*This reminder provided by Lady Gaga and American Horror Story

The entire concept of American Horror Story has always been interesting to me. You bring together an immense amount of talent for one season to bring a story to life. Some of those people return in the future recast, some don’t. How do you ensure that changing things up amplifies the awesome instead of losing it? How can we use this approach to help us thrive, rather than simply survive employee changes that occur within business? Take a look below for some thoughts on how to make the best of turnover.

Recast With Care

Jessica Lange. Talk about a heavy hitter. She owned AHS in my opinion and I thought there was no way they’d thrive without her. I was wrong. They clearly put a lot of thought into who should be brought on board after her transition off of the show. They needed a new powerhouse to help carry weight but, also change the dynamic in a new and equally intriguing way. Enter Gaga. Remember that no organization can be taken out by one person. Even your best employee moving on is not a reason to give up! Find the right successor and you could be better off than where you started.

Find the Right Supporting Cast

If you put all of your hopes on one extremely talented person or group of folks, you could be in quite the pickle when they choose to chase their next challenge elsewhere. Remember to share the love. Give challenging assignments to one and all. Figure out who works best in what type of role and then give them opportunities to shine. It takes all kinds to run a successful business. We can’t all be the visionary rock star and that’s ok. What isn’t ok is expecting people to pick up the pieces after a transition when you’ve never given them a chance before.

Be Optimistic

I often find myself reminding employees of this when someone moves on to a new endeavor. It’s awesome that you have such a solid relationship with your coworkers that you can’t imagine life without them. Please remember to give new hires a chance. They might be your next bestie in a few weeks if you give them the opportunity to be. They could also be an amazing add to the team you’re working on beyond your network of buddies.

Seize the Day

When someone decides to move on, take the time to decide what’s best for the organization in terms of next steps before rushing into replacing. Do you need to hire at that same level? Should you look for someone with a completely different background? Is this the right time to give someone else in the organization a new opportunity to grow? Be mindful of the decisions you’re making and how they can, and will, impact the future and don’t leave it to chance.

Last, but certainly not least, be classy when someone chooses to move on. Celebrate the successes they had with your organization and wish them the best of luck. Knocking them or being negative because they are choosing to leave only makes you look bad and has your other employees questioning your true intentions. Jessica Lange is working with Ryan Murphy again on another project. That speaks volumes about their relationship. Besides, who doesn’t love a good boomerang employee?

Change is inevitable. Embrace it and you’ll be much better off.