{"id":"mgr-keep-key-engineer-who-resigned","audience":"managers","category":"leadership-work","technique":"tone","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","free":true,"title":"Write the one message that might keep your best engineer","task":"Elena Marsh, your best engineer, resigned Tuesday for a competitor and signs their paperwork Friday. You get one written message before then. Write it from you, Dev, to Elena, as plain text under 170 words. Name specifically what went wrong and own it, with no excuses. Then make the offer HR approved, tied to what she told you she wants. Do not promise anything that was not approved, and do not guilt or pressure her. End with ONE ask: a 30-minute conversation on Thursday, Nov 12. The last line before your signature must be exactly: Whatever you decide, I will support it.","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"RESIGNATION NOTE, Tue Nov 3, from Elena Marsh (Software Engineer II, Payments): \"Dev, I'm giving notice. I've accepted an offer from Northwind Labs, starting Dec 1. I've loved this team, but I've been on Ledger maintenance for 14 months and I can't see where my work leads next.\"\n\nWHAT SHE HAS TOLD ME IN 1:1s:\n- In March she asked to work on a new platform project. I said \"soon\" and never followed up.\n- Her promotion to Senior was promised for the spring cycle, then again for fall. Both slipped (a budget freeze, then my own reorg).\n- Last month she said, \"I want to build something new, not keep old code alive.\"\n\nWHAT HR APPROVED THURSDAY:\n- Title change to Senior Engineer and a 12% raise (about $17,400), effective Dec 1.\n- A move to the new Atlas platform team, led by Ravi Shah, starting in January.\n\nWHAT WE CANNOT DO:\n- Match Northwind's equity grant. There is no budget for it.\n\nHALLWAY TALK: Tomas says Elena is leaving because Ravi is \"hard to work with\" and that she also interviewed at two other places. I have no idea if any of that is true.\n\nShe told me she will sign Northwind's paperwork on Fri Nov 13.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":170},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Generic \"please stay\"","why":"The AI writes warm filler about how valued she is instead of naming what actually went wrong.","fix":"Add: \"Name the 14 months on maintenance and the promotion that slipped twice, and own it.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Leading with money","why":"The AI opens with the raise, which makes the offer sound like a bribe.","fix":"Add: \"Tie the approved offer to what she wants: building something new on Atlas.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Promising the unapproved","why":"The AI wants to be persuasive, so it hints at equity, a bonus or more promotions.","fix":"Add: \"Offer only the title, the 12% raise and the Atlas move. Promise nothing else.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Guilt, pressure and gossip","why":"The AI adds \"we'd be lost without you\", several asks, or uses the hallway rumor.","fix":"Add: \"No guilt or pressure. One ask only. Leave out the hallway talk.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI runs long when you only give a total, and adds markdown.","fix":"Say \"under 130 words, plain text\" and cap the parts, like \"6 short sentences\".","checks":["maxWords","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names what went wrong","patterns":["maintenance","promotion","slipped","own (it|that)","what went wrong"]},{"label":"Makes only the approved offer","patterns":["senior","12%","atlas","approved","only"]},{"label":"Ties it to what she wants","patterns":["wants?","build","something new","tie"]},{"label":"No guilt or pressure","patterns":["guilt","pressure","needs you","respect"]},{"label":"One dated ask","patterns":["one (ask|conversation)","30[- ]minute","thursday","nov 12"]}],"hint":"Elena will read this once, closely. Say what went wrong in her terms, make only the approved offer, tie it to what she wants, leave out pressure and gossip, and ask for one conversation.","mission":"Write the one message that might keep Elena, honestly.","musts":["Name what went wrong and own it","Offer only what HR approved, tied to her goal","One ask, no guilt, no gossip"],"rubricLabels":["The email says specifically what went wrong, naming both the 14 months on maintenance work (or old code) and the Senior promotion that slipped twice, and owns it (for example \"that was on me\") without blaming budget, a reorg or anyone else","It offers the approved changes (Senior Engineer title, 12% raise, move to the Atlas platform team) and ties the move to her wish to build something new, and does not promise equity, a bonus, any extra promotion, or mention Northwind's equity","It makes exactly one ask, a 30-minute conversation on Thursday, Nov 12, uses no guilt or pressure (for example \"the team needs you\" or \"we'd be lost\"), and does not mention Tomas, the hallway talk, Ravi being hard to work with, or other interviews"]}