How do you know when it’s time to leave a job?
While I think this question is a very personal one, here are some questions to consider. I hope it brings you some clarity on your path:
First:
Try to answer these questions without any concern about money, what else you might do, or when you might leave. Those fears and concerns are the main reason we stay in jobs that aren’t fulfilling and ultimately aren’t true to yourself. Once you know clearly whether you want to stay or go, then you can address what to do with that information.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Look in front of you — would you want your boss’s job? Or any other leaders in front of you?
- Are you no longer learning or being challenged?
- Do you dread showing up to work each day?
- Do you find yourself spending all of your time outside of work either complaining about work or stressing about it?
- Is it a negative work environment? Or one where you don’t feel supported
- Do you care about the mission and goals of the organization?
- Do your values align with the values of the company? For example, do you value family, but the company is expecting you to be available nights and weekends? Do you value efficiency, but the organization moves slowly?
- Do you feel like what you’re good at matches what you do each day?
- Is your work aligned with your purpose?
- And finally, make a list of the benefits and the costs. Do the benefits of the job you have outweigh the costs?
And consider that the answer could also be something other than stay or go. It could be working 32 hours a week instead of full time, changing teams, or getting on a new project. I’ll talk about that more in an upcoming post.
Feeling frustrated in your work and unsure what to do next? Take my 10 day challenge to get unstuck and create what’s next.
