I quit!
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Caption: That box of triple glazed Kripy Kremes just might entice the corpulent chief.
No, maybe I won’t.
So it goes in the workplace. All of us have had those thoughts.
Some of us even pull it off – leaving and landing on our feet. Most of us aren’t so lucky. If we stay, it’s a gamble, one that can be debilitating to one’s health and career.
Usually at year’s end, business media offer up advice on career planning.
One such was a recent list of ten signs (no link available) that point to the door, the exit.
Among those, were,
“You’re Not Getting Time Off” – you’re working more and enjoying life less.
And, “Your Company's Future Looks Bleak” – well yeah, if you are losing market share and no one’s buying what you are selling; “Hop on the bus, Gus.”
Finally, “Your Workplace Is A Revolving Door” – everyone but you is leaving. Why are you staying? Worse for you if the replacements are jerks.
The list of ten gained a couple startling reader comments:
“If you dream of killing your boss, it’s probably time to leave”, as illustrated.
Another one, more pathetic: “I go to work happy, I come home … sad.” “Just drop off the key, Lee.”
Unless you like getting beaten up, yeah, time to leave. If you keep on keepin’ on regardless, see a head doctor.
From the list: “You might want to quit your job if you're questioning your workplace's integrity.”
"Maybe your boss is demeaning, maybe your co-workers are stealing, maybe clients are abusive….” Or, your boss is a narcissist jerk - who is only looking out for himself; he or she uses your ideas, your achievements and never gives you credit.
And, it may be that Trust and Honesty are featured in the company Values statement, but not practiced.
If you are having to deal with whispers, shadows and perfumed daggers, “hit the road, Jack.”
One of my own reasons to vamoose : Your network is unraveling.
You are no longer invited to lunches, you are left out of meetings, and, you are passed over for promotions.
Somehow, colleagues you thought were on your side, now are less forthcoming and available. They may even avoid you.
A song captures that sinking feeling, that apprehension of not so good times ahead: “I’ve Got a Funny Feeling I Won’t Be Feeling Funny Very Long.”
And, it may be that those with whom you worked most closely have left the building, like Elvis, literally gone. Their replacements just don’t want a whole lot to do with you. Why?
All your positives (improvements, major achievements, fiscal gains, your reputation) appear diminished if not disappeared down the memory hole.
There’s a song for it: “I Don’t Know What It Is, but I Sure Miss It When It’s Gone”. Or perhaps more to the point: “I’ve Closed My Eyes to the Cold Hard Truth I’m Seeing.”
Obviously something has changed. If your network is not telling you, then “Make a new plan, Stan.”
Another one from the list: “You’re On High Alert”.
If "You are persistently in a state of fear of angering someone or of doing a task incorrectly" it may be time to fly the coop.
A song offers a clue: “I’m Sick and Tired of Waking up So Sick and Tired.” If that’s you, “You don't need to be coy, Roy.”
Another one from the list: “You’re Just Not Good At It, (anymore)”
A country western song comes to mind: “There’s No Use Running If You’re on the Wrong Road”.
For me, it was something I call “plateauing”; that is, the challenges are gone, the dragon’s been slain and the fair maiden won.
When lunch becomes the thing you look forward to each day, “don't you come back no more, no more”.
It is a time, if you are not forced out, to reflect.
What do you want?
What’s missing?
Where do you want to be in two years?
What makes you happy?
Why is the job so blah?
If the answers point to the door, then, yes, time to go but keep in mind this old song:
“I’m Going Someplace I Hope I Find.”
The song addresses that for you it may not be the destination but more the journey. When we start some new idea, sometimes we do not know where we are going.
That’s no reason not to take the first step; some destinations reveal themselves.
When in a new city, I always wander, sometimes for hours. My destination is vague, I often get lost, but then there’s much to be said for being lost and then found.
So it can be when pursuing a career.
Finally, good advice from the reader’s Comment section: “If you don't like your job QUIT. (But), before you cut the rope have it tied to another pole.”
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And, don’t forget Lubans' book on democratic workplaces, Leading from the Middle
© Copyright text by John Lubans 2022
John Lubans - portrait by WSJ