Taking the heat out of senior exits

 

Separating the emotional from the practical

 

Organisations need to recognise that there are emotional as well as practical considerations for an affected individual. Although career coaching and counselling are becoming part of the severance terms of departure in some organisations, all too often we find companies shy away or fail to appreciate the need to treat employees with respect and dignity at all stages of the process.

Providing senior executives with career transition coaching shows sensitivity to the challenges they may face in making a successful transition. It provides the necessary due care and attention and focuses on the individual’s particular needs.

An external consultant, who has not been part of the organisational decision, is usually better suited to provide the individual with the objective support and guidance often not available in-house.

Anger can often be a dominant emotion. "Why am I being asked to leave?" "What about my contribution to the success of the company?" "But it’s not my fault."

The external consultant can provide independent and objective support to ensure the individual, while reviewing their career and choices to date, focuses on looking forward rather than back. We talk about the anger, how to help express it and move on and our work can sometimes diffuse potentially explosive and unhelpful situations.

One foot forward – the practical steps

We help the individual think about their next career step. This change won’t necessarily have been their choice, so we challenge them to consider what they need personally and professionally at this stage of their career and what they can do for themselves.

Using a range of tools, we encourage the individual to consider opportunities or ways of working which may be more suited to them at this time. We explore the degree to which they have control and choice over what happens to them from this point on. Individuals differ in how they attribute causes to either their own acts or to external forces and part of career transition coaching is about making conscious choices and regaining control.

Individuals are motivated by many career drivers or anchors and these are the priorities that define how they see themselves and what they need from their work to remain motivated and challenged. Through coaching it is possible to pinpoint and prioritise what currently is important to them in their career and life and to make conscious choices based on this knowledge.

Career Transition Coaching Sessions

In most instances an organisation will commit to four or five sessions with an external provider all of which are totally confidential. During the first session the coach will establish how the individual perceives the situation and agree how the time together can be most effectively used.

It can be that the coaching finishes after a couple of sessions as the individual believes that they have reached some closure while others may request further help at the end of the programme.

By adopting a holistic approach and working to build trust and rapport it ensures the very best is achieved. There appears to be a direct correlation between how honestly and respectfully individuals are treated and how well they move on and make a successful transition.

Respect and dignity

We may also be asked to provide coaching sessions or bespoke workshops for internal staff handling the exit of an individual from an organisation. In these coaching sessions and workshops we focus upon the importance of dealing with practical and emotional aspects and communicating at every level with respect and dignity.

In some situations, mediation may also play a part and rather than embarking along a legal route, the skills of a trained mediator can help achieve an outcome with which both parties are happy.

Career transition coaching is about talking to the individual and helping them move forward – resulting in what is best for them and best for the company.