It’s early, and you’ve just arrived at the office.

She says, “We need to talk,” and your amygdalae goes red hot with activity.

You feel it in your gut. No one ever says those words as a preface to good news.

You walk together into your office. She sits, and you close the door and join her.

She’s leaving. She has another position. She’ll be gone soon. Your stomach is doing flips.

She gets up and walks out. Your emotions are spinning out of control.

This wasn’t the way this week was supposed to go. You’ve got deadlines, calls backed up, clients coming in, and now this.

Resignations Are Predictable

If you’re like me, then just reading those words makes your breath go shallow. You feel the knot in your stomach and the dread course through your body. I can barely stand to write this stuff.

The good news is that when this happens, you’ll survive. You’ll patch things together. The change will create some chaos, but you’ll get through it, and the stress will subside.

Note the use of the word when in the last paragraph. It’s most definitely when, not if. It’s going to happen.

Losing a key employee is as predictable as death. There’s no way around it. It’s coming. It’s unavoidable.

However, it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Planning for the predictable is common sense. You know it’s coming. You don’t know exactly when, but you might as well be ready. You’ve got a flashlight, right?

Four Steps to Prepare for the Inevitable

Here’s what you can do to be ready:

1. Systems. Have everything written down. Make documenting systems part of everyone’s job. Document it all: how it’s done, the key contact info, the process, etc. We don’t just do it; we explain it in writing with screenshots and accompanying video. We use Clarify, Screenflow, and SweetProcess (visit the Tools page for a special offer on SweetProcess).
2. Cross train. Have each employee teach other employees how to do their jobs during their downtime. That way, you’ll be covered for vacations and illness and be ready to patch things together when the resignation happens.
3. Outsource. Use virtual assistants, virtual paralegals, outside bookkeepers, etc. rather than employees. Outsourcing the work forces you to develop the systems, and you’ll experience less turnover among outsourced business owners than you will among traditional employees.
4. Interview. Always interview—never stop—and then interview some more. Don’t limit interviewing to when you have an open position. Keep interviewing so you always have people in the pipeline when you need to replace someone or expand. Explain that you don’t have an opening right now, but that you constantly interview. Be honest. This is your best defense, and it helps you evaluate your existing team by allowing you to assess your alternatives.

You need to expect the “we need to talk” line. It’s coming. What you don’t need to anticipate is the sense of dread. If you’re doing the four things I’ve outlined, you’ll breeze through the resignation process. In fact, you might find yourself excited to discover that you have an opening for that perfect candidate you interviewed last week.

Systems, cross training, outsourcing, and interviewing will turn that horrible conversation into something you expect, manage, and use as an opportunity for positive change. Be ready; it’s coming.