The time may not be now

One of the most difficult coaching sessions I have is when the client has already handed their notice in. Because they’ve got so jacked off about something and can’t face staying any longer.

It’s difficult because by leaving they’ve sacrificed a load of preparation time at the company’s expense because they just wanted out.

If you have a toxic workplace or a challenging boss I empathise, but I would always encourage you to stay put until you’re really ready.

Corporate Escapology is both about extricating yourself from your corporate career and landing safely and successfully somewhere else.

Extrication can often be pretty easy, but poorly managed, it can put a safe, successful landing in jeopardy.

This week I talked to a chap who has narrowly avoided redundancy, although part of him was hoping for it. He’d applied for a job with another corporate but hadn’t been successful in getting that job.

He’s a super talented, capable man, but I’m not surprised he didn’t get it, because I don’t think he’s in the right state to find the right job.

He’s a good leader and had prioritised making sure his entire team had been placed well in the new organisation – hoping someone was doing the same for him. They weren’t.  His confidence has taken a knock and his energy levels are low.

It’s an all-too familiar story.

To be honest, I think it was a good thing he didn’t get that job.  He’s better off staying put – rather than starting a new job – to use the time before the next reshuffle in order to get prepared.

When you’ve invested so much time and energy in building a corporate career, you owe it to yourself to achieve the maximum return on that investment.  That includes making sure that where you move next is better than where you leave behind.  ‘Better’ can of course mean many things – something which you can explore in my new book (out July 2nd, now available for pre-order).

We live in a world of instant gratification and “I deserve it” but the time to leave may not be now.

I can’t tell you the times I left work thinking I was going to walk out (preferably in a blaze of glory).  Someone had shafted me, or given me some unwelcome feedback, or misbehaved in some way, and I began plotting my escape.  Ideally leaving those same people with a problem.

But of course, thankfully, I didn’t leave then. Because then I wasn’t ready.  Because then I would have made poor choices. Because then I would probably have found myself back in a similar situation.

Timing is so important when making big life decisions like exiting your corporate career.  There may be money you’ll leave on the table, or a promotion or project that might help you in your next role.  You may have commitments at home that mean stable income is more important in the short-term, quite frankly, than your happiness at work.

When I left BP my confidence was really high.  I had spent the past couple of years having changed roles to work with BP’s venture capital team and then helped set up a startup venture builder.  I was hugely tested by the team around me and I passed.

It was the right time to leave. I knew I was worth something.

A couple of years earlier it would have been a disaster. My confidence had eroded over many years doing the same (great) job, getting great recognition. I had no idea what I’d do next, even in those moments when I wanted to leave. Every option I considered I found reasons why I wouldn’t compete, why I wasn’t good enough.

This is a terrible position from which to make important decisions about your life.

I was fortunate to engineer a move that really tested me, interested me and allowed me to rewrite the narrative in my head, the one that increased my self-belief.

But it took several years.

Now I look back I think it was the best investment I made in myself and I will be eternally grateful to three men who helped me ditch the baggage that was holding me back.

Timing. It may not be the right time to move. Not yet.

But that doesn’t mean you have to wait around like a victim until it is.

Prepare. But go easy on yourself. Be patient. Become positive.

Here’s a great quote that pretty much sums it up.

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.

But I’m going to add to this - you have to make your own Spring. Don’t wait for someone else to bring it to you. Take action.

This has been a big week for me because Corporate Escapology has now finally gone to the printers! No more tinkering, no more ideas or people I want to include - it’s done, the proof-reading complete, the index added and the final checks made. I really hope you’re going to love it.

You can pre-order on Amazon which would be a lovely thing to do!