thoughts on losing a trusted ally

sigh.

the firm's marketing manager is resigning, leaving for the competitor.

he was my heir apparent, my right hand... he has been with us for more than 5 years.

he told me about it last sunday over coffee. (if one of your direct reports asks you out for coffee on a sunday, it must be THAT urgent) it wasnt as if he was actively looking for a new company. offers just kept on coming until finally one came that he couldnt refuse anymore.

i didnt anticipate it at all. i was stunned but i listened, understood and accepted his resignation.

no, i didnt make a counter offer. i dont believe i could match it anyway. besides, he already knew all that we had to offer him. i dont believe in asking people to stay. nobody's indispensable.

he has informed his people. there was a lot of crying and some bitterness. inside, some felt betrayed.

at first, i felt the same way, too. he is going to the competition. and i felt afraid - this guy knows all our strategies, our programs.

then i realized that such is life. some people would stay on with the company because of emotional ties that do not always make sense. i have stayed on despite better offers because of such ties. i thought he was like me, like the rest of us. in the end, he was a lot more pragmatic than emotional. which is good.

moreover, i saw this as an opportunity to re-assess the firm's strategies (those he knew too well) and perhaps brainstorm on new ones - totally creative approaches he wouldn't have anticipated.

suddenly, i felt renewed... and challenged... here is my protege, out to challenge me and those he left behind! its obi wan vs anakin! hmmm. obi wan gets laser-fried... and luke wins in the end...

haha. kidding aside. life goes on. the business remains an "on-going concern". i have a lost a marketing manager, a trusted ally but the firm will go on... and he will remain an important part of the company's history...