Quitting

You know the feeling.

Maybe your boss treats you bad. Maybe you aren't being paid enough. Maybe your business model is imploding, causing you to explore new opportunities. Maybe your spouse took a job in San Diego. Maybe you are being run out of your company without formally being fired.

So you decide you have to quit your job.

You probably told a few folks, in confidence, that you are quitting. How do you keep something like that quiet? And they probably told a few folks, in confidence, that you are quitting. And those folks probably told a few folks, in confidence, that you're quitting.

The ninety second walk to tell your supervisor the news seems to take an hour. There's no moisture in your mouth, you're sweating profusely. Am I doing the right thing?

If the circumstances of your departure aren't optimal, you might be inclined to flame out. I recall sitting through an hour of venom when one of my employees quit. After telling me what a horrible individual I was, the employee gave a final work day six weeks into the future. Imagine the damage that could be inflicted in six weeks?! I gave the employee twenty-four hours to inflict damage.

Another employee left, and said all the right things when announcing she was quitting. For the next two weeks, however, there was this vibe, this "I'm going somewhere special, while you labor in this rat hole" attitude.

Oh, I've made all the classic mistakes associated with quitting a job. Back in 1990, I quit a job, made a big stink, only to have the new job fall though the cracks just eight hours later. I had to ask to have my job back the next morning. My Director took the high road, while I learned a valuable lesson in humility.

One day, it will be your turn to quit your job. Consider the change in employment as an opportunity to celebrate the things that were good about the job you're leaving.