If you’ve been with an organisation for even just over a year, it might prove difficult and particularly scary to up and leave. It becomes a situation where the proverbial saying, “the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know” may ring true. Like any relationship however, there comes a time when in order to grow to meet your personal goals, you must hand in that resignation letter.
These instances are listed below:
You are no longer growing
Is it due to a lack of opportunity within the organisation? Is promotion highly unlikely or dependent on something extraordinary like the death of a superior? If either of the highlighted factors apply, it might be time to take a hike.
When your productivity level becomes dependent on how much you’re getting paid
If this is you, I hate to break it to you but you are no longer passionate about your job if you were even at all to begin with. My dad always placed emphasis on the difference between a job and a career. A job, he said was a task that one would wake up to do simply because they knew they had to put food on the table. A career, on the other hand, he described as a development path an individual took on, not because they knew they needed to but because
it was a journey they had chosen to embark upon ‘wholeheartedly’. If you find that you fit into the former, you might want to start thinking of an alternative career route.
When the business vision no longer aligns with your own personal career plan
For example, if at 40, you would like to quit working for an employer to start your own business but company policy
states that those in senior management must be 45 and above, do you wait it out in hopes that you get selected for the senior role or you quit to start your business as planned? It is important to never lose yourself in the process. Your dreams do still matter.
Lack of ethics
A career should never put you in compromising situations where you’re forced to go against your personal values or principles. Where this is so, you might lose yourself in the mix and consequently be unable to look yourself in the mirror with pride. This then leads to depression and constant unrest. It isn’t worth it.
When your core competences are not being put to use
A role that doesn’t demand that you build on your core skills and abilities will not be of benefit to your growth. You might want to be in search of a new role where the skills which you have probably spent time and money honing overtime could be well utilised. Where your core strengths are called upon to assist you in handling a role, it does a lot for your self-esteem as the more you achieve, the better you’ll feel about yourself. If you find that this isn’t your
reality, it’s ok to leave and go where you would naturally excel.
The prices of resignation can be daunting especially if you’ve become emotional about that role, place of work, colleagues or even your boss. However, when it boils down to it, your happiness and personal development should still be paramount.
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