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Leaving Well in the Workplace

Your Leaving Well guide to navigating workplace transitions šŸ§” I normalize workplace transitions one organization + person at a time. Leaving Well is the art + practice of leaving in the workplace, with intention + joy.

"What is the first thing that folks are going to do as they hear about a job opening that you have, especially when it is as the result of a big workplace transition? They're going to look on social media." -Naomi Hattaway
Featured Post

The WORST thing you can do during a leadership transition

Hi friends! I donā€™t speak much about marketing and communications in this space, but thereā€™s one significant overlap between comms and the idea of Leaving Well. And itā€™s this: You MUST keep your marketing in motion during transitional periods when your organization is going through big changes. Itā€™s so easy to drop your social media while you worry about new job descriptions and interviews and onboarding your new hire. After all, getting the right person in for the job is your top priority....

An image of Amanda Misiko Andere, a Black woman wearing sunglasses, a head wrap, and a yellow tank top.

"We are in a revolutionary moment in our country, in our world. I'm thoughtful and hopeful about change and transition, but also know that comes with great pain. It can come with a lot of conflict. The framing that our country holds around polarization is really around change and transition. So, how do we rename what's actually happening? It is truly the life learning mechanism to get to a place of truer self, to get us to justice and liberation." -Amanda Andere Today's episode release is...

Naomi stands in the center of the image with her hands held up with palms facing up. The text on the right says: Eisenhower Matrix. On the left is a graphic of an Eisenhower Matrix.

"I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important and the important are never urgent." -Dwight D. Eisenhower Nonprofit leaders often have too much on their plates, and not enough time or capacity to effectively choose what task or projects are important vs. urgent vs. should be delegated. In this YouTube video (it's short, at just 8:28 minutes long), Iā€™m sharing the well-known concept of the Eisenhower Matrix and how it can be applied to workplace...

A screenshot of a LinkedIn post from Mark Clouse announcing his departure from Campbell's

ā€œOne of the most significant responsibilities a leader has is to plan for their eventual departure and have great leaders ready to step up and maintain the momentum in the organization.ā€ -Mark Clouse I 100% agree with this sentiment and recently shared it on LinkedIn. People Leaveā„¢ļø and proactive and intentional (and thoughtful) workplace transitions and succession planning is something that every organizationā€”from Campbellā€™s Soup to your nonprofit food bankā€”must prioritize. Is your...

A black graphic with an image of Africa Brooke, a Black woman wearing a white dress shirt, resting the palm of her closed hand on her forehead. The words say: Africa Brooke on Values and The Third Perspective

When I spoke with Africa Brooke on the Leaving Well Podcast, our conversation took a beautiful stroll around the topics of values, integrity, legacy, and reputation. One of the big topics that came up in our discussion was around reputation and self-identifying with our work, especially for women. Living in a patriarchal society, women are held to more rigid standards with less forgiveness of perceived transgressions. We have been socialized to put other peopleā€™s needs before our own,...

A black graphic with light tan flecks features light tan text that says: should a board member serve as interim director.

A board member who feels very connected to the mission, purpose, and operations of your organization may seem like the perfect candidate for an interim role while your nonprofit finds its new hireā€“especially when that board member also has some experience in an executive leadership role. But Iā€™m coming in HOT with a strong opinion: You should NOT place a Board member into an interim executive role! Now, are there situations where this might work well? Of courseā€“but they are exceptions to the...

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Have you lost sleep wondering how your nonprofit will survive after your executive director announces an immediate departure? Or felt that knot in your stomach when board members resign during a crucial capital campaign? Maybe you're an ED yourself, desperately needing a sabbatical but terrified of leaving your organization vulnerable. I understand the weight of responsibility you carry. As a certified Interim Executive Leader with over 15 years in the sector, I've guided organizations...

A screenshot of a podcast player graphic, showing a cell phone with podcast arrows and some ribbons that say Leaving Well Podcast.

ā€œYou need to rank your friends. You want to give the most time to the people who have invested the most in you. You donā€™t want to give your last moments, your most valuable moments, to your Number 15 friends. Your Number Ones deserve your best time. Itā€™s good stewardship of your time.ā€ - Jerry Jones Have you ever thought about ranking your friends? Prioritizing them based on a number of factors, or putting them into categories related to how much time you give them, or who you call first...

A gray graphic has red text that says: Flight Pattern, the standard path followed by an aircraft when taking off or landing

When I first moved from Nebraska (2003), we moved near Atlanta, GA. There was a flight pattern above our home - the standard path followed by an aircraft when taking off or landing. I have long been a frequent airline traveler, yet had never thought about how well organized and structured air travel is, let alone given any thought to how consistently and frequently planes took off and landed. Two decades and many moves later, we lived in Florida over the past two years, and once again found...

The words Leaving Well are in all caps and black text, with a little arrow embellishment at the bottom left side.

When our children were young, my husband traveled frequently for his career. I distinctly remember feeling jealous because of his frequent nights in hotel rooms that I imagined were luxe and so comfy, as he enjoyed delicious dinners out with colleagues while I picked at the leftovers remaining from the kidsā€™ mac and cheese and hotdogs. But, hereā€™s what I know to be true nowā€¦ now that I have introduced significant travel to my own work life: Iā€™ve realized there is really nothing glamorous...