Its late morning Friday and you are in the zone working through just how to get the organization on board with your latest improvement project. Just then your top performer shows up at your door. She jars you out of the zone and as you scramble to collect your senses to talk to her. She asks if you can spare a minute and immediately begins to close the door. She sits down at your conference table looks you in the eye and drops a bomb. Even before the words come out of her mouth you know something is desperately wrong. Your spider sense is tingling, the hairs on the back of your neck are standing straight up. This can’t be good you think to yourself. Outwardly you put on a brave smile return the eye contact inwardly bracing yourself for what you know will not be good news.

I just wanted to come in and let you know that I have accepted a position at competitor X. I can stay on for…

Now what?

The major improvement project you were just thinking about shatters like so many pieces of glass on a concrete floor.

Your workload you have managed down to “human”, as you have relied on this person more and more, just spiked back up to “pending divorce” level…again

Now what?