And when is it time to leave?

Are you thinking it is time for change or perhaps time to leave? In my post about Pepper Grinders, I talked about the effect of change when you haven’t thought it through, acting out of pure emotion.

One of my joys in social media is continuously meeting new people who inspire me. One of those new people is Reeta Luthra. Yesterday, she wrote about Successful Choices when I was writing this:

Frequent career moves, especially in this economy, can damage your resume.

Reeta coaches people on ways to better manage their stress. As important as my caution is, Reeta’s advice is also very important:

“It’s important to remember that success is not an end result. Much like happiness, it’s a process and it occurs through the choices we make. Because we build it in this way, it’s part of our personal development”

Why failure is not so bad.

In Reeta’s post and the comments, Robin Dickinson said:

“Why does failure have to feel bad? Failure can be the fast-track to success; Failure teaches patience; Failure stimulates creativity; Failure honors humility; Failure reveals my whole-self; Failure contains the ego; Failure is the sweetener of success.   To fail is to succeed. “

Both are right. There are times when you are being stifled by your environment and you need to move on. It is time to leave. I still contend  you need to think this through, use your team of Trusted Advisors like I do whenever I make a major decision. Talk to them and note their advice.

Weigh the pros and cons of leaving

Use a spreadsheet, pad of paper or whatever works best for you, but write it down.

There is power in seeing your pro-con list.

To take that one step further, put a value on each of the items. By using a spreadsheet, you can sort by the value. This is your list. Move items around, re-prioritize, and re-rank according to your set of values.

Consider changing to another company or position or role:

Pros:

1. More authority over decision-making
2. Better work environment (could be your own office versus a cubicle or just a more profitable firm)
3. Better Technology
4. An openness to try new idea
5. Increased salary

Cons:

1. longer work hours
2. more travel
3. less staff members and staff support
4. Commission – less certainty of income
5. lesser opportunity to move upward
6. more autonomy, meaning if you make a bad decision you will be accountable

Prepare your own pros and cons and move the numbers up and down. Perhaps more travel is a plus for you or maybe it is just not as bad of a con. Your list might have totally different components.

Time to leave to find Balance in your life

When I first tried to find balance for my Design Resumes business with my role supporting non-profits, I tried to ease out of the non-profits> My thoughts were that with fewer contracts I could better balance my life.

A few years back, I resigned my QuickBooks accounting support role with different groups and continued with the Kiwanis Club of Wausau and Wausau Whitewater.

I resigned Kiwanis in March 2008 thinking that would lessen my load. My focus changed to Wausau Whitewater. As much as I loved non-profits, I found that even one was too many. The story of my leaving Wausau Whitewater is here.

It truly was the end of an era for me and one I still reflect on. I will never lose the passion I had for all the good all of them do, but it was not where I needed to be.

Passion for helping job seekers

My passion for helping the job seeker is greater. Helping people find success in their lives would be on the top of my Pro list. Additionally, on my “pro” list would be using all of the communications tools I use every day. I love this new era. I love talking to people on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, not just to talk but to learn and grown and expand my horizons.

You can see my enthusiasm building as I write this. If you were here, you would see my fingers flying across the keys trying to verbalize the excitement and joy I now feel in my adventure.

And when is it time to leave?

To get your job search launched with an outstanding resume, simply click here!

Photo Credit: Sebastien Wiertz