive is a massive strength in an ever changing market.

Emy Rumble-Mettle

Managing Director @LiptonFleming