Many of you know that Logan Young left us to go work for a client, Tuft & Needle.
This move would have destroyed our company since we built Content Factory around him– the speaking, training, and major relationships.
Whether or not you agree with the ethics of that, you should already have a plan in place should this happen to you.
You have to keep the ship running, which means you need a plan in place BEFORE it happens.
My mentor, Al Casey, who was CEO of American Airlines, told me that the FIRST thing he did when taking on any job, was to look for his replacement.
Well, that’s quite pessimistic, I thought– but really, it’s smart. You want to always be replacing yourself and make sure everyone else is replaceable.
This is a plan I wrote over a year before Logan actually left.
I had an inkling that he would do this since Ajay Kandala had tried to poach him before.
But I bought him a brand new Chevy Silverado and two jet skis to stay 24 months– and I assumed he would honor that.
In case he didn’t, this is the plan we had in place to protect our company.
The lesson here is “hope for the best but prepare for the worst.