The upside of staff turnover

We can say to our team, “Join us if it works for you, leave us when it doesn't. And if you leave with more knowledge than when you came, it's a symptom we did well together.”

in his recent book The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams, Seth Godin poses this beautiful point-of-vew attitude about staff turnover, a topic that every community-driven organization has to face sooner or later.

it’s easy to spot the downsides of staff turnover. If you’ve recently lost a valuable staff member, I don’t have to name the challenges you’re probably facing as a result.

But the alternative could be worse: You could have people working for you who really are not happy about it. Or who are only on your team because they can’t find anyone else who wants them.

Planning well for staff turnover has significant upsides:

• Folks who are not a great fit are more easily able to move on to a place that’s right for them.

• Your team is full of people who get your mission and feel fulfilled by the work you’re doing together.

• Your team and your mission continue running smoothly when the changes come (because they will come, sooner or later).

So:

Document your processes. Help your people grow. Let them see you care about them as individuals.

And when it’s time to let them go, you’ll be all the more ready to welcome a new and inspired member to your team.

All the best,
A.