Thinking About Quitting Your Job? Here is Some Important Advice.
It seems like everyone wants to leave their job. This isn’t just vibes — it’s backed by data. According to one 2023 LinkedIn survey, 61% of workers who were polled said they were considering leaving their job within the year, including 72% of Gen Zers (ages 18-25) and 66% of Millennials (ages 26-41). That’s a staggering finding.
But I am not surprised.
Every day, I work with leaders, executives, and founders who are wondering if it’s time for them to try something new. But many feel conflicted about leaving. They’ve put so much of themselves into their current roles. It can be hard to relinquish control over something they’ve invested so much of their life building up. They also often worry about the future of their organizations if they depart. This makes sense: the main reason they’re inspirational leaders in the first place is their commitment to the missions of their organizations and the people they manage.
Understand this: it’s not selfish to desire a fresh start. If you feel like you don’t have as much to give your current work, it is more than okay to start thinking about how to move on. That’s why I’m focusing this month’s newsletter on your next steps. This month’s article covers:
How to know when you’re ready to leave
How to be leading from your first day on the job to ensure you can leave (don’t worry — it’s never too late to start)
What to look for in a successor
If you’re leading in the right way, you never have to worry about moving on. Why? By following the right leadership principles, you will foster a leadership pipeline that will allow you to leave when you’re ready — whenever that may be. Read on to learn the three things you should be doing right now to ensure you can leave when you want to.
How To Know It’s Time To Leave
One of the biggest challenges for leaders I work with, regardless of their field, is letting go of work that matters to them. When you care about your work's mission and see how it makes the world a better place, leaving that can be deeply personal. That’s why you are such a great leader to begin with!
But, if you find any of the following to be true about how you feel about your current job, you should take it as a sign that it’s time to consider a move:
If you’re finding yourself more overwhelmed than joyous
If you’ve lost the passion you once had
If you feel stuck, unmotivated, disillusioned, or bored
If you feel like you are just going through the motions and aren’t putting forth your best work
If you are losing your optimism for what is and could be possible
If you frequently find yourself fantasizing about other opportunities
Does this sound like you? Then you really should consider leaving.
Remember — you are not your job; you are your purpose. You will do your best work when your purpose fuels what you do every single day, and if that is no longer in your current role, that is okay. It is alright to be honest with yourself and find the next right thing.
Leading With Leaving In Mind
Your leadership is not permanent. This is one of the core tenets leaders must grasp from their very first day on the job. At It’s the Impact, I’ve created the R.E.L.E.A.S.E. Framework for this purpose. R.E.L.E.A.S.E. is a leadership continuity framework designed to empower leaders to build and lead so that they can leave when they are ready while knowing their organization will continue to thrive in their absence. R.E.L.E.A.S.E. has seven core tenets, but three are most directly relevant to ensuring you build an organization that is not solely dependent on your leadership. These are three things you should be doing from your first day on the job to ensure you can leave when it’s time:
Lead leaders: Support your team members in cultivating their leadership.
Advance readiness: Offer emerging leaders opportunities to handle high-level responsibilities and CEO-typical projects.
Strengthen stakeholders: Expose leaders to key decision-makers to build essential networks and trust.
If you put these principles into practice over time, you won’t have to choose between the organization's mission and your own interests. You can protect your mission and promote continuity. I recommend employing these strategies from your first day on the job. But if you haven’t, it’s never too late to start.
How to Prepare Others
These R.E.L.E.A.S.E principles can be summed up in a single idea: the best leaders are coaches. Premier coaches cultivate talent, allowing for people to develop their individualized skills in a way they never could have done on their own. In the same way that Phil Jackson unlocked the full potential in Michael Jordan, brilliant leaders help to create future leaders.
If you’re willing to truly coach your direct reports, your leadership style will be more effective in the long term, and when it’s time to move on, you will be able to do so knowing that you have others who can carry the baton.
Ultimately, this means that you should operate as if you won’t be in your job from the first day you’re in it. This changes the filter through which you see your work as a leader. This mindset creates the energy and urgency you need to truly become focused on lifting up others as a core priority every day, not as something to do after your ‘urgent’ tasks are complete.
How to Leave Confidently
If it's time to leave, take a deep breath and be okay with it. You will be happier moving on and finding the next role that fulfills your purpose and provides the excitement and fresh environment you need. If you aren’t ready yet, that is okay, too. You should still lead like you will leave one day.
Just keep in mind that the more you do to build the leaders around you, the easier it will be to move on and for your great work to continue. Remember to:
Lead Leaders: Support your team members in cultivating their leadership. This involves empowering them, giving them autonomy, and helping them grow into leaders themselves.
Advance Readiness: Offer emerging leaders opportunities to handle high-level responsibilities and CEO-typical projects. This will prepare them for greater roles and ensure they are ready to step up when needed.
Strengthen Stakeholders: Expose leaders to key decision-makers to build essential networks and trust. This helps them develop crucial relationships that will support the organization’s continuity.
If you’re ready for the next chapter in your career, or even want to consider supporting building your team, here is how we can help:
Implementing the R.E.L.E.A.S.E. principles so your team can progress from workers to leaders
Coaching you to support your team members now so they’re ready when you leave in the future
Supporting you in managing a successful succession
If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to schedule a Discovery Call.