The Art of Not Quitting
The last time I quit a job, I was 15, and it was my newspaper delivery route. Other than a few internships with fixed terms, I’ve worked at just one company since leaving graduate school: IDEO. So what do I have to offer about the topic?
Quitting an organization and quitting a job are not the same thing. While I’ve never quit IDEO, I have quit roles within the company several times. And this is why I think the distinction matters: If you find a place and a group of collaborators who bring out the best in you, leaving that behind just to find the next career opportunity is a big price to pay.
This was the case for me. The creatively confident, collaborative culture at IDEO has inspired me and brought more out in me than I ever thought possible. It started from day one and has never let up. Over the last two-and-a-half decades, I’ve gone through multiple job titles and even more roles. Even since taking on the mantle of CEO some 15 years ago now, I’ve done my best to redesign the job every few years so that I continue to grow my impact and learn.
Reid Hoffman describes this as doing “tours of duty” in his 2013 HBR article. Whether or not your organization officially embraces the idea of tours of duty, there’s nothing to stop you from doing it. Consciously anticipate quitting your current role and design what you want the next one to be. If it can be in the same company, great. If not, at least you’ll be in the position of understanding what you’re looking for out in the world. For most people, this is the way it works out at some point – or many points – in their career. But my experience shows that it doesn’t have to be that way. Staying with the same company can be just as exhilarating as switching to a different one.
Back when I joined IDEO (actually, it wasn’t even called IDEO back then), my plan was to work for my mentor Bill Moggridge for two or three years, then venture out to set up my own company. But I found that the creative culture at IDEO was far too valuable for me to give up. Ever since, by consciously trying to design my next job, I’ve never had to leave the organization I love.
Climate Entrepreneur. 99% Vegan. Currently exploring the intersection of #metacrisis / #connectedness / #newworldorder.
8 年Hey Tim Brown - great piece but I have one question: You and IDEO are practically legends, so it's relatively easy to see how someone might stay in a place like this for a long time (though of course I understand it wasn't necessarily like this when you started). I completely get what you say and have worked in some inspiring places along the way. But even then it was hard to see myself in the same organisation for more than five years. What would you say are the key ingredients for creating the sort of culture and approach to problem solving that you have at IDEO?
Sr. Program Manager | Business Strategy | Digital Transformation Consultant | PMO | Change Management Consultant
9 年Thanks, Tim, for sharing such a great example -- we need more!! -- of creating and capturing idiosyncratic value. Oops, that was business/academic speech...Simply put, you folks made a big difference! For once, you mixed personalities, knowledge, challenges and ideas in successful products. And then, in an unabated way, you kept coming with new proofs of recipe's success while evolving the core values, carefully 'reading' and 'listening' to clients and their needs...It looks so easy to jot them down from afar, yet to reach the 'art' point -- the key word here -- it takes character and not only...Many would say it got harder these days, yet -- like always -- if it was easy...Once again, congratulations for an inspiring, never quitting career!
When 55 World Experts Were Wrong ? I became MY Health Expert
9 年That is the kind of thinking? That could transform MOST situations-for 'example' rather than a 'Divorce' a couple could 'End their current relationship' and Save the marriage.. If we could change our minds? We might not need to change constantly -jobs-locations-spouses- We would need to First admit our way of 'Thinking about the problem? Is The Problem- Great article-
Experienced Management Consultant/Advisory Professional
9 年https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/free-novel-idea-search-entrepreneurial-connected-resource-foufas?trk=prof-post
HR Leader
9 年I think the most valuable insight I had was how changing a job is not the same as changing the organisation