Leaving a job doesn't have to mean burning bridges. This podcast explores how to leave a job on good terms and build stronger connections. It provides actionable steps and advice on planning the conversation with your boss, setting up your team for success, and strengthening relationships. It emphasizes the importance of seeking expert help and engaging in a problem-solving mindset when preparing for a future job change.
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Quick takeaways
Leaving a job can be done in a way that benefits everyone involved by actively setting up your team, organization, and colleagues for success even after your departure.
Initiating a conversation with your boss about your future plans and setting up the team and organization for success requires careful preparation, including expressing gratitude, seeking advice, and having ideas for a smooth transition.
Deep dives
Leaving a Company without Burning Bridges
Leaving a company often leads to concerns about burning bridges and leaving others in a lurch. However, there is a different approach to leaving a company by having your boss and co-workers support your transition. By setting everyone up for success, you can leave the company knowing that they are well taken care of. This approach requires a shift in mindset from just avoiding burning bridges to actively setting up your team, organization, and colleagues for success even after your departure. It involves having open and honest conversations with your boss, expressing gratitude for the opportunities and learning experiences, and seeking their advice on how to make a successful transition. By proactively identifying and training a backfill, creating a plan, and involving your boss in the process, you can leave the company on positive terms, ensuring that everyone involved benefits.
Challenges and Mental Blocks
There are various mental blocks that can hinder the adoption of the approach discussed. Many people view leaving a company and setting up others for success as conflicting goals. They struggle with feelings of letting people down and fearing that the work won't be done without them. However, this approach requires a reframe of the situation. The key is to understand that by taking care of those around you and seeking collaboration, it can lead to better outcomes for everyone involved. It is important to acknowledge that this strategy may not work in every situation, particularly in toxic work environments or organizations with a rigid culture of dismissing employees when they express intentions to leave. Additionally, it is essential to employ this strategy from a place of caring and not desperation. Overall, implementing this approach requires self-assessment, collaboration, and support from mentors or career coaches.
Having the Conversation with Your Boss
Initiating a conversation with your boss about your future plans and setting up the team and organization for success requires careful preparation. It is recommended to schedule a separate meeting with your boss outside the office to have an uninterrupted discussion. It is crucial to approach this conversation with gratitude, expressing appreciation for the learning experiences and growth opportunities provided by the company. Then, you can introduce the idea of eventually leaving the organization, ensuring that it is conveyed as a future plan, not an immediate departure. Seeking your boss's advice and input on how to best set up the team for success is essential, as it fosters collaboration and makes them feel like partners. Coming into the conversation with some ideas on backfilling, timelines, and training can help ease concerns and show your commitment to ensuring a smooth transition. But it is important to consider individual situations and seek guidance from career experts to navigate the complexities of this conversation effectively.
When you think about leaving your current company you likely imagine one of two scenarios — 1. Movie-worthy visions of lighting the office on fire, while flipping the bird, on the way out the door or 2. Your team branding you as an unforgivable enemy because you lit the office on fire and flipped them the bird without looking back 🙃
But leaving a job doesn’t have to mean burning bridges. You can escape your current job and find a much more fulfilling role without leaving your team or organization in a lurch. Think of this approach to a career transition as building bridges, not burning them.
Scott shares actionable advice on how to approach your boss when you decide you need to make a change— including how to plan the meeting and exactly what to say in the conversation. He also gives examples of how to exit a company in the best way possible.
Leaving a job can be done in a way that benefits everyone involved. It all comes down to how you approach those bridges (hint: leave the lighter fluid at home!)
What you’ll learn
How to leave your job without burning bridges and turn it into an opportunity to build stronger connections.
Actionable steps to set yourself and your team up for success during a career change
How leaving a job can be a chance to strengthen relationships