One of the toughest challenges I’ve faced as an agency owner is dealing with a team member leaving unexpectedly.
In the past, when someone quit, I often found myself thinking, “Well, I probably would have made that decision in the next few weeks anyway.”
It was easy to dismiss it as something I hadn’t gotten around to because of bandwidth.
But this time, it hit differently.
This time, it was someone I genuinely liked, someone who I thought was thriving in their role.
For whatever reason, they just couldn’t commit to staying, and that’s fine—it happens.
You can’t force someone to stay if they’re ready to go.
But here’s where things get interesting: two important things happen when someone leaves.
First, I start to internalise.
I ask myself, am I creating the best possible working environment?
Am I paying people what they’re worth?
Is there something I could have done to keep them on board?
I want my team to feel excited and proud to work with us, and when someone leaves, especially someone I didn’t expect to, I take it very personally.
The second thing is understanding the practical side of their departure.
What critical tasks were they handling that we now need to cover?
In my experience, most team members have one or two essential tasks that need immediate attention.
The rest? It can usually wait.
If the work is business-critical, I start the hiring process again, knowing it could take a month or two to find the right person and another three months to get them fully trained.
That’s why retaining staff is so crucial—it’s expensive and time-consuming to replace them.
But sometimes, there’s a silver lining.
When you take a closer look, you might realise that some of the tasks they were handling aren’t as essential as you thought.
Maybe there’s a better way to streamline, or perhaps you don’t need to fill that role at all.
So, from a practical standpoint, I prioritise the business-critical tasks and let the rest fall by the wayside until we’re ready to hire again—or maybe not at all.
This experience has shaped my approach to business, reminding me of the importance of both self-reflection and practical planning.
What challenges have shaped the way you run your business?
