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Dear Thelma: I am leaving a company that I have been with for more than 15 years. That's a long time. and it's a difficult move for me. What is the proper way to leave?

Answer: Keep respect, consideration and courtesy at the forefront as you leave any job. A focus on these elements will help keep your decisions and actions at a highly professional level and keep important relationships intact.

The nuts and bolts of leaving a job are fairly standard. Give at least two weeks' notice so that plans can be made to replace you or shuffle the workload. Check your company handbook in case a longer notice is required. Provide a written letter of resignation stating what your last day of employment will be.

After resigning with your supervisor, inform your staff members as a group and thank them for their efforts. Next, let your co-workers know.

During this period, be positive. If you are leaving a bad situation, let all your discussions focus on the future, rather than the past. If asked to provide constructive criticism, resist any temptation to be petty or resentful. It's important to leave any position on good terms, preserving relationships and your professional image for the future.

Be as helpful as possible by completing as much work as you can in your final weeks or by training your replacement. Leave your office and any pending projects in a state that the next person can step into as easily as possible.

Above the mechanics of leaving are the emotions of making this break. It is difficult to leave an organization you've been with for a long time.

When I left my position as CEO of a health care company after 14 years, I thought seriously about how to do it well. I realized I should not focus on my exit but on helping those I worked with transition to new leadership.

I thanked the people I worked with for making the organization as strong as it was. I wanted to leave staff members feeling good about themselves. I wanted to make sure they knew they had a vital role to play in the continued success of the organization. And I wanted them to know how much I respected them and that I trusted them to continue the work we had started.

At the core of exiting gracefully is the knowledge you don't abandon the relationships you have formed. Those connections should stay intact and remain important. Ten years later, I run into people whom I left at the health care company, and they still say, "We miss you." I think much of that stems from the way in which I left.

Like a graceful exit, good manners never go out of style.