Recently, I was surprised to learn of an associate who was offered another job. It wasn’t the fact that this individual was leaving a company with which a long, rewarding career had been granted. What shocked me is the fact that, after making mention to the direct supervisor, this associate embarked on a quest to share this news personally, and first, with a few key people who had been instrumental in helping along the way. I thought that was honorable, respectable and most importantly smart. You see, while this person’s focus was certainly on the new journey about to be embarked upon, there was also a keen awareness of the importance of tidying up things presently before fast-forwarding to the future. I made a mental note when I heard of it to do better at learning how to leave.

Leaving can be so hard to do. Whether it’s going…