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It’s a poignant week for us here at Forbes, as Assistant Editor Christian Kreznar is moving on to an editing role at the Council on Foreign Relations. It’s always sad to say goodbye to a terrific colleague. At the same time, it’s also uplifting to see someone move into a role that excites them and plays to their strengths.
I worked for an employer that used to view quitting as a form of disloyalty. When someone found a new job, their computer would be shut down and they would be escorted from the building, lest they leave with any trade secrets in tow. There were no good-buy parties or congratulatory notes. The former colleague would simply disappear from the system, as if vaporized.
Luckily, I’ve worked for many more employers who understand that our connections extend far beyond the jobs that we currently occupy. For them, a big opportunity is a source of joy. It means that the training and experience that person had is recognized and valued by others. It also means that the former employee could become a brand ambassador for their old company in a new space—and potentially even grow to become a customer. Those employers don’t blow up bridges when people leave; they reinforce them. If they’re like my former employer, McKinsey, they continue to invest in maintaining a strong alumni network.
The latter approach has won me over again and again throughout my career. I’m still in touch with Robert Lewis, the former editor of Maclean’s, who met me as a college kid going off to Nairobi on a Rotary scholarship and later hired me at the magazine in Toronto. Last week, I went to the birthday party of a friend and former colleague from BusinessWeek and hosted two other friends who used to be colleagues at the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.
But the best testament to the power of a positive goodbye is when you get to work with terrific colleagues again, as I now do with Senior Editor Jena McGregor, whom I first met at BusinessWeek. Forbes, in fact, is filled with so-called boomerangs: people who left for other other jobs or, in the case of Chief Content Officer Randall Lane, went to start their own ventures and then came back to bigger roles.
We talk a lot about the “Great Resignation.” Christian even wrote about it. We’ve all felt the pain of seeing colleagues leave or simply quit to take care of children or other responsibilities amid the pandemic. But let’s not forget the joy of seeing people move on to bigger roles and new adventures. For me, the pie just gets bigger, as does my network as the people I’ve worked with move around the planet to pursue their dreams. Former colleagues become friends and contacts in places we might not normally go.
So here are a few words from Christian, our friend and man at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has been instrumental in helping me with this newsletter and many other projects. I wish him well and look forward to seeing him again in a new context.
This week marks my final edition of CxO. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve looked to showcase stories that demonstrate the best that leaders can be: Dynamic, inventive, supportive and humane. Forbes has long considered itself “the drama critic of business.” If that’s the case, CxO has been a forum to study the directors that put on the show. Hopefully you’ve found a worthwhile lesson or two; I certainly have.
Have a great week.
Diane
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