Are you feeling exhausted, uncertain, or unhappy in your job and thinking about quitting?
You’re definitely not alone!
Approximately two-thirds of the US workforce finds themselves in a similar situation.
There’s a right time and place for making a change, and before you do, I’d like to offer some free advice.
With a bit of strategic planning, you can position yourself ten times better, reducing the risks and uncertainties when you quit your job.
Plus, you might even significantly improve your situation by giving it a little thought beforehand.
1. Before you quit your job: Consider your backup plan
One of the first things I’d recommend—and this advice is pretty much universal—is not to make a sudden leap unless you have a solid financial plan in place.
However, I understand that, at some point, financial concerns may not matter as much to some individuals. There are times when enduring the current situation, no matter how tough, seems preferable to the uncertainty that change might bring.
Nonetheless, a little planning can go a long way.
Before you quit your job there are some essential things to think about:
- Where your income will come from?
- How will you cover your necessary expenses, like rent and housing?
- If you have to live on debt while unemployed, is the cost of taking on credit card debt worth another month at your current job?
Sometimes, even living with family can come with its own costs beyond just finances.
Remember, when you place yourself in an uncertain situation, you may become reliant on others. This dependency can have long-term consequences that extend beyond the initial stress.
Take the time to consider your financial plan, your living arrangements, and other factors before making any drastic decisions or telling your boss off.
For example, my client Larry was in a pickle at work. In fact, his boss was writing him up and making the foundation to get him fired. When Larry and I spoke, he realized he had to control the things he could, and he got his financial house in order. As he spoke to advisors and got his affairs in order, he found himself in a position to retire seven years earlier than he’d believed he could.
The moral of the story: doing your homework up front may reveal options you didn’t realize were available to you.
2. Before you quit your job: Identify root causes
The second step to consider is to consider how you got here and focus on the reasons that brought you to this point.
By looking at how you got here, you’ll begin to see how you can prevent similar situations in the future.
Too often, we find ourselves jumping from one challenging situation to another. We repeat the same problems because we haven’t taken the time to reflect on the impact of what may seem like minor decisions in the short term.
For instance, taking a job solely for the money can sometimes lead to even worse circumstances.
When thinking about quitting your current job, it’s crucial to understand why you’re considering quitting in the first place.
Typically, one of only a few primary issues is at the root of the problem. It’s important to identify the core issue.
Often, we quit our managers, but there’s a catch…
There’s a saying that people don’t quit companies, they quit managers. More often than not, it’s dissatisfaction with your manager’s behavior that will have you wanting to quit your job.
Nonetheless, your manager’s behavior and expectations are simply representative of his need to do his job, and by extension, the company’s expectations of your departemnt and your role. If your manager is pressuring you or stressed or setting what you believe are unreasonable expectations, it’s important to consider the reasons why.
It could be:
- Your manager is a jerk or incompetent.
- Your role is poorly designed or supported.
- You’re not a good fit for your role, at least in this company.
- The company’s culture and values are inconsistent with your personal expectations and values.
In any event, you interviewed for the job, were perceived as qualified, you took the job, and eventually you found out it wasn’t a good fit.
Do everything you can to understand the root causes of the problem, so you can improve the process and decision-making criteria you use to find and choose your next job.
Example of a good choice that avoided a bad choice
I once knew someone who aspired to become a surgeon and was on their way to medical school. However, through a talent assessment, they discovered a lack of hand-eye coordination, a crucial skill for a surgeon.
Recognizing this, they wisely made a career change before investing several years in pursuing a path that didn’t suit them.
It’s all about finding the right fit for your talents and ambitions.
If you’re confident that you’re not the wrong fit for the job, perhaps the problem lies in how your organization expects you to perform that job.
By examining this aspect, you can gain valuable insights into your next career move and how to evaluate job opportunities effectively.
This way, you can avoid repeating the same challenges in a new role.
3. Before you quit your job: Identify the right next job
The third crucial consideration, whether you’re on the brink of quitting your job or just exploring your options, is understanding what truly constitutes the right job for you.
This involves determining the type of boss or bosses that align with your preferences and the kind of company culture that suits you best.
With a bit of inquiry and support in this area, you can significantly enhance your job-seeking skills. It’s like acquiring a whole new set of abilities, a fresh way of engaging in conversations that you may not have encountered before.
Some companies are highly competitive and cutthroat, where individuals can be ruthless in pursuit of success. In contrast, other companies have a more friendly and cooperative atmosphere.
However, a person who doesn’t align with the company culture may struggle to thrive.
For instance, a kind and considerate person might not find their place in a highly competitive, shark-like environment, where aggression is the norm.
On the other hand, someone who thrives in an aggressive, competitive environment will be out of place in a more collaborative and harmonious workplace.
In such cases, it’s important to recognize that not every company is the right fit for every individual.
In addition to reflecting on what led you to this point, also assess whether the company’s culture is a contributing factor to your dissatisfaction.
Understanding the foundation of the problem is key to making informed decisions about your career.
Get started with better decision-making today!
I’ve got a couple of tools if you’re not really sure about your current situation or if you want to look at it in more detail.
- One is my Stress Management Blueprint. It’ll give you an opportunity to brainstorm what’s going on. It’ll help you identify your big stressors across your whole life, and enable you to take actions to relieve them before you quit your job.
- The second one is the Problem Solvers Code. It’s a code for you to understand the stressors and other problems you’re experiencing. As you understand them, you ca diagnose their root causes, making it easier to identify and manage the underlying issues that are causing them. You’ll be able to look at things in a new way.
Breaking things down can make your stresses and problems infinitely easier to solve. It helps you understand the real issue behind the surface problems.
Use what you learn about your current situation to make better decisions in the future
For example, if your boss is difficult, what’s the underlying problem?
As you understand your current boss, you’ll be better able to screen future potential bosses for a better match in the future. More specifically, you can get a better sense of what they’re like and what they don’t like. You can also understand what their teams and company are like when you’re interviewing multiple people.
It may sound unbelievable, but you can interview your potential boss just as much as they interview you!
You can have honest and direct conversations to make a good impression as the person they want to hire. This might be different from what you’ve heard before, as traditional advice often says not to ask certain questions.
But the right employers — the reasonable, practical ones you actually want — appreciate this straightforward approach.
Employers who discourage such conversations may not be the right fit for you. You might not enjoy working in that kind of environment. I sure don’t!
Let me help you
Click the link down below, you’ll find an opportunity to connect with me for a quick conversation. I am sure further interaction in this regard would be worthwhile.
I genuinely wish you the best of luck, especially if you’ve reached the point of considering quitting your job. I’ve been in that situation myself and I’ve worked with clients who’ve faced similar challenges. You saw saw it above with Larry, and you’ll see with Vasu in the Problem Solver’s Code,
Ultimately, making a change often leads to a better situation, at least in the short term.
Even more importantly, when we make more strategic choices, we end up in better positions. We also have happier bosses, coworkers, and companies to work with.
I hope this information is helpful to you. I look forward to the possibility of connecting with you, and in the meantime, I wish you all the best. Take care and good luck!
Click the link and schedule a 45-minute Clarity Consultation: 👉 Schedule a Free Clarity Consultation Session. 👈 On the call, ask me for the Stress Management Blueprint or the Problem Solver’s Code!
