HEADLINES from Business Mentors, Inc.

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HEADLINE: A GRACEFUL EXIT

I had counseled Chloe, an up and coming Fortune 500 female executive, on executive development issues for several years.  Her career progression was excellent, and we had consistently negotiated strong offers for each promotional move she made. Her expertise in her field was well-known, and she had again been approached by a market leader. Yet again, Chloe was being pursued and making the right decisions regarding her career were critical.

I WANT TO PLEDGE …!

The new offer was a strong one, and her interview process was one that I refer to as the sorority rush.  This is where the candidate is brought in and exposed to only the best aspects of the company and the role.  Throughout the process, the candidate is told how strong they are and how invaluable they would be in the role.  The candidate is generally overwhelmed by the attention and fails to investigate other important aspects prior to making a career transition. The new company's leadership team was saying all the right things.

I had warned Chloe to look carefully at the all aspects of the work environment she was considering. She had been blinded by the praise and potential of the new role. She had not interviewed with her potential peers or subordinates as I had suggested. She admitted that she knew little about the environment but she trusted the individuals with whom she had met to provide her accurate information. Ignoring my advice, she was ready to pledge and she signed on.

HAVE I BEEN…DEMOTED?

Chloe soon discovered that she had made a BIG MISTAKE.  On her first day she found out that she was NOT reporting to the person she was led to believe was going to be her manager. Within the first few weeks, she found that the morale of her peers and subordinates was quite low and many employees were seeking other opportunities.  The greatest shock, however, was when she learned that she was being moved from the position for which she was hired to a lesser role which she held several years earlier. She was, in effect, demoted through her promotion.

By the time Chloe called to schedule an appointment she had been in this unhappy situation for nine months.  Her management team noticed her discontent and lack of interest in the reduced role. Rather than seeking a positive outcome, they put her on a corrective action plan citing performance issues. Soon thereafter, a 30-day warning was issued by her boss.

Chloe was completely frustrated and lost when she arrived at my door.  It was obvious to me that there was plenty of blame to go around here. I pointed out to her that the company had lured her into this new position under many false premises: they had told her she would be a change agent but failed to inform her of the de-motivated employee force; they hired her for one position and moved her to another; they told her that she would be working for a particular individual knowing that a completely different person would manage her area; and then they demoted her to a lesser role.

COUNSEL FROM THE COACH

You don’t need to stay in this type of situation. In many cases, you have options. Sometimes you are so immersed in the surrounding events and you are unable to see what choices are available to you. This is where a good executive coach can give you another set of eyes and bring focus to your dilemma.

I counseled Chloe to approach both her boss and her Human Resources Vice President in a non-threatening manner to propose a solution. She could make this situation far more tolerable for her and for the company.  She would agree to move on from the company in exchange for a severance package including six months of salary, benefit continuation, a prorated bonus payout and career outplacement services.  By accepting her offer, the company would avoid a protracted corrective action process most likely leading to termination, potential legal action, and the negative feelings and publicity that could result.   Chloe took this step after much coaching and with great trepidation.  The company knew that they had made some mistakes.  Even the hint of legal action caused them to jump at this opportunity to end the relationship.

Today, Chloe is engaged in a very productive career search and fielding offers from other companies.  She has the financial support of six months severance, benefits and coaching to give her the time to choose the right environment in the best company to continue her career. She has made a graceful exit and is charged and ready for the next challenge.

Invest in Yourself,

Al Stewart

President/Owner

Business Mentors, Inc. is a career management organization that was founded in 1995 by Al Stewart, a former corporate executive with background in the transportation and communications industries with such industry leaders as Eastern Airlines, AT&T, GTE and Sprint and an educational background in Adult Education. His firm, Business Mentors, Inc., offers a broad range of services focused on successful management of professional careers including: Career Exploration, Career Transition, Career Outplacement, Becoming an Entrepreneur, Executive Development and International Transition. With a powerful record of success using counseling, consulting and motivation of over 3500 executives in the past ten years, the firm founded the executive coaching movement and continues to enhance its reputation as one of the leading and most highly regarded career management firms in the country. For more information about our services or questions regarding how we can assist you, please consult our website: www.business-mentors.com Or, you can choose to email us at alstewart@business-mentors.com or call our offices (Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale or Paris, France) at our global number: 404.644.8618. Our associates are available in person at one of our three offices or via teleconference worldwide.

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