For Best Results, Set Your Work Expiration Date

Singer-songwriter David Wilcox offered this piece of advice for a happy marriage:

? Secret of a happy marriage. Maybe you should write this down. You wanna keep a love together. The best way is to end it now.

When you both know it's over, suddenly the truth comes out. You can talk about your secret passion. You can talk about your restless doubt.

When there's no pretending, then the truth is safe to say. Start with the ending. Get it out of the way. ?

Wilcox's wisdom holds true with work as well. Setting an end date to your current role/company/career offers clarity - clarity of what you'd like to learn, clarity of what you're willing to put into the role, and clarity of what you expect out of the role.

Too many folks approach their roles, companies, and careers as if they're being slowly suffocated. You come into a new role with high energy and engagement - a breath of fresh air. Slowly that energy gets sapped as you run into internal bottlenecks, frustrations with stakeholders (bosses, customers), and the doldrums of routine. A weight on your chest makes it difficult to breathe. You start to yearn for something different - more money, more responsibilities, new skills, a different boss. You crave a new start, another breath of fresh air.

At that point it's already too late. You're starting to check out. Your engagement is waning. Resentment for your company, your boss, yourself start to creep in. You're suffocating, and you'll reach for anything to help you out, or you'll continue to shut down.

Swimming underwater is a hell of a lot more stressful when you don't know when or if you're going to be able to come up for fresh air.

Without an expiration date, you've lost a frame of reference to meet your objectives. If nine months go by and you're still not a team lead, are you willing to wait three more months? Six more months? A year? How much of your life will you trade in the hope the stars align?

Knowing your goal makes a world of difference. I'd find it immensely torturous to be held underwater for just 15 seconds, but with an eye on being the best, record-holder Stig Severinsen can do it for over 22 minutes. Hitting his goal provides the motivation. Establishing a constraint, the timeline to complete, provides the focus.

We can all accomplish amazing things with motivation and focus. Let's take a look at accomplishing something relatively achievable. How might you manage moving to a new role with a stated expiration date?

Hard Work is More Enjoyable When It's Leading to Something

Day one, you decide you'll stay in this role for two years. You start kicking ass. You run hard because you know it's only two years. You let your coach (manager) know you're going to be their best Janitor/Account Executive/VP of Finance now but in two years you are done. In two years you're going to be the best Team Lead/Account Director/CFO.

How are you going to spend those two years? One, you're going to feel like you have more energy because you know it's not forever. Two, you're going to start building the skills for the next role because your current role will not be an option in the future. It's ending. You'll hustle to hit your goals, and you know eventually the status quo will be unacceptable.

How is your manager going to spend those two years? If you're not a highly valued team member, your manager might do nothing. That's a clear flag you might need to think sooner about leaving your manager or company. Strong coaches won't take offense or decry "damn millennials"; strong coaches will give you a realistic assessment of where you are and what you need to get there.

Saying "I will be team lead in two years" doesn't mean the company necessarily agrees. They may have other plans or may be too small for a team lead. What it does is start a real conversation about what is possible and what it would take to get there.

Over the course of those two years, you can work together to address gaps in competency and skills. You can focus on building a network and learning from folks who are in your desired role. You might also experience some realism. Your time constraint might be unrealistic. You might not have the skills necessary. But, at least you are having those conversations.

Setting an expectation and an expiration gives both parties the knowledge to determine how best to utilize the time they have together. It's a win-win.

So, tell me, when is your role expiring?

? When you both know it's over, suddenly the truth comes out. You can talk about your secret passion. You can talk about your restless doubt. ?