Written by a former CEO of a community service agency
Leaving a job is often seen as a routine part of modern working life. But what happens when the job you’re leaving is one you truly love?
In this personal reflection, a former CEO shares the emotional journey of stepping away from a 15-year leadership role, offering insights into timing, farewells, and the importance of pausing before the next chapter.
A 2023 University of Queensland (UQ) article [1] confirmed modern working lives are mobile. The average person changes jobs every two years and nine months. Assuming 45 years of work means 16 moves. Leaving a job is no big deal, more a standard and regular occurrence. So far, I have had less than half the number of roles the folks at UQ would consider normal. Maybe my working life has been odd. Two previous positions accounted for almost 27 years and I loved them both. The most recent, a leadership role I left just eight weeks ago, lasted 15 years. It took about three months to write the letter of resignation and contrary to my daughters’ hilarious questions, it was neither overly long, nor indicative of plodding keyboard skills. Rather, the time required to find the right words, matched the personal gravity of the choice and consequences once that choice was communicated. Now on the other side, there is time to think through what made it possible to leave, well. It came down to three key features:
1. Timing is Everything
Lots of people offer suggestions about the goldilocks period to be in a job. Rather than a formula, trusting to instinct worked for me. Even great jobs, with great people, have ordinary days, or tasks you would willingly trade for something more enjoyable, like a root canal. Balance between the good and bad is not static. It can cruise for a decade and go south in an hour. Nothing seems worse than staying for so long that what used to give you joy becomes burdensome, or worse, terrifying. Or until you are the only person who still thinks you have the magic sauce to deliver the best outcome. Hints about looking for new hobbies aside, trust that the ideal person to give an honest appraisal about the right time to leave, is you.
2. Let People Say Goodbye
When I handed the resignation to my Board Chair, I remember saying ‘I am happy to do this as quickly and quietly as you would like and not have any fuss’. Being told that was not my call was something for which I will be forever grateful. The weeks in the lead-up to departure were amongst the most enjoyable of my entire working life and as uncomfortable as it was on occasions being the focus of See-You-Later-Fest, handing over the choice of whether and how to say goodbye to others, was awesome. Thinking carefully about what comes next is neither lazy nor indulgent.
3. Think Carefully About What Comes Next
If you can afford it, time for pause and reflection is as rare as it is precious. There is grief associated with leaving a job you took pride in and gave effort to. Disconnecting from routine takes more effort than you might think. People who are used to being frantic struggle with slowing down. Being able to do so thoughtfully and calmly is a gift. One that is still new and shiny (and might just have a little time to run…) Whatever your journey is, good luck and if you do decide to leave, congratulations.
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[1] How many career changes in a lifetime? – The Uni of Qld
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