Episode 506 Turnover Is a Timeline, Not an Event

A resignation hits your inbox from one of your best people.

You didn’t see it coming.

But was the decision really sudden, or was it only sudden to you?

In this episode of The Lead Up Podcast, Mike continues the Leading Indicators series by challenging leaders to rethink how they view employee turnover.

The resignation letter is rarely where the story begins. Long before someone announces they’re leaving, there may be changes in their engagement, frustration that continues to build, missed opportunities for development, or conversations that never happened.

The challenge for leaders is learning to recognize those changes while there is still time to lead.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why turnover should be viewed as a timeline rather than a single event
• The subtle changes that can signal an employee is beginning to detach
• Why silence from a high performer shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as satisfaction
• How repeated leadership behaviors shape the employee experience over time
• Why productive disagreement can actually be a sign of engagement
• How leaders can recognize warning signs sooner and start better conversations
• A practical exercise for identifying what may have happened before a recent departure

Mike also explores an important leadership question:

When did this employee’s relationship with the organization begin to change?

More departures may be preventable than leaders realize—but only if we get better at seeing what’s happening before the resignation arrives.