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Its Time To Go
Many people who like to look at their lives and careers as having an upward trajectory often wonder when its time to leave an assignment for the next. Being one of these types of people, I often work without a parachute, switching to organizations where I have no history or established resources. Having a career such as this has clear advantages such as not having violated any sacred cows or offended anyone in this new environment. This career path also has disadvantages such as a lack of access to the information pipeline which can hurt you if you are not careful to quickly tap into it. If you’re like me, working in new organizations every few years or if you have hung around an organization your entire career, there can come a time when you may see that it is time to move on. If you want to be happy in your professional and your personal life, keep an eye out for these situations.
You have an insecure colleague or an insecure boss. Having insecure colleagues who see you as a threat can be a frustrating experience. They will often undermine your ability to do your job and highlight your imperfections. Usually this behavior is due to their awareness of their own inadequacies which haunt them on a daily basis. To them, your presence poses a barrier to their advancement and although they will never admit it, you amplify their inner insecurities. The only presence worse than an insecure colleague is an insecure boss. This type of boss sees you the same way the insecure colleague does however, this person has power over your projects, resources and advancement and he will stand between you and anything good that you would like to do every chance he gets. He can make your life miserable and will go out of his way to do just that. If you find yourself in a situation with this type of boss, crack open the want ads, dust off the old resume and get moving because your situation is unlikely to get better on its own.
You are not challenged anymore. Your work has become routine, you have been at it so long that you can predict what’s going to happen, and you can do it with your eyes closed. You have mastered this level of the game. Often you find yourself looking for other ways to be helpful, lending a hand to colleagues. Whether you recognize it or not, this is leadership behavior. Helping others get their work done, seeking out opportunities to learn what others are doing and trying to be supportive of your team. Avoid the temptation to find things in your organization or colleagues to complain about. Continue to find ways to be helpful and learn about what is going on around you. Ask your supervisor how you can be more of an asset to your team. Ask about advancement opportunities and what you need to do to be prepared and make that leap.
Your work environment is negatively impacting your life. Do you feel dread while preparing for work? Not just in the morning while you are getting dressed, I mean over the weekend and vacations. If you find yourself complaining about your work more than one day out of a two week span, if you feel real physical or emotional pain at the thought of having to spend time with colleagues your body is telling you it’s time for you to go. You can deceive others but your body will not lie to you. It is giving you clear feedback that something is wrong and you need to address it. Stress like this wears on the quality and length of your life. Take it seriously. The stress of leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar is much less than that of having to go back into an unhealthy environment. Recognize the source of this stress. If it can’t be eliminated then subtract yourself from its reach.
A better opportunity presents itself. This is the best of the four signs that it’s time to go. You have been sought out by senior management, a head hunter or good fortune has arrived at your doorstep. This is what you have been preparing for, don’t be nervous, go for it. It can be unnerving to step into a new position with new responsibilities and challenges but this is why you have been working hard and educating yourself. Organizational researchers point to the tendency for the person doing the hiring to be extra supportive of your success because they chose you. This is a good thing. Do your homework, find out all you can about the new gig and the people populating the team and unless you find out something very negative, grab it and don’t let go.
Does your body give you signals of distress? While you are at work do your colleagues, or even worse, does your boss give you signs that this may not be the place for you? Are you bored at work? Is there an exciting new opportunity on the horizon for you? If your answer to any of these questions, or god forbid more than one, is yes… please do whatever it takes to move on as soon as humanly possible. There is an exciting world of work out there and an environment that will be a perfect fit for you. Stop thinking about this as a failure or shortcoming on your part. It is natural not to fit in everywhere, the same is true in relationships. You don’t lament when you decide that a drug addict wouldn’t make a reliable friend. The same is true for you choosing a workplace. There is another out there that will be a perfect fit for you. Your current workplace will not conform to you, take the wheel and get moving. You will look back on this decision and ask yourself why you didn’t do it earlier. Get out of your comfort zone and SOAR!
William A. Brown
December 30, 2018
https://www.yahoo.com/news/know-39-time-leave-job-145135703.html?ref=gs
