Erma Bombeck was right. The grass is always greener over the septic tank. At some point in our careers we’ve all had managers we loathe for any (or all) of these reasons:
- He lives in his own reality
- He takes credit for our success
- He belittles our opinions
- He doesn’t respect our boundaries
Then, we get a job offer. It’s:
- More than 40 hours a week
- Less money
- A longer commute
- The benefits aren’t as good as our current job
- The required skills aren’t exactly in our wheelhouse
We impulsively quit the job we hate instead of asking ourselves, “Is it worth our T.E.A.M.?” Taking a job out of desperation to get away from the job we have allows our emotions to make the decision, and putting them in charge is usually not a wise choice. We should run to a new job, not from our current one.
We tell ourselves:
- We can make it work
- It’s not as bad as our last position
- We’ll talk the boss into quickly advancing us
But after a couple of months, it’s not looking good. Now that we’re stuck, what do we do?
Give it Time
If we can stand it, we should stay in a job for one year to get through the normal growing pains of getting used to a new routine, new people, and a new environment. For example: we’ve joined an already established team. We won’t make friends on day one. We have to research:
- Who is territorial?
- Who is threatened by our being hired?
- Who is jealous we got the position they were going for?
- Whom can we trust?
- Who pushes their own agenda?
If we assume an attitude of learning and ask how we can make our team mates’ projects easier, we’ll quickly find out what motivates them and how to best communicate with them.
Do a Self-assessment
- What drove us away from our last job?
- Was it only our toxic boss or were there other factors?
- Was the environment dysfunctional?
- Was there no diversity on our staff?
Make notes. If this job doesn’t work out, we don’t want to repeat history. We need to figure out our strengths. At our last job, were we in the field visiting clients the majority of the day and now we are tied to a desk and hate it? As for the current job, we should think about why we are unhappy and what it would take to make it work. Can we mold the position into something fulfilling? (Can it be more client facing than Excel facing?) Does it give us access to a better network? (Can we leverage networking events to find out who is hiring?) Will it pay for professional development opportunities? (Mastermind groups, Leadership cohorts, or an MBA?) Let’s consider what we really want from a job, so we can form a plan to move forward.
Talk to Someone
Vent to a friend, trusted coworker from our last job, or mentor; then ask them to objectively analyze our situation. Their encouragement and support will help, but the most valuable thing they can do is repeat back to us what they heard us say about our job. It will take some emotion out of the situation and help us think more objectively about our next steps.
Have you ever taken a job because you were desperate to get away from your current one? Please share how that worked out in the comments section.