Graceful Exits

Almost every leader dreads the moment they realize a team member might no longer be in the right seat. It’s deeply personal, both for you and for them. Maybe the business has changed and the person hasn’t kept up. Maybe you hired someone before understanding what the role truly needed. Or maybe a great contributor simply wants something your company can’t give. Whatever the root cause, one thing is certain. How you handle tough transitions defines you as a leader, and it sets the tone for your entire team.

These are the moments no one puts on a LinkedIn success post. Yet, the best leaders embrace them, make the most of them, and quietly build career-long loyalty, trust, and respect. I’ve learned these lessons over more years, more roles, and more farewells than I can count. Here’s what matters most.

Honesty Doesn’t Mean Harsh

We all crave real talk. Especially in tough moments, your job is to speak the truth - but with heart. I have never seen a team member surprised by a conversation about performance when they’ve been getting clear signals all along. Where companies go wrong is in hiding discomfort behind vague feedback or false encouragement. That never helps.

Instead, my mantra is clear: stay factual, stay specific, and above all, stay human. Frame every conversation with: “Here’s what I’ve observed,” not “Here’s what’s wrong with you.” The goal isn’t to list failures, but to lay out patterns you both recognize.

Something like, “Over the last few quarters, you’ve had trouble hitting the deadlines for our major launches. I know how hard you’ve tried, but it looks like the pace and pressure here feels different from what you enjoy most. I’d love to hear how you see it.”

Notice the difference? We aren’t attacking. We’re naming what’s real, without judgment, and leaving room for their perspective.

Lead With Empathy, End With Clarity

It’s tempting to let empathy tip over into avoidance. Honest leaders feel for their people - maybe too much. You might want to delay, soften, or sugarcoat tough feedback to spare feelings. Here’s the thing. No one wins when tough truths are ignored.

True empathy comes from putting yourself in their shoes. They deserve clarity, sooner rather than later, so they have agency over their next steps. The fastest way to make a hard moment even harder is to drag it out. You’re not protecting anyone by pretending things are better than they are.

So, give them answers. Tell them exactly where things stand and what comes next. Never leave a team member in a fog wondering what’s unsaid.

A simple formula: acknowledge their humanity, share your observations, and outline potential paths. Listen more than you talk. Most importantly, don’t send mixed signals. People will respect your honesty, especially when it’s delivered with care.

Keep Dignity Non-Negotiable

Every exit, voluntary or not, leaves the team watching. What your team sees is what they believe. Treating someone with dignity isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s good business.

Buy the nice coffee for the meeting. Make sure the person’s next steps and communication plan match their comfort and ambition. Give them space to say goodbye the way they want. If there are ways you can support their next move - introductions, recommendations, bridge roles - offer that help openly.

This is where your values shine through. At one company, I still remember driving a former colleague to their next interview after letting them go. The exit wasn’t easy, but every person who saw that moment remembered how we took care of our own, even when business needs forced tough calls.

Get Curious Together

Sometimes, what looks like a performance problem is really a misalignment of talents or motivations. Not everyone will feel right in every seat, every year. That’s okay.

Ask yourself: if this person is struggling here, where would they thrive? Your job as a leader is to help paint that picture. Sometimes, it’s a different project, team, or even company. Rather than framing the exit only as an end, reframe it as a step forward.

Have the humility to say, “I think your gifts are real and important. They might shine stronger somewhere new. How can we set you up for a great landing?” Sometimes, these conversations lead to internal moves that spark new momentum for everyone. Other times, the goodbye is external, but just as impactful.

Keep the Door Open, But Know When To Close It

A graceful exit doesn’t end when someone leaves the company. Stay in touch. Write the reference letters you wish someone wrote you. Sometimes, folks come back in new roles, stronger than ever, years later. And sometimes, the best thing you can do for your company and for someone’s future is to close the door for good, with gratitude and no hard feelings.

Not everyone is meant to stay, or to ever return. But everyone deserves to leave feeling valued for what they gave, even if it didn’t work in the end.

Learn From Every Exit

The best leaders use these tough moments to make themselves - and their companies - better. After every exit, I pause and ask myself:

• Did we set the person up for success?
• Were there signs earlier we could have acted on?
• Did we communicate expectations clearly?
• What would I do differently next time?

This honest reflection turns a natural setback into long-term progress. Hiring and developing people is hard, and there will always be misses. The goal isn’t perfection, but conscious learning.

Some of my best programs, onboarding lessons, and leadership habits grew from reflecting on exits that didn’t go as smoothly as I wished. Treat each one as a chance to tighten your practices.

Balance for the Business, Support for the Person

At the end of the day, the business comes first. You owe your remaining team clarity, fairness, and forward momentum. Letting performance drift, or spending too long on hopeful turnarounds that don’t materialize, weighs down the entire organization.

But remember - results and relationships don’t have to be at odds. You can pursue change decisively while still leading with heart. The people who stay will notice how you treat those who go. That’s what builds a culture people want to be a part of.

You don’t have to pick between business health and human respect. Doing both is what makes you a leader worth following.

Bring It All Together

Saying goodbye to someone - no matter the reason - is never easy. But when you choose transparency, empathy, and respect, everyone benefits, whether they stay or move on.

If you can navigate those moments well, you won’t just preserve relationships, you’ll strengthen a culture where people feel seen, respected, and supported. The teams that do this build reputations for being places where people matter, not just performance.

You owe it to your company, your team, and yourself to make exits as graceful as every other important moment in a teammate’s journey. Keep it human, keep it honest, and use every opportunity to help others - including yourself - grow. Those are the marks of great leadership, and they last far longer than any single exit ever will.