Being a 'lifer' is a continuous choice

I recently came across an article that was beautifully penned by someone who was leaving after nearly 2 decades of working for the same company- a "company lifer". He was moving on to a new phase of career and a different opportunity after twenty years. I really loved the part where he talked about choosing his company multiple times, over the 20 year period that he worked there.

I sincerely believe that "company lifers" are created when people choose to stay back each and every time an external opportunity comes knocking, over an extended period of time. 

It is only natural, that people come across multiple external opportunities during their career. Each time such an opportunity presents itself, they evaluate all the pros and cons holistically (or not so holistically!). At the end of the evaluation, they may choose to stay back or go for the new opportunity. The evaluation criteria may differ from one person to the other. Even for the same person, it could vary from one point in time to another, one life stage to another.

Most companies evaluate their employees annually via a performance review. To assess how the person has performed vs expectations, to assess if the person is a cultural fit in the organization, to assess how to grow the person, to assess how to take the relationship forward. How often do employees assess their companies along these lines? Is the company performing vs your expectations, is it the right cultural fit for you, how do you take this relationship forward?

I am reminded of the words of a business leader I look up to. He said in a town hall session once- "I evaluate the external opportunities every couple of years, to understand what is out there in the market. To check what I am worth externally, irrespective of my designation inside the company. This helps me to sleep well at night, knowing I am working for the best and utilizing my talent for the right people and the right company."

Organizations that have, and expect to have a great many "lifers" are the ones that have geared up, to meet and exceed the expectations of employees as the best fit for them, each time, every time, over an extended period of time.

What are your views on the subject? I would love to hear different perspectives from you.