Moving jobs, like moving homes, is not easy. It comes at a
price, a personal price, even if the rewards on the other side look enticing.
Which is why some people find leaving a job so heart wrenching, especially if
it has been a very productive, stimulating and enjoyable time. You just need to
look at a random selection of farewell speeches or messages to get a sense of
how difficult people find it. Even when the decision to leave a job is a
rational one, the actual act of moving makes it quite emotional.
There are a few reasons why this may be the case (of course,
discounting the ones where people leave joyfully if they have had a rough time
!) and why people find even the thought of moving jobs so stressful or
challenging :
·
Investing in a role : This is particularly true
the more senior you get in the organisation and if the role is an
‘organisational leadership’ role. One is vested in its strategy, its mission,
its future plans. Some of these have been hard won battles. Some of the fruits
of one’s hard labour have not yet begun to show. Will I lose out if I move out
? Will someone else claim the credit for all the hard work I did ? Valid
questions – but remember, in most cases, you also built your work on the
foundations someone else laid for you, and also you did bask in the warmth of
the glory that someone else (your predecessor) worked hard for.
·
Pangs of guilt : How many times have we come
across people who think that the organisation will collapse if they move on,
and making that the reason why they stay on ? The pangs of guilt could be for other
reasons too, for instance – “I recruited this team and each one of my team
members were handpicked by me. They will be at a loss when I move on. Who will
steer them ? They joined because of me”. Hang on – the people you recruited are
mature professionals (at least, they were all adults). Surely, they can
navigate the world without you. You don’t need to be protective about them. If
you gave them the opportunity, great, let them build on it and forge ahead. You
are not indispensable, either to them or to the organisation
·
The urge to learn and do more : In a way, this
is great. What is wrong with wanting to do more or learn more ? Nothing. But do
check those thoughts and ask yourself the tough question – is it because of a
sense of diffidence or insecurity that comes in the way of you considering
a move ? Often, I have seen that this is the reason why people tend to stay or
overstay in organisations, being in the same role for fairly long periods of
time. Again, nothing wrong with that either, as long as you are confident that
you are growing and learning, and the organisation continues to benefit from
you being around. I have often told myself, “Do not be part of the furniture.
If you want to move, move when the going is good and always leave on a high”.
(To be concluded)
