When is it time to quit?

I read an announcement on LinkedIn from my friend, Joe Jacobi, the Olympic Gold Medalist, now a Performance Coach. He was promoting an event with Inga Stasiulionyte, Performance Coach at Valor Performance:

HOW TO STOP? THE ART OF QUITTING (Note, the link will take you to the recording of the live event)

“I am not a quitter! I will make it work no matter what!
Does quitting mean losing? When commitment to go to the end is heroic and when this attitude turns against us and becomes an enemy.”

The topic caught my attention because clients ask me the same question frequently.

When is it time to quit?

We’ve all heard of the Great Resignation. 60 Minutes covered the topic a few months back. Many people are thinking about quitting. The challenge is how do you do this strategically?

I had this conversation with Executive Coach, Susan Barker a few months ago. I wanted Susan’s perspective on the length of time that is best to leave a role. Susan’s background as a Global Leadership and Pipeline Development Executive for GE Healthcare and as the SVP – Global Recruitment and Technology and Operations Talent Acquisition Leader for Bank of America makes her an ideal resource for this question.

I asked this question of Susan:

When is it a good time to make a career move?

Susan’s response: The earliest time to make a move is when you have at least two years with a company. Prior to that, the company is still in training mode. The optimal time to move is after five years with a company. Ideally, during the five years, you were promoted. However, once you completed 15 years with a company, you really need to start an exit plan because your value to the next company is harder to demonstrate when you are in the same place for too long.

An opportunity to experience Susan’s Executive Coaching to current and upcoming executives is part of the Design Resumes Ultimate Package and can be added to any other package for an additional fee.

The key to this is to plan.

Too many people are thinking it is time to leave so they leave with no plan in place.

Job search must be strategic. Evaluate what you want to do, research places to do what you want to do, and prepare yourself and your career marketing materials before you set a time to leave. Today, we see many people doing the exact opposite. In fact, many are bailing out with no plan at all.

Accept that your move will take a while, so position yourself in your current company to stay until the right opportunity arises. At the same time, start networking with people who work for companies that you think you will enjoy.

How do you know when it is time to quit?

I can tell you from experience that when you start feeling that you are in the wrong place, you already need to think about moving.

If you are thinking about getting moving, I can help. Learn more.