Sterling Terrell

[This is part of the series: 7 Tips To Make You Better At Business]

Business owners and senior managers need to avoid (senselessly) burning bridges – at all costs.

So you hired an employee, took them under your wing, and they leveraged the new skills into a better job, and simply quit?

Maybe, you had to fire a non-performing employee?

Or, maybe an employee that you trained, quit to be your competitor?

You are hurt.  You are mad.  You are sad.  You are whatever.

Are you finished now?

You realize you can’t control what happens to you – or the things that others are going to do, right?

All you can control is yourself.

In my experience, this issue really boils down to maturity.

For heaven’s sake, grow up and be an adult about it all.

You don’t senselessly burn bridges in the business world because guess what?  The incompetent intern you treated so bad grew up, moved through the ranks of your largest competitor, and was just hired by your boss to point out inefficiencies in the company you are still at.

How about that coworker you undermined until he or she quit?  Well, the company they left for, and the firm you are still at are about to merge, and they are being assigned as your new boss.

Or, what if the co-worker you always fought with is now a Senior VP at your current company’s largest customer?

Be professional at work.

Keep your mouth shut about your personal feelings and get over being petty.

If you get mad at work and feel like you need to say something – give it 24 to 48 hours.

If you wait until the next day you will more times than not just say, “Oh, who cares.”

I promise you, about 95% of the things you get worked up about are stupid.

In short, grow up.

In business, most relationships are not worth burning.