India, April 1 -- A co-founder has shared how a simple conversation helped her retain a key employee who had unexpectedly resigned. Taking to LinkedIn, Preeti Malik, co-founder of Digital Creativs, recalled receiving a resignation she "didn't see coming".

"He was a good employee. Reliable, sharp, great culture fit," Malik wrote, adding that the employee had come into a one-on-one meeting ready to quit, while she had planned to discuss performance concerns. But even before she could raise those issues, she said that the employee asked to share something. "I won't be able to continue," he said, prompting Malik to pause her agenda and instead ask a different question.

Malik shared that rather than addressing performance issues, she asked o...