Departing team members can be good future clients - don't take them for granted.

When did you last repot a plant? I keep trying to keep houseplants alive, with varying success.

About a year ago, I subdivided a monstera, also known as a Swiss Cheese Plant. It had been growing in a pot in the sun in my bedroom, and was now putting out runners to try to find itself a new home. When I unpotted it, I found the roots had completely filled the pot and the only way to divide it was to go in with a very sharp knife.

So, I had two half-pots of monstera each with a semicircle of fresh compost. One went back to my bedroom, and the other in a new spot, at the other end of the house, near the dining table.

Fast forward, and the one that moved to the new place is thriving, with loads of new leaves and roots that have taken over the fresh soil. The one I put back in the old place… not so much.

Why is the relevant to client listening? Because you will know what happens when a top performer leaves your team, particularly if they had become “potbound” in their role at your company. Some people will grow and thrive away from the shadow of a former colleague, and others appear to wither in their absence. What about if your high performer moves to a client organisation? Does that mean they take “your” work with them? Or are they seen as a friend of the firm and a potential conduit for new business? How do you ensure you continue to nourish the soil in their new position?

My experience of interviewing clients who had left practice for industry, in their new industry roles, is that many of their former employers somewhat took them for granted. “Oh, they know how things work around here,” and “we can’t been seen to be bothering them too much,” can turn to a grumbling resentment they are being ignored. Worse, as time passes, the former lawyer/account/consultant will become detached from updated operating and pricing models, and so have outdated assumptions about required budget or delivery models.

So, how do you keep in touch with your former colleagues? Do you have an alumni strategy? Does it include those in industry as well as those that may have moved to competitors? Is it HR or marketing driven? What do your alumni tell you they want?

Top tips:

1. A “good exit” is still a great thing to offer your departing team members. Yes, David Maister’s work Managing the Professional Service Firm is nearly 30 years old and definitely reads like it’s from another century. But, your former colleagues may become your future clients. So, ensure they leave happy with your best wishes when the time comes. This surprisingly doesn’t always happen – resentments and grudges can be held by the most reasonable-seeming leader if they feel let down or ambushed by change.
2. Make a plan. “How would you like me [us] to stay in touch?” Social, newsletter? Someone leaving will notice that they have “real” friends they have made through work who they stick around with naturally. If you’re their boss, that probably will not include you. So, ask permission and make a plan. A lunch in 6 months’ time? See how you’re settling in? Even if they are at a client you don’t expect to do business with, or they’re at a rival firm. Maybe they’ll boomerang back to you, or you learn the work you didn't expect to be in with a chance of winning is now up for tender.

Just as some plants thrive when given a new environment, some employees may flourish when given new opportunities outside of their current role.

It is important for firms to have an alumni strategy that includes staying in touch with former colleagues. By maintaining these connections, companies can not only continue to nourish the soil of their relationships but also potentially benefit from future business opportunities. So, let's not underestimate the value of a "good exit" and make a plan to stay connected with our former colleagues, because you never know when they might flower.