New Delhi, April 1 -- A co-founder has recounted how a single, well-timed question helped her hold on to a valuable employee who had suddenly decided to resign. Writing on LinkedIn, Preeti Malik, co-founder of Digital Creativs, said she was caught off guard when she received the resignation. "He was a good employee. Reliable, sharp, great culture fit," Malik noted, explaining that the employee had entered a scheduled one-on-one meeting intending to quit, while she had planned to discuss concerns about his performance.

Before she could raise those issues, however, the employee asked to speak first. "I won't be able to continue," he said. Malik then chose to set aside her agenda and approach the situation differently.

Instead of focusing ...