Mustering the most confident tone you were able, you notify HR and others in the company’s operations and sales departments. You put the word out to the entire team, confirm Warren’s departure, and let the team know that a transition plan is in progress. The team will be kept in the loop—and involved—in the transition. In all correspondence, you acknowledge Warren’s contributions to the company and the critical nature of his role.

While HR will handle the paperwork, the rest is on your shoulders. Later that first day, you stop by Warren’s cubicle to solicit his initial thoughts on a replacement—does he feel someone on the bench is ready? Or close? Understandably, he responds that he needs a day or two to think about this. Warren begins to get a sense he’ll be actively involved in his own transition.

You’ve taken action and you’ve set a positive tone. Well done. What’s next?

Clear off some space on the wall of your office. Make four lists. Anticipate changes and updates. Warren’s transition is a project, but not a typical one.

LIST #1: What does HR need from you, and what do you (and Warren) need from them?

START WITH: Two important decisions: Does Warren’s position actually need to be filled? This one’s easy—“Yes, without a doubt.”  Second decision: Is the position best filled with internal talent, or hired in? No doubt, HR will look to you for this decision. Given the likely lead time if the position is recruited in, it’s a sure thing that someone will need to take on Warren’s work on an interim basis.

LIST #2. How can work on the major new order be leveraged to train others, or to check others’ readiness for Warren’s responsibilities?

START BY: Making sure the plan for the new, major order is solid. This can’t be compromised. You direct Warren to review the schedules, materials reqs, etc.—everything he would normally do. But this time, others are going to sit in and ask questions. You want Warren to think and plan out loud. You want any others who might ordinarily let Warren handle this part of the process, fully engaged. And while the team is doing this, they will be tracking process documentation and getting Warren’s take on any procedures that need updates.

LIST #3. Remember those planning and review tasks there never seemed to be time for– reviewing the new assembly procedures and the preventive maintenance training?

START BY: Checking with Warren. Which two or three of these tasks does he feel are most important and would most benefit from his input? What will be needed to pull these off within the next few weeks?

LIST #4. What does Warren want to talk about? Who does he want to meet with and talk to? What does Warren feel needs to be said and done before he leaves?

START BY: Setting a weekly meeting with Warren for the next eight weeks—starting tomorrow. Are there members of senior management that Warren would like some time with, directly? (The thought goes through your mind that this might have been useful a year ago.)  Plan to collect “Warren” questions from the team and address them at the four team meetings already scheduled over the next eight weeks.

Next, review all four lists to assign dates, and plot the dates on an eight-week calendar.  Keep one eye on the Pittsburgh planning and production schedule for informal learning, shadowing and demonstrations. Warren seems to be onboard—but make sure at your meeting with him tomorrow.

To be continued…

You do remember asking him if he could delay his departure for two weeks to get you through a major production order that’s just come in. A bit reluctantly, he agrees. Okay. You have eight weeks. Now what?

Variations of this workplace conversation take place every day.

Things this manager knew he would need to do at some point come to mind—like reviewing the now 15-month old assembly procedures. Or eight hours of preventive maintenance training for the newest lead technicians. For any given week, any given month—none of those tasks had a high enough priority to rearrange schedules for. But eight weeks and one weekend from now, the Monday morning after your most experienced supervisor leaves, production will absolutely miss a few beats unless steps are taken. 

Our manager recognizes he has a problem–at least he’s not in denial. As of a few minutes ago, priorities have shifted: The new, major customer shipment AND “capturing and packaging” the best of what his retiring supervisor can offer, are both high on the list. Our manager might not use the term “knowledge capture,” but he gets it. 

Here’s my first suggestion:  View the pending departure as a project, an offboarding project. Like other projects, this one has a deadline. It should also have goals and best outcomes, a plan, a team, and a schedule. Nothing lessthan project mode will work.  Then, think about how the offboarding and production projects could be worked in tandem.

Take a breath.  Stop thinking about what should have been thought about or done months ago. Then, get going with four initial steps!

• First: Announce the departure, at least internally, unless it will make anyone uncomfortable. Set a tone for appreciation and recognition. Let people know that a transition plan is forthcoming. The message this sends to other employees about valuing people and experience—is priceless.
• Second step: Think strategically. Even if this person has not been in an executive role, consider the impacts his operation has on the overall organization and where disconnects could potentially arise.
• Third:  Determine who will be impacted most directly. Who could take on the supervisor’s responsibilities, even on an interim basis?
• Fourth step, for today. Promise yourself that you will assume nothing. Nothing about what you think this person knows, what others need to know, or what does or doesn’t need to be captured.

Now you have four, first steps to set up your thinking and move you forward.

Upcoming posts will have suggestions for the goals, the plan, the team and the schedule. In the meantime, what are your thoughts?

In the Hooters episode, we see a perfect example of what can happen in the next executive generation when a retiring (now deceased) CEO either chooses not to share or is not asked in serious ways what his keys are to corporate success. One of Duly Knowted’s™ missions in a nutshell! But there is broader, relevant advice for knowledge capture—from both episodes.

Point #1:  Avoid making assumptions about whose knowledge has value. HUGE benefit can arise from the seemingly small, smart things that the folks at the lowest pay grades see, hear, know, use and learn every day.

Point #2:  Great learning can arise from the rotten apple-examples. (Beans with no hands, anyone? I would have fired this guy, flat out.)

Point #3:  Avoid making assumptions about the ways and places we capture. The back of a garbage truck works for me if insights gained there are good ones—maybe these are the small dots that connect the big ones.

I’ll keep watching, for a while. Reality TV, sure. Contrived, sure. But I’m not going to make assumptions about where and who I gain insight from.

“…going through the process of leaving their best wisdom…(helps) the employee feel vital, feeding into the individual’s sense of esteem and self worth.”

Scott’s comment reminds us that however the capturing is accomplished or whatever tools are used, it’s a two-party, two-way process. There’s the capturer and the capturee.  The capture process marks a turning point in their relationship. Some weeks or months ahead of the capturee’s departure, both parties’ needs change. The company (the capturer) needs information, contacts, best personal practices, project notes and who knows what else they don’t even realize will prove important the Monday morning after the capturee leaves.

The capturee holds all of that information but needs other things: acknowledgement, appreciation and respect.  Those things are the key to the whole process. They are THE tool. I’ve never been clear on why–not all–but so many companies intentionally or unintentionally withhold this at the very time it means the most.

QUESTION: Why do you think this happens?

I’ve set up Duly Knowtes as a companion blog to Duly Knowted,™ a service offering I’ve developed. My plan—part of my ongoing instructional design work—is to develop and apply practical capture tools with businesses and organizations as their owners and managers anticipate key employees retiring or leaving. I plan to share what I’m thinking about and learning here.

Duly Knowtes is also a discussion space to look at what it takes to review, select, assemble and pass forward the best stuff. It’s about knowledge legacy, leveraging good information and acknowledging the asset holder.

You’re invited to share your whys, whats, and hows—from direct, observed or anticipated transition experiences—your own or others’ experiences. I can summarize responses and share back.

Here’s a starter question—actually, two:  If you were to retire tomorrow (“That’s it!  I ‘m done!”), what one type or topic of knowledge would you most want to pass along—assuming the future and well being of the group means something to you? (If you’ve already retired, was there something in hindsight you would have liked to pass along?) And, what form might that information take—a letter, a file of samples, a picture, a diagram, a list, a video, a podcast?

Comment back to the blog, subscribe and/or write me at audrey@dulyknowted.com.  I’ll be in touch!