The Software Developer's Career Handbook

Chapter 43. Mind the Gap

Everyone is replaceable.

The first time you’ll hear this rationalization is when someone valuable regrettably leaves the group. The team is off because no one wanted this person to leave, so your manager gets everyone together and lays down the departed’s reasoning: “He’s been here five years; he’s looking for new challenges.” People nod, they wonder, and then your peer, Phillip, leans over and whispers, “Everyone is replaceable.”

And he’s right. Nature abhors a vacuum. When someone vital walks out the door, you learn many interesting things about the remaining folks.

The Gaps

In this chapter, I’m going to walk through an analysis of some individual regrettable departures of someone on your team. You don’t want this person to leave because they’re adding something unique to the team, and when you learn they’re leaving, you believe that something essential is permanently being lost.

There are certain situations where the departure of a single key person can lead to the collapse of a team or a company, but in this chapter, we assume the team is going to make it because although, sadly, a person you like is leaving, I believe you’re underestimating everyone else.

As with any departure, there’s a knee-jerk belief that this person’s absence will result in immediate and irrevocable change. But the reality is that a group of people is a complex social organism, and change doesn’t happen that fast. Yes, the departure will create a gap that you will worry about. ...