7 Questions to Determine Whether It's Time to Leave Your Job

Here's what I wished I understood early in my career

On the top shelf of my bedroom closet is a neatly stacked pile of jeans. I haven’t worn them in over five years. A few still have the original price tags. The jeans no longer fit. They serve little purpose other than to keep my winter sweaters company.

Like those jeans, I’ve often chosen to remain in roles beyond their shelf life.

Hanging on for months (and sadly, even years) past their expiration date despite knowing the job was no longer a good fit and had ceased to serve me.

Why did I stay? Because my pragmatic need for regular income overrode my genuine desire to do more meaningful and fulfilling work. I also convinced myself I was obligated to stick it out because, well, this is what I went to school for. After all, this is what I earned a degree in. This is how I am going to repay Sallie Mae for my graduate school loans.

I grew accustomed to suffering silently in soul-crushing environments that handcuffed my creative energy. It became second nature for me to contort my personality and personal style into something strangely unfamiliar because I believed I had to fit a more acceptable industry mold. I continued to work for egomaniacal leaders with the emotional intelligence of a gnat because … bills. Thankfully, I would later transition to a more rewarding career in the Learning & Development (L&D) field.

Around two years ago, I had a life-altering epiphany which turned my view about this whole “working” thing on its head for me. It led to a profound personal resolution.

I will no longer devote my time or my talent to people, places, or things that do not value them. That’s part of knowing and honoring my professional worth.

In this series of articles, I'll share what I wish I knew earlier in my career with the hope of helping others recognize and own their professional worth.

Question #1: Does this role empower me to do my best work?

I once made a list of the seven requisites I need to experience in a role to thrive at work, and they continue to guide me today. They include: autonomy, creative freedom, financial security, growth opportunities, intellectual stimulation, meaningfulness, and variety.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting a role must meet every requisite 100 percent of the time because that would be unrealistic.

Instead, think of each requisite as being represented by weight on a balance scale. For example, suppose I’m working on a change management initiative. Naturally, I would have minimal autonomy around key decision-making if I’m not the project manager. But that limitation would be offset by having a high degree of intellectual stimulation and creative freedom in developing the communication plan and designing the marketing collateral.

When I reflected upon my career journey, something very remarkable surfaced. Without exception, the roles where I felt unfulfilled were those in which two, three, or even four of the requisites I needed to thrive were consistently minimal or nonexistent. The remaining requisites couldn’t adequately compensate for the huge deficit, so it was no wonder I often felt depleted, uninspired, and generally blah.

What do you require to do your best work and to show up at your best at your job? If you’ve never given thought to this answer, I encourage you to do that over the next several days. If you already know, consider whether your current role enables you to do your best work.

Read the remainder of this article for free on Medium here.