Let’s be honest, some relationships run their course and must come to an end, personally and professionally. There is a way to break up, so to speak. 

 

The MPI Potomac Leadership Committee has these suggestions for you:

 

1)   Give your decision some thought. Do you really want to break up? It is important that you are clear that this is what you want to do and that you feel it is best for you at the end of the day.

2)   Prepare for the conversation. Be thoughtful and take time to write or type up what you want to say.

3)   Empathy. Be kind and consider if you were the other person and what would be the best thing to say or do.

4)   This is no time for texting. This is a face-to-face conversation, preferably in person though it could be done virtually. If your meeting is in person, ensure it is in an appropriate setting; and if virtually, turn on your camera.

5)   Be direct.

6)   Be honest.

7)   Focus on the person and avoid distractions.

8)   Listen.

9)   Be positive.

10) Move on.

 

What the Experts Say
“A good mentoring relationship is as long as it should be and no longer,” says Jodi Glickman, author of "Great on the Job." If you are no longer learning from your mentor or the chemistry is simply not there, “there’s no point in prolonging it.”

 

You do yourself and your mentor a disservice if you stay in a relationship that is not meeting your needs. “If in order to grow, it’s necessary to move on,” don’t hesitate to break it off, says Kathy Kram, the Shipley Professor in Management at the Boston University School of Management and co-author of the forthcoming "Strategic Relationships at Work." Read this full article on how to end things graciously.