5 signs you should quit your leadership role
By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
A few years ago, I flew to Chicago and resigned from my leadership position in an international men’s organization. This shocked many of my fellow nonprofits. Generally, people are either driven away or disappear, resigning due to inaction. I don’t see myself doing that.
I noticed that the leaders of the group were all men who had worked their way up within the organization before receiving leadership certifications. We were told, “You’ll know when it’s time to step up. You’ll know when you’re ready.”
However, no one discusses knowing when to step down from a leadership role, leaving teams in the awkward position of either pushing poor performers away or waiting for them to disappear.
After all, when you’re in a leadership position, it’s easy to get stuck or rut and accept this behavior as normal. However, continuing in this manner may lead to many negative outcomes for you, your team, and your company. That’s why knowing when to step down from a leadership role and quit is important “Spidey sense,” and the sooner you spot the signs and decide it’s time to move on, the better off you’ll be.
Here are some of the most important warning signs that may indicate it’s time to step down and move on.
when you no longer fit
If you’re in a senior leadership role and realize you’re no longer a good fit, or things have changed and things aren’t going well, it’s your responsibility to resign, or at least move on to another organization. If it wasn’t part of your original package, negotiate your opt-out.
when you don’t have time
A person’s priorities often change, and their ability to do their job well is no exception. Sometimes you need to resign from an executive or leadership position when your personal and professional priorities conflict. For example, perhaps your increased work responsibilities make it difficult to make time for your children. Perhaps, you or the person you hired to care for a sick or elderly parent is not fulfilling your caregiving responsibilities adequately. These are signs that you may be doing too much and need to step down from your leadership role.
When your health issues prevent you from functioning
This is a hard pill to swallow for many people, but when you have health issues that prevent you from working effectively and severely impact your life outside of work, it may be time to quit your job. Consult with yourself and your doctor to see if you are setting yourself up for an earlier grave. If you are, then it might be time to quit your job.
when you have different goals
If you’re unhappy, frustrated, and unfulfilled, it’s time to reevaluate your leadership goals. If you want to do something different professionally or personally and you feel like you can’t accomplish those things in your current position, it might be time to quit your job. Resigning isn’t always easy or straightforward – you need to make sure your professional reputation is intact and that you have a solid transition plan when you leave.
When you need more personal fulfillment
Day after day, you may find yourself doing similar tasks—the same things—over and over again. The monotony of work can make you lose your sense of accomplishment. This happens more often than you think. A survey by Franklin Covey revealed that half of Americans feel unfulfilled at work.
This is what happened to me when I decided to quit my job. I realized that most of the time, I was unhappy with my leadership. For a while, I didn’t know what to do with these feelings. I’ll do what I’ve always done – try harder, try harder, and hope for the best.
But nothing has changed for me. After almost two years, I decided to resign
If you feel like this is happening to you, it’s important to change your internal environment or move on. In my case, this involved creating an honorary position in which I would support leaders and aspiring leaders rather than actually lead. Perhaps you could carve out a role that provides guidance, guidance and/or advice to those who aspire to be in your role. Maybe you need a complete break.
No matter what you decide, you know you can’t keep doing what you’ve been doing. Concerned friends and former colleagues will surface and ask you what happened because your decision will surprise them. Some people want to know so they can make small talk.
Keep your answers simple and clear. After all, you may decide to return to combat at some point in the future, and you don’t want the details of your decision to adversely affect that decision.
For many of you, the hardest part of the decision will be dealing with the idea that quitting, resigning, or quitting is evidence of failure. This is not the case. You put yourself first, not your job or career. This is what was always supposed to happen.
Ⓒ Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC, 2022
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