How you say goodbye is just as important as how you say hello

March 18, 2021
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Home 9 The Intro 9 How you say goodbye is just as important as how you say hello

We all know that the first few weeks at a new job are critical — both for you and your team.

How do you build relationships with your new colleagues? What tools and systems do you need to learn? How can you set yourself up for ongoing collaboration, creativity, productivity, and success?

But what do you do at the end of a season? How do you leave a job well?

How you say goodbye is just as important as how you say hello.

Thumbs up

For the person leaving, saying a good goodbye means equipping your team with the information, skills, and tools they need to be successful after your departure (we’ve touched on some practical steps before — things like passwords, file access, logins, links, handbooks, trainings, and more…). It means taking the time to close a season, even as you’re anticipating your next move.

For the rest of the team, goodbyes often mean more work — and certainly more headaches. But it’s our job to say goodbye well, too.

We believe in caring about our colleagues as people, so when a team member heads to a new project or venture, we want to be excited for them! We send them off with encouragement, enthusiasm, and the assurance that their relationships are still as strong as ever.

We also ask questions. Lots of them. Because every transition is an opportunity to learn — for the person leaving, of course, but also for everyone who sticks around.

Allison Kooser

Allison is Chief Storyteller at Swell+Good, where she partners with amazing organizations to help them bring their stories to life. She is an avid traveler, an expert takeout orderer, and a big believer in curiosity and kindness. She tries to learn something new every day, and she reads, writes, and paddleboards more than the average human.
+good Newsletter

If you haven’t already, check out what we’re reading this week in the +Good Newsletter.

We hope you enjoy this blog post.

If you want our team to just do your marketing for you, click here.

More reading we think you’d like

New year, same you.

I am a sucker for that new year energy.  Goals, dreams, resolutions, vision boards, reflection questions, brainstorming meetings...give me all of them. I am ready for bold intentions and BIG plans—and I've got the new calendars and planners to prove it. ...

read more

How we work better

Hello friends! Are you ready for some well-deserved rest? Regardless of how or what you celebrate, we hope this weekend is full of peace, joy, great people, good books/movies/music, cozy blankets, muted notifications, yummy snacks, and extra-long naps.  ...

read more

Is Giving Tuesday dead?

On the very first Giving Tuesday in 2012, our team went all out. We didn't quite know what we are doing, but we created a command center, borrowed staff from across the organization, and camped out on every single social media platform looking for conversations to...

read more