Before You Quit Your Job

We all have thought about quitting our jobs because we just can’t take the pressure, the abuse or both, and life is miserable. Some of us have actually done it. Several times. I remember lying in bed years ago and thinking of the different scenarios on how to quit my job. I was planning the perfect way to finally let my boss know what I really thought of him. But for the majority of us who walk away from a job because of frustration, we seldom quit because of ideological, organizational or even monetary issues. The truth is that we don’t quit our job; we quit our boss. Before you walk in and give notice along with a piece of your mind, consider this:

Incompetent people don’t last. In most organizations incompetence only lasts for a while. Granted, some places have a higher tolerance for poor performance than others, but the weak link eventually gets replaced. If your frustration stems from working for an incompetent person, you just have to outlive their tenure. Do your job well and stick around. Your promotion might be coming sooner than you realize.

There is no such a thing as the perfect environment for you, or anyone else for that matter. For your work nirvana to exist, only perfect people would be allowed to work there. And the day you and I show up at the place, perfection would cease. Sometimes we are as quick to idealize another environment as we are to vilify our current one.

Bad days happen. That’s just life. Even the brightest of environments is not immune to dark days, sometime a string of bad days or projects, and clients from hell. Don’t ever make a life-altering decision at the end of a taxing and discouraging day. An emotional decision is one you’ll always regret.

Leave well. If you must leave, then do it well. As much as you want to let you boss know what you think of her, this is not the time to do that. No one ever regretted being gracious and walking away with dignity and poise even if you know you’ve been wronged. The truth will eventually come out. It always does.

Sometimes you need to walk away from a bad situation, or should I say, from a bad boss. I did once, and it was the right thing to do. However, before you do, make sure it’s the right move at the right time done in the right way.

Have you ever quit a job? How did it go?

Christian

I actually didn’t quit my job. My last job quit me. As a new dad, I found myself between a rock and a hard place. So, I did what I thought every new dad would do in situations like this, and filed a wrongful termination law suit against my former employer. nnTurns out he was being investigated for insurance fraud. The process took almost a year, but in the end, the judge awarded me a nice little “severance package.” This was the monetary incentive I needed to pursue my dream and become my own boss. That was nearly 3 years ago, and I still feel like a kid on a roller coaster at Disneyland, screaming “get me off this ride!”
- Maurilio Amorim
  
  Once you get you the ride, you need to go all the way. So buckle and enjoy it. Trust me it’s tough but very rewarding.
Chris Johnson

I was one of those people who didn’t quit well. I told my boss off a long time ago. I still regret doing it today. Thanks for the post.
- Maurilio Amorim
  
  Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story, Chris.
Barry Landis

Maurilio, I have lived by the axiom: never burn a bridge. As you say, leave if you must, but I say always leave in a professional way. Those relationships are going to come in handy somewhere down the road. Better the welcome mat is out for you at that time.
- Maurilio Amorim
  
  @8174e04a1be5dd03b2b04763bb56d0e9:disqus You’re so right. Life has many turns and you’ll never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You cannot control how other people treat you, but you can control how you leave a job. n

Have you ever quit a job? How did it go?

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