I didn’t quit YOU!
TLDR; Everyone is in the best place they can be, given their potential, priorities, and possibilities. Mine changed over time. Look at it as graduation, not leaving you personally! Let’s keep in touch.
From my own experience when someone leaves a company, it’s easy for the remaining employees to get worried:
- What went wrong?
- Doesn’t he like working with us anymore?
- Did I do something wrong?
- Did the company mistreat him?
- Has he found something much better than what we are doing here?
- Does he make more money somewhere else?
- Who is next?
Many people quietly quit long before they formally resign.
Look for these signs:
- Lack of engagement in topics that are their area of expertise
- Missing important team events and avoiding most colleagues
- Negative and at least passive attitude
Not too quick to judge. All these symptoms can be due to private events like divorce, loss of a loved one, sickness, etc.
Forget the HR exit interview. Do a “stay interview” to see what keeps your best people engaged and spread that energy.
Every individual is different of course but once the finance is covered, what takes us to work are: meaning, relations and growth.
The truth is much less dramatic. Salaryman has a series of comics which greatly demonstrate the point.
Purpose and journey
One of the places that really calms me down is the graveyard:
All those people lying there had important things to do. It’s a good reminder that life is short.
I am no Dalai Lama, but what gets me out of bed every morning is to become a better version of myself. I compete with me.
If I am too comfortable, it means I’ve achieved stagnation and it’s time to reinvent myself. Changing the environment is one way of doing it. I passionately believe:
YOU build your environment, not the other way around.
And you know what? It’s not easy! It’s not easy to say goodby to my beloved team and coworkers.
I don’t want easy. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Every time I changed jobs, I had to rebuild a new network, learn the domain and some technology. But it is these small and big challenges that build a sense of achievement and purpose. I truely believe in this:
Canary in the coal mine
- Not everyone who leaves the door is loss.
- Not everyone who joins is a gain.
- Not everyone who stays is a hero.
However, every company has a few acting canary in the coal mine. When those people leave, you need to be worried because their departure is a symptom that a larger crisis is on the way. What remains is either people who can’t find a better job or are too comfortable to challenge themselves. Regardless, the result is a culture of stagnation and mediocracy which limits the company growth.
I am no canary but I sure as hell keep an eye on the ones I see.
A great career advice I got years ago was to not run from fire. When someone is running away from danger, they may make the wrong decisions.
It is best to keep calm, think about your priorities and find a better opportunity.
Quick litmus test to check if what you are doing aligns with your values:
The best way to grow is to expose yourself to new challenges. Happiness is the sweet spot between getting what you love and loving what you got.
Let’s keep in touch on LinkedIn and maybe see you on the other side! 🙌
