How Do You Talk About Your Team Members When They Leave?

Do you praise departing team members—or subtly undermine them? In this episode, Shannon Waller breaks down why the way you talk about departures—good or bad—shapes your team’s trust, your reputation, and even who’ll want to work for you. Learn the hidden costs of venting, Dan Sullivan’s graceful approach, and the “true, kind, necessary” rule for classy goodbyes.

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Show Notes:

• How you talk about former team members defines your reputation—both inside and outside your company.
• Venting about someone who left may feel good in the moment, but it’s a trust killer for your current team.
• If you speak poorly about others after they’re gone, your current team members will begin to wonder what you’re saying about them too.
• The way you handle goodbyes also tells your current team how you’ll handle tough moments with them.
• Every departure is a chance to demonstrate emotional maturity, even when it’s hard.
• Tough conversations should happen before someone departs.
• Great leaders turn departures into goodwill ambassadors, not burned bridges.
• Dan Sullivan’s magic phrase: “People leave for their reasons, not ours.”
• A-players avoid companies with a reputation for badmouthing former employees.
• If you can’t say something genuinely positive about a departure, silence is the wiser choice.

Resources:

The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan

Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn’t Show On The Front Stage

Team Success Episode: From Conflict To Courage, with Marlene Chism