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When a team member leaves your team, whatever the circumstances, do they ever return?

Does your team have the ability to learn from the past and rebuild trust in someone who once found it necessary to go somewhere else? Or, do you hold the line on absolutely no returning?

It can be awkward to try to return, only to be rebuffed. Things have changed, dynamics have shifted, goals have been revised, maybe even the missed has pivoted. Wherever things are, they are not where you left them.

If there is a case for welcoming former team members back, it includes factors like this:

Much of the necessary training is already done
You have familiarity that helps re-establish trust
Once considered valuable enough to be part of the team, maybe that value is still there and could have even grown
Reconnecting feels good

But it's worth considering the risks as well:

Once people leave, you know they might leave again
The new status levels have likely lowered any possible social capital the former team member took with them
Assumptions about the past, present, and future will need to be resolved quickly
Any bridges that were burned may be hard to rebuild

In the end it's worth discussing with the team. As a leader, you may well make the decision and still the team will appreciate being consulted.

Welcome back? Or...best of luck in your future elsewhere?

-- doug smith

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