How To Quit Without Ruining Your Career
Trust Your Gut
Endings are difficult. Sometimes we hold on longer than we should, other times an end comes unexpectedly, and it is only rarely where transitions are smooth.
- Maybe you are keeping that job because you think it is what you need to do, even though you have been miserable for years.
- Maybe you are let go from a job even though you thought it was going well.
- Maybe you are part of a team and decide to not try hard and let others finish up the last steps.
Whatever the case, life throws us curveballs and we are caught off guard by endings even though we should be prepared. Seriously, one of the fundamental aspects of existence are beginnings and endings, i.e. birth and death.
Even with the intellectual understanding of endings, most of us don’t react well to quitting, being fired, or completing projects. Finishing is one of the areas I strive to improve at because it’s one of the easier ways to stand out as others are normally terrible in final stages. Below are two action items for you to master the art of endings.
Know When It’s Over
First, you need to know when a job, school project, hobby, volunteer project, etc. is coming to an end. Some people hold on for too long. Ever met someone who stuck with a job for years or decades when you know they should have left? Or how about the people who say you should never quit and grind out obligations? Forget that! Knowing when to quit is one of the most valuable skills possible.
Trust me, as someone who has worked with multiple start-ups. Quitting is always on the table, we just use a different phrase - “exit strategy.” BTW I am focusing on knowing when to quit as other endings are obvious, i.e. if you are fired then it’s time to leave. If a project has an end date, you know when it’s over - more on that in a few sentences.
Back to quitting, it really comes down to the practical rationale and visceral feelings. On a practical level, you should say it’s over if your business is losing money or you find yourself in a physically/emotionally damaging relationship/position. There is absolutely no shame in quitting if you are experiencing abuse, or on the job-front, are hemorrhaging money with your business.
On the visceral side, you know yourself better than anyone else. You know when you are miserable, and I don’t mean small inconveniences at work or school. I am talking about daily misery where you do not want to get out of bed because you are in a dead end: job, degree, relationship, or something else. As Steve Jobs said:
“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
Notice the most important part of that quote is, “too many days in a row.” We all go through tough stretches. Major life changes like quitting a job, changing careers, or dropping out of school should occur only when the bad days disproportionately outweigh the good days. Again trust me, this is easy to talk about as I am experienced in quitting. I dropped out of Law School and quit teaching high school. Both are long stories, but were the best things for me at the time and in the long run.
Once you know when it’s over, move to the second step.
Be Humble
Have you ever been fired? I have, it’s a terrible feeling, especially when you don’t know why you are being let go. Oh, I know why I was fired at 19 from a restaurant, apparently drinking with your co-workers while underage at the restaurant was a company violation. Fast forward 14-years to 2017. I was fired from a client, the first time it’s ever happened with a client. There wasn’t even an explanation. I was told my services were no longer needed.
I was then asked to train my replacement. STOP! It doesn’t matter if you quit, are finishing a project, or are fired. For any ending, you have to make a decision.
Will you be humble?
Let’s say you quit your job, offer to train someone, hand off materials, create a handbook, or other ways to make the transition easy. When you finish a project, give the credit to others even if you did a majority of the work, that’s humility.
Back to me being fired. I was actually humiliated by the firing for many reasons which I won’t get into, but in a moment I realized I could leave with my integrity if I trained my replacement. During our training, I showed him where all the files were located, how to log-in to platforms, provided tips on navigating the organization, and gave him my phone number to text or call if he ever needed help. He ended up leaving after a couple months, but that’s another story.
The above example is not meant to make me look good, it’s to help you. Humility will let you leave any job, campus, or project looking like a rock star and, more importantly, you will have a clear conscience. Let’s say you have an option to train your replacement. You could say no, and then 10-years down the road, you will likely feel regret. Or you could say yes, and spend a few days training them. 10-years later, a few days won’t matter, but you will look in the mirror knowing you did the correct thing.
Stay humble in your endings and you will be welcome to new beginnings.