I've been stuck in a rut for the longest time and taking on my current role wasn't exactly the way out of the rut; in fact, it might just get me more deeply entrenched. I've also felt that this is not the role or the people that I want to work in or with, and this feeling became really strong over the past one week.
As you can probably tell, I'm at a decision crossroads -- should I stay or should I leave? Well, to help clarify my thoughts, I've decided to just write down the reasons for why I should leave, and for that matter, why this would matter to anyone else who is in a similar quandary.
1. The markets you're responsible for. If the markets you handle are not top of the company's business plans, then it's probably a sign of your importance (or lack thereof). Staying on can only mean limited budget, limited opportunities and limited prospects. Why would you want to be the one to manage markets that the company doesn't quite value?
2. Budget. Ah, yes. I have a decent budget of about 40K the past financial year; this year, my budget was dramatically slashed to a quarter of what I had last year. When I shared this with a colleague, her response was, "Wow, is this a way the company is telling you to go without firing you?". Wise observation indeed. Yes, if your budget has been cut while others are getting more, then it's crystal clear that what you do isn't quite important, if it's even important in the first place.
3. Manager. I've read an article before that says, "Good people don't leave companies; they leave managers." Spot-on. My manager isn't supportive of me. He got promoted though he didn't have the leadership skills to effectively manage, lead and inspire a team. While he doesn't micro-manage (which would have made the job unbearable!), he was too ready to acquiesce to others while pushing his team to do more, and more, even to the extent of taking on some other people's work. If your manager is making life more difficult for you, then you'd do better to leave and hope that your next manager is truly the dream manager. No point hanging around hoping that your manager will change. Dream on -- it ain't happening.
4. Prospects. So look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself -- if you're let go today, would companies out there be looking to quickly bring you onboard? If you hesitated for a second, the answer probably is no. C'mon, if you're in high demand, you'd be poached. The fact that you need to think means that you prolly haven't had any recruiters reach out to you. You need to fix this pronto.
5. Salary. Again, look at how much you're compensated for your time. Your time is by far the single most valuable asset you have (other than health and family). If the company devalues your worth by paying you a low salary, you probably should elsewhere where you can command a higher salary. Also, your compensation package is indicative of your market value and of the importance the company places on your role -- a poor package means you're really not that important to them; an attractive compensation scheme means you're an asset, a prized possession that they are willing to pay a fair amount of money for. Fix it if your salary is lower than what you should be getting.
6. Liabilities. You may be dithering and wondering to yourself, "okay, this job ain't that bad but I'm not quite a fan of it". In this case, you might want to holistically review your financial status. Do you have any outstanding financial obligations e.g. a school debt or housing loan? Well if you're like me who has a mountain of debts to repay, then good luck staying put with a company that doesn't pay you well. Freedom is priceless and the longer you take to repay your debt, the more in interest you pay (the principle of interest compounding!) and the lesser you will have in future to invest and save. So don't linger on, thinking that all is fine. Fast forward your life by 60 years to retirement and you will wake up in shock knowing that you actually do need to get a better paying job.
7. Your role. I took on a role for which I didn't think highly of for the reason that it's a role that is so fluffy, which an impact that's tough to accurately and effectively quantify. As the company grows and when performance review time comes around, the question of how much you have done will inevitably surface. So think about your role. Are you in a role for which the company truly values and for which you can really build a strong, quantitative business case for? If you don't think it is, re-examine your role again in the context of the company. Can this company do without your role? If the answer is yes, then you're at risk of being just another face in the crowd, or worse, a dispensable that the company is going to jettison when bad times come around.
Personally, I checked off the above list (and it's really depressing). But I just want to put it out there for someone else who might be in need of a decision framework to evaluate their options.
Good luck and may tomorrow bring fresh hopes!
