12/15/2025
The CEO was convinced it was the commute. He was wrong.
A few weeks ago, a client of mine lost a top-performing manager.
When I asked the owner why she was leaving, he shrugged and said: "It’s the drive. She lives 45 minutes away. She just wants something closer to home. Nothing we could have done to keep her." (That's the left side of this image. A comforting, convenient excuse.)
Then, I sat down with her for the Exit Interview.
Because I’m a neutral third party, not her boss, the filter came off. We entered the "confessional" you see in the middle of the picture.
I asked her: "What was the tipping point that made you sign the offer letter somewhere else?"
She didn't mention traffic once.
The real reason?
"I haven't made a decision without being second-guessed in six months. I feel like I have someone looking over my shoulder constantly. I'm leaving because they hired me to lead, but they treat me like a puppet." (That’s the painful reality on the right side of the image.)
The uncomfortable truth for founders:
Your departing employees rarely tell you the whole truth. They want a good reference, they want to avoid conflict, and they just want out the door. They will let you believe it's "the commute" to spare your feelings.
But when you believe the lie, you can't fix the problem. And that expensive turnover cycle just keeps spinning.
A proper exit interview isn't a formality. It's business intelligence.
👇 Be honest: When a good employee quits, do you usually assume it’s about money/location, or do you dig deeper into management issues? Let’s discuss below.
