Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Your leadership ...

Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Your leadership ...
by Barney68 (2019-09-23 10:14:23)

In reply to: My last day is Friday. I am running an $11M project posted by tenn_subway

is not addressing the problem because doing so would require painful choices. My recommendations, in part summarizing below:

1. Do your job to the best of your ability for the rest of your time with the company. That alone can be a challenge as "short timer syndrome" is not a fig leaf (intentional) of someones imagination.
2. Document what you can. This starts with the project management tasks. Make sure your MS Project schedule (tool assumption based on size) is up to date; highlight any tall poles or problems that should be watched for over the next month or so. Red font, yellow highlight as needed.
3. Inform your current boss(es) on any critical items. That starts with subordinates who may be especially capable (possible replacements) or require extra attention. Quality concerns would be number two on my list.
4. Brief your current team on what is going on.
5. Leave your contact information and consulting rate as suggested. Be generous with your current employer with willingness to answer straightforward questions as needed over the next month or two; be generous with yourself if they start to abuse the privilege (doubly true for the SME aspect of the work).
6. Keep your new employer (assumption on my part) informed about what is going on with the firm you are leaving and make sure that old loyalties do not interfere with new responsibilities.

Fair winds and following seas!

This is excellent advice through 4, but on 5 and 6

Establish a cutoff point where they're on their own - doesn't have to be stated, just in your mind at some point you'd say "OK, enough is enough". Usually, though, it's a moot point. They figure it out and move on and don't bother you.

On point 6, that only works if you tell the new employer before taking the job, and the cutoff point again is critical. You can't tell them after starting the new one. I'd ask "who do you work for, them or us"? We had a recent situation like that, with an absolute top-notch consultant but she was unreliable because we didn't know if she was working for us or still working for her old clients. She was independent for many years and it pretty much seemed she wasn't getting the "you work for us now" thing, and there was a parting of the ways.

The people paying you have to know they can count on you. And that means all the time.

And make sure to have E&O insurance in place

before consulting for them indepdently.

Depends on the industry and work done. *