Lessons about the workplace from a hi-tech product manager
This is part of a series on Work Lessons based on my experiences in the tech sector.
Turnover happens. Employees move on. The earth keeps spinning. When a colleague leaves willingly and you stay, you have the opportunity to learn two primary things: (1) about yourself. Their work relationship with you is coming to an end, so it’s easier to be upfront transparent and honest about how it was to work with you. You can learn about how you are perceived, what to improve, and what is working. (2) about your work environment. Companies are complex organizations, and hearing unfiltered perspective can be illuminating.
The Ask
For close colleagues, you don’t need a special meeting. Just find a time. For colleagues you worked with less intensively, the meeting still has value. It can feel awkward to ask for this, but I’ve found that once your peer knows why you want this meeting, they are forthcoming.
I usually try to find them in-person on days when we’re in the office, or after a remote meeting we were both part of. Usually it’s something like: hey I heard you were leaving… Would you have time to talk a bit before you leave? I wanted to get your perspective on this place, and hear how it was working with me. It will help me learn and improve.
The Talk
I start by asking about them, if they are so inclined to share. Why they’re leaving, how they’re feeling, about their next challenge- same position? Same industry? Apparently it’s not ‘customary’ to share the name of the new company, so I don’t ask.
Then I explain the reason I asked to talk. The goal is to learn more about the company — things they’ve noticed and like, things they don’t connect to. For What would they do in my shoes? For example, I learned that my company was actually quite strong in X, compared to what they knew about other companies. So I could then make sure to learn more about how X is done in my company. Another example- I learned that the relationship between department Y and department Z was not ideal. The colleague leaving even had ideas of what could be done to improve it, and make it mutually beneficial for both departments.
The next goal is to learn about how it is to work with me. Ask them to share points they may have noticed that I can work on improving. Let them know you will not be offended, and that constructive feedback will be much appreciated. Ask clarification questions. Most feel more comfortable offered points that were positive. Thank them for their time, invite them to reach out if they think of anything else.
After the Talk
Consider both aspects: the organizational, and the individual feedback. Try to understand why they brought up the points they brought up. If there’s something you hadn’t previously considered — you win the mind expansion game. Now you get to decide how to navigate your new understandings. On the organization side — can you change it? Do you want to? On the personal side- how do you improve in the areas they mentioned? How do you sustain any positive points about working with you that they shared?
Recap
Asking colleagues ‘on the way out’ for feedback can be a useful source of information to help you improve your organizational understanding and direct your professional improvement.
Thanks for reading.
This is part of a series on Work Lessons based on my experiences in the tech sector.
About The Author
I’m a UX Designer turned Product Manager, with experience in startups, freelance, and international B2B companies. Writing helps me reflect & continuously learn. Connect with me on Twitter.
