Don’t Burn Your Bridges

By Fung-Yee Leung

Istill remember when I f irst joined my company, a colleague told me that over the past twenty years, six managers had resigned and started their own businesses from scratch, and thus became our competitors.

I asked around about the reactions from the boss who trained those managers in person.

According to a senior staff member, most of them became our business partners. Thanks to their expertise in different fields, it is convenient for us to hand over deals that are beyond our capacity or not to our liking to them. Moreover, some of them are still closely in touch and willing to share information with us.

This is the most brilliant, appropriate, and profitable way to deal with such matters. Truly, there is no need to regard anyone’s departure as betrayal. Becoming self-employed is purely a business-oriented decision which should not compromise any human relationships. There is no need to bring the situation to a deadlock, even if your colleagues resign and join another company.

Don’t burn your bridges, especially in a small, crowded city. One time, I went to negotiate a deal with a big company. Unexpectedly, the executive assistant accompanying the president was my ex-colleague who had worked in my department.

Of course, we were happy to see each other. Thanks to her putting in a good word for us with her new boss, a win-win deal was soon reached.

What a relief it was! If I didn’t part with this ex-colleague of mine merrily, the resentment born at that time might have come back to haunt me today.

There is another advantage in not falling out with others—that is, when everything goes smoothly with them, or if they make rapid progress in their new role, we can generously give a thumbsup and applaud for their success. Otherwise, the triumph of your archenemy will be like a hard slap in the face.

(From Let Go of the Past, China Women Publishing House. Translation: Zhu Yaguang)

山水易相逢

文/梁鳳儀

猶記得我初加入集團之時，同事告訴我，我們廠二十多年間竟有六位經理級的同事先后跑到外頭去創業，另起爐灶，成為我們的業務競爭對手。

我當時立即追查，老板對這些教出來的徒弟之所作所為有何反應？

聽仍在位的老臣子說，絕大部分成為我們的業務伙伴，彼此專長略有分別，更易承接我們做不來或不愿意接的訂單。一小部分則仍保持聯絡，彼此溝通，交換業務資料。

這是最聰明、得體而又有實際利益的處理方法。任何人的離去如果都視作背叛，是很沒必要的。別說創業應該純粹是一項商業上的決定，不一定牽涉人情面子，就算同事離職，也不必把關系弄僵。

本城地小人多，山水易相逢。前一陣子，我去跟一家大機構談生意，竟發覺那總裁身邊的行政助理是八年前在我部門工作的同事。

當然是相見歡，且得她在新雇主面前美言幾句，很快達成雙贏的合作協議。

真是抹一把汗，如果跟這同事結束主賓關系時沒有做到好聚好散，當年種下的恩怨說不定要在今天承受后果了。

沒有翻臉、沒有破壞關系還有一重好處，當對方在外頭一帆風順、干得風生水起時，我們還可以作老懷大慰狀，大大方方地蹺起拇指稱贊：后生可畏。否則，仇家成功，就等于是熱辣辣地回應一記耳光，不是好受的。（摘自《不記當年》中國婦女出版社）