William had been working as a Chief People Officer (CPO) with European-wide responsibility in a multinational organization. He had been head-hunted into the role, and in three years had exceeded the targets that had been set when he was brought in to the company. William was well liked and respected by his Executive (Exec) team peers and the teams that reported into them.

Maddy made a career choice she thought was going to be for life. It was a vocation, within a public service organization that many employees served in for life. The nature of the work relies heavily on close knit teams and working relationships that are about togetherness and having each other’s backs.

Paul, who was leaving the organization he had worked in for the previous ten years, told us the story of the leaving gift his line manager had bought for him with the proceeds of the staff collection. The gift was something he would never choose, let alone use.

Kim had been a senior procurement officer for a large Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company. She had worked her way up the organization and had 20 years’ service. She had over the years been a steady performer, loyal and hard working.

We worked with a very successful Sales Director, Björn, whose Long-Term Incentive Plan was secured, he and his children wanting for nothing. What a fortunate place to be in you would think. He was in his early 50s, and wanted to carry on being purposeful, productive and doing what he did best. He was deeply troubled by needing to redirect this energy and dive into the unknown.

Elif worked in a team which covered Europe,Middle East and Africa (EMEA). She was based inIstanbul, and her line manager was in Milan. Her line manager’s personal assistant contacted her via email to say that he wanted to come and have a face-to-face meeting with Elif.