Toni, the vice president of marketing communications at a large nonprofit, enjoyed the support of her boss, the organization’s president. He gave her opportunities to grow professionally. He asked for her advice on questions that affected her department as well as about problems in the organization as a whole.
Her staff was alert and involved and together they created some spectacular campaigns for the business. She enjoyed healthy raises, a high-profile promotion and was asked to report to the board on various issues.
Management’s style tended toward benevolent paternalism with a good dose of respect for individuals and their talents. Mistakes were viewed as a part of risk taking. She frequently went to lunch or dinner with the boss and others who were important in the organization. She loved her job. These were golden years.
After 10 years, the boss retired and a new CEO was brought in.
Toni was determined to be a team player and to continue offering her support. But within six months she could see that her support wasn’t wanted. Where she used to enjoy easy access to the boss, she now needed to make appointments to see him during his always too-tight schedule. Where she had been free to create fresh new programs to meet the nonprofit’s challenges, she now was given directions and assignments to carry out.
Toni wasn’t invited to lunches or dinners. Access to the board was denied. Raises stopped. Plum assignments were given to others, as were promotions. Her counsel was never sought. Decisions about the organization’s direction went against some of the values she held. Management’s style consisted of bullying and threats. She went from being a stellar performer to seemingly doing nothing right. Her budget and staff were cut. She frequently was angry—and unhappy.
Obviously, it was time to leave. But did she leave? No.
“The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know,” she’d say. The truth was, Toni was afraid of change. For people like her, change of any sort can be unnerving.
Ellen Goodman, author of “Turning Points,” notes: “We cling to even the minor routines with an odd tenacity. We’re upset when the waitress who usually brings us coffee in the breakfast shop near the office suddenly quits. We are disoriented if the drugstore or the cleaner’s in the neighborhood closes.” For many people, change elicits fear. These individuals keep denying the inner voice that tells them it’s time to change. Their fear of change is worse than any discomfort they might be experiencing at work.
Toni stayed for two more very unhappy years. And then the new boss pointedly forced her out of the organization. The fear of change cost her financial security and the ability to make a smooth transition into something new.
n Matt’s company, a successful e-mail service provider, was named best of breed in 2001. Management cheerfully proclaimed that the firm’s best days were ahead, and promised that everyone there would benefit from the business’s fast growth.
Matt was reading the financial news one morning, only to discover that the company had lost its biggest client and would be laying off half the staff.
Later that day Matt’s supervisor pulled him aside to say that his job was safe but everyone would have to take a pay cut. Matt wasn’t happy, but thought he’d wait and see how things turned out. From time to time he thought it might be a good idea to leave, but he never got around to putting his resume together.
Then there were rumors that the company would be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Matt began to panic. He felt desperate and he conducted a frantic search. He was willing to take the first job offered to him. In a very short time he recognized that this new company was not any better than the one he’d left. Then, Ed put himself through college by selling men’s shoes and fashion accessories. On the advice of a favorite marketing professor, he decided on a career in direct marketing. Upon graduation he joined a large New York DM agency. Ed thrived on the adrenaline rush of agency life.
Over eight years, he worked his way up the ladder into a high-pressure management position. At the same time his personal life was changing. He got married and started a family. Before long he purchased a home in the suburbs, leaving his urban apartment. His career was an unqualified success. But Ed was growing increasingly weary of the daily grind. He spent most of his time in the office or on the train commuting. He felt disconnected from his family and was displeased with his career. For the first time, Ed sensed he was in a crisis—and he wanted out.
He took an inventory of his life and discovered that his goals had changed. Early in his career, Ed really enjoyed the fast-paced agency life. Now his motivation was to make plenty of money to provide for his growing family’s needs while having more time to spend with them.
Ed was able to reposition himself highlighting his pre-graduation sales skills. He landed a job in sales for a DM services company closer to home. He now had unlimited earning potential and time to enjoy the fruits of his labor with his family. Making the effort to assess his discomfort with his work helped Ed intelligently plan a career change that fit his new lifestyle.
We almost always know when it’s time to change jobs. Some of us heed our own inner counsel and take careful steps to bring about the next job offer that fits our goals. Others remain victims, fearful of change, waiting until the situation forces them out. It’s simple, but not easy.
When something inside says it’s time to go…then it’s time to go.
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