On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I typically take a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood to get the old blood pumping before starting off my day at JobSyntax. This morning I threw on my favorite pair of shorts and went out for my walk. Now, I’ve had these shorts for a really long time. They fit well and are this meshy material that feels good against your skin. They are also a piece of nostalgia since they carry my university's initials. I love them.
Today was different though. As I was walking one of my normal routes, I noticed the shorts were suspiciously creeping down my waist to my hips and starting to sag lower and lower. I kept hitching them up and finally had to resort to using the draw string which didn’t help in the end. Alas, I came to the conclusion that the elastic is shot. It’s time for a new pair of shorts. Which got me thinking about knowing when it’s time to say goodbye to an old friend. And even more fittingly for the career-o-sphere, when do you know it’s time to say goodbye to your current company?
When I first started my career, I got some sage advice from a relative of Evan’s they called Unckie. Unckie was a really successful guy and did a lot of great things. Before he died he wrote all this wisdom down and passed it along to his kids and extended family. The one thing that stuck with me through all these years was his opinion that you should only stay with your first company for a max of 5 years, learn everything you can and then move on. That’s great, but what about the job after that or more importantly what if you are in a position where you’re thinking about leaving? Using my dear, ill-fitting shorts as an analogy, think of the waist band as your company, here are two possible thoughts on knowing when it’s time to part ways.
The elastic quits – After many years of loving comfort you’re starting to realize that your shorts are drifting down to your knees. In the business world, you may find yourself swimming adrift in the sea of change within your company; maybe they grew too quickly, maybe they added new management, or maybe decided to go in another direction that doesn’t support your goals. At this point, all you know is that there is nothing there to hold you up. You’ve tried everything you can; belts, safety pins, etc, but all you get is unsightly bunching and in the end it’s just a band-aid measure.
Your waistband is too tight – Ah, the dreaded muffin top. You’re starting to feel the squeeze. You’re expanding and there’s no where else for you to go. Yep, you’ve gone and outgrown your company. You still love them and feel a certain sense of loyalty, but realize that you’ve learned everything there is to learn. You’ve reached the top position you can at the company and now you have to move on.
In either case, I think that these things tend to sneak up on you. One day things seem to be going really well and than BAM! You realize that something significant has changed. The hard part then is to figure out the best way to leave your company that’s treated you so well.
So today, as I lovingly say farewell to my favorite shorts, think about the reasons why you are staying with your current company. Are you getting all you can from them? Are they getting all they can from you? What are your reasons for staying? What are your reasons for leaving?
And, if you are feeling daring, what’s your advice to the future jobseekers of America? What would you tell your children in years to come?