What do you do when a key employee quits? Is there a lot of gnashing of teeth and stomping around asking Why me? Or do you have a moment of quiet panic? It’s only natural for you to feel like this is a punch in the gut and a personal rejection, especially if you spent time developing the employee.

After all, don’t they realize what a great opportunity you gave them? Don’t they know this is a great place to work? After all you’ve done for them, how could they be so disloyal? While these questions may accurately describe your emotions, they shouldn’t drive your actions.

So what should you do instead? Here are some suggestions.