One of the inevitable parts of leadership is dealing with those who wish to move on to other things. I’ve seen people resign paid and volunteer positions for a myriad of reasons. Some of those reasons being good, and some of them have been downright terrible. It’s a fact of life that we all change. People’s expectations change over the years. Some people just want to try new things, or maybe they want to make more money, or maybe they just don’t like me (which isn’t impossible or such a big deal.) The funny thing about resignations is that I can usually tell it’s going to happen a month before it “officially” happens. I’m not saying God speaks to me, but that I’m rarely surprised by a resignation.
I do feel like some people are scared to talk to me when they want to ‘move on’ to another area of volunteering or a different job. I find it hard to not be offended when someone that I have a personal relationship with chooses to resign a position by sending me an email, or slipping a letter under my door. That tells me you are scared of me. I work hard to be as approachable to people as I can, and I constantly remind my volunteer team that working with me is not a lifetime sentence. I want God’s Best for them; wherever that might be.
Some recent happenings have gotten me to thinking about the correct way to resign. Is it all right to send an email? How about leaving a voice mail? Should they always be done in person? What is the appropriate length the person resigning should give the people they work or volunteer with?
And NO. I’m not resigning anything!
This Wiki-How article has some nice ideas…
