Offboarding with Integrity: How High-Performing Teams Say Goodbye

For high-performing teams, the fit and alignment of each team member are just as important as their individual skill sets. Whether assessing a recent hire or evaluating a long-standing team member, there will be times when parting ways is the right choice—for the individual, the firm, and the clients you mutually serve. 

Rather than viewing offboarding as rectifying a failure, think of it more in terms of stewardship. When executed effectively, it reinforces your culture and honors the individual while safeguarding the business.

THE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE OF FIT

Every thriving team is rooted in a shared vision, consistent values, and mutual accountability. Any misalignment (whether in behavior, performance, or mindset) acts like a splinter beneath the surface. If left unaddressed, it will inevitably fester.

The principle ‘slow to hire, quick to fire’ isn’t about acting hastily; it’s about having the courage to acknowledge when something isn’t working. Because great leaders tend to offer consistent feedback, set clear expectations, and ensure regular performance conversations, human resource problems rarely sneak up and surprise.

The real problem arises when your and your team’s truths are out of sync with the individual’s truths. If the team sees performance gaps while the individual believes everything is fine, dissonance grows. The goal is mutual clarity, where both parties acknowledge the reality of the situation.

It’s that clarity that creates a path to exit, preserving dignity and protecting the broader team, and even clients at times.

A HUMAN-CENTERED FRAMEWORK

Offboarding should never feel punitive. Instead, it should feel honest, humane, and consistent with the values you strive to embody every day. Drawing on best practices identified by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), let’s take a closer look at a roadmap to offboard with integrity—three key steps to guide your team through difficult but necessary transitions.

1. Pre-Offboarding Planning: Before initiating any exit conversation, first take time to:

• • Review all prior performance conversations and documentation
  • Ensure alignment with HR, legal, and leadership
  • Map out any necessary shift in team roles and responsibilities after the transition – as well as identifying who will communicate what information and when with the individual being offboarded.

2. The Exit Conversation: Make sure you hold the conversation privately, directly, and with compassion:

• • Clearly share the reasons for the separation with specifics.
  • Recognize the individual’s contributions
  • Co-create messaging about the departure. This is essential for maintaining trust—especially with clients and team members.

As Kim Scott writes in Radical Candor, “Radical Candor is caring personally while challenging directly.” Avoid sugarcoating or shaming. Aim to speak the truth with both care and clarity.

3. Post-Offboarding Communication Plan: Remember to follow up on any offboarding with thoughtful, carefully crafted internal and external communications:

• • Clients should receive a reassuring message that emphasizes continuity and confidence. Avoid over-explaining the reasons and refrain from disclosing internal details. Stick to the facts and outline what changes will occur going forward.
  • Team members deserve honesty and should be free from gossip. Reinforce the firm’s cultural expectations and allow individuals the space to process the news.

We believe in supporting one another, and we also believe in high performance. When someone isn’t aligned with our direction, we are honest and seek to part ways with respect.

LOGISTICS MATTER – DON’T SKIP THE DETAILS

The operational elements of offboarding safeguard your clients, your systems, and your reputation. By formalizing your offboarding process, you will ensure a consistent approach every time. Feel free to use ClientWise’s simplified framework of recommendations to help build your own offboarding checklist:

Sample Offboarding Checklist

People & Communication

☐ Co-create departure messaging

☐ Notify leadership and HR

☐ Communicate with clients and team members respectfully

Knowledge Transfer

☐ Transfer of important relationships and ongoing projects

☐ Reassign responsibilities and update the CRM.

☐ Document essential workflows

Technology & Security

☐ Retrieve devices and access credentials

☐ Revoke access to systems, email, and cloud services.

☐ Revise permissions and inform vendors

Compliance & Admin

☐ Conduct the exit interview

☐ Finalize payroll and compensation

☐ Confirm that all steps comply with HR and regulatory standards

Never underestimate the importance of speed and precision during this phase, especially in highly regulated industries such as financial services.

THE POWER OF EXIT INTERVIEWS

Even when the decision to part ways is clear, it’s essential to pause and take time to listen. Exit interviews (preferably conducted by HR or a neutral party) can reveal valuable insights about your firm’s culture, leadership, or systems. Make sure to ask open-ended questions such as:

• What worked well for you here?
• Where did you feel blocked or unsupported?
• How might we better prepare others for this role?

Instead of viewing this conversation as merely a formality, consider it a growth opportunity for both parties to gain valuable insights for the future. “Even when it’s time to part ways, a departing team member’s perspective can be a gift – if we have the humility to listen.”

REINFORCE YOUR CULTURE THROUGH OFFBOARDING

Every departure is a leadership opportunity to help strengthen the expectations and values of your team. After the transition:

• Debrief privately with your leadership team. What have we learned? What can we do differently next time?
• Reinforce cultural norms and performance standards with your team. Celebrate what’s working and clarify the non-negotiables.
• Remind everyone of your firm’s commitment to honoring individuals and maintaining high standards of excellence for the benefit of clients.

Remember that offboarding becomes much easier when expectations are clear from the beginning. This is why many elite teams establish formal agreements that reflect the mutual commitment of both parties, such as: “We agree that if it becomes clear someone is no longer aligned with the direction, culture, or needs of the business, we will handle the transition with radical candor, honor, and respect.”

This ensures that the truth is shared early and consistently, and that when transitions occur, they are based on mutual understanding rather than surprise or resentment.

When all is said and done, the way you say goodbye is just as important as how you say hello. When done correctly, onboarding isn’t just about endings – it’s about honoring your values, protecting your clients, and guiding your team forward with clarity and courage.

It’s not personal; it's alignment.

Coaching Questions From This Article

1. What lessons can we learn from this departure to guide our coaching, hiring, and development of future team members?
2. How can we create feedback loops earlier to prevent misalignment from becoming a surprise?
3. How can our offboarding process better reflect our values and build trust with remaining team members?
4. What patterns are emerging from recent departures, if any, and what do they reveal about our leadership or culture?

Recommended Reading & Resources

1. Radical Candor – Kim Scott
   The definitive guide to giving feedback with both care and clarity.
2. First Break All the Rules – Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
   Research-based insights on what top managers do differently.
3. SHRM: Managing Employee Exits
   https://www.shrm.org – Tools, templates, and best practices.
4. The Advantage – Patrick Lencioni
   Practical strategies for building and protecting organizational health.
5. Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
   Empowers leaders to lead with vulnerability, courage, and clarity.
6. Harvard Business Review – “Offboarding Is Just as Important as Onboarding”
   Insightful perspectives on managing transitions.
7. ClientWise Insights Blog – “The Power of Alignment in Advisory Teams”
   Discusses the critical nature of fit and forward momentum.

About ClientWise LLC

ClientWise is the premier business and executive coaching firm working exclusively with financial professionals. We specialize in helping clients optimize growth and maximize revenue by engaging as a knowledgeable partner in accomplishing specific and significant business results. Our full-service coaching program empowers financial advisors, wholesalers, managers and executives to enhance performance through customized, action-oriented solutions based on each client’s specific vision and situation.

Our certified coaches are members of the International Coach Federation (ICF). They adhere to ICF’s strict code of ethics and have the experience and insight to work with you on the unique challenges and opportunities you face each day.

Drawing from an in-depth knowledge of the financial industry, ClientWise’s mission is to professionally develop industry leaders and consistently raise the bar for industry service, commitment and integrity. Simply put, our singular focus is to help you get clear, get focused, and get results.