Focus on how they managed, not just that they did. Did they protect focus time? Explain decisions? Advocate for your pay rise? Those details turn a polite note into a reference point for the kind of manager they want to keep being.
How to write it
- Mention one management habit you valued: 1:1s, clear priorities, honest reviews.
- If they’re staying in the company, keep the tone warm but not funereal.
- Thank them for something they did for your career, not just the team.
For a manager moving to a new team
Your new team is about to find out what good 1:1s feel like. Thank you for every single one of ours.
Thank you for always explaining the why behind decisions. It made the hard ones much easier to accept.
You protected our focus time like it was the company’s most valuable asset. Maybe it was. Good luck in the new role.
Same building, different floor, but we’ll still miss you being our person to go to.
Thank you for making the team feel like a team. Your new reports are lucky.
For a manager leaving the company
You took a chance on me in my first role and spent two years making it look like a good decision. Thank you.
I’ve never had a manager advocate for me the way you did. I won’t forget it.
Thank you for leading with patience and humour, even in the quarters that deserved neither.
Your next company is getting a manager people will follow anywhere. Please stay in touch.
You made it safe to say “I don’t know” in meetings. That changed how I work.
Good luck out there. The team will be a little less organised without you.
Short and sincere
Thank you for the trust and the room to grow.
Best manager I’ve had. Wishing you every success.
Grateful for your guidance, your humour, and your patience.
Thank you for always having my back.
You made coming to work easier. All the best.
Funny farewells for a manager
Who will reply to our 11pm Slack messages with “go to bed” now?
We’ll miss your whiteboard handwriting. Actually we won’t, nobody could read it. We’ll miss you though.
Your legendary agenda templates will live on, mostly because we don’t know how to edit them.
Good luck! Please don’t tell your new team about our sprint velocity.
It won’t be the same without your weekly “just a few small changes” to the roadmap.
We hope your next team appreciates your playlists as much as we tolerated them.
What to avoid
- Assuming the move is a promotion or demotion unless it’s been announced.
- Venting about the reorg or the company in a public card.
Organising the whole card? Our farewell card guide covers timing and who to invite.