Keep It or Heave It
According to Lisa Belkin’s “The Opt-Out Revolution,” published in The New York Times (2003): “Fortune magazine found that of the 108 women appearing on its list of top 50 most powerful women over the years, at least 20 chose to leave their high-powered jobs, most voluntarily, for lives that are less intense and more fulfilling.” And the McKinsey 2021 report on Women in the Workplace that one in three women were contemplating downshifting their careers or dropping out of the workforce.
The data is there: for a multitude of reasons, women have felt — and continue to feel — either compelled or pushed to leave the workforce. (In terms of the pandemic workforce specifically, I’m sure you’re familiar with the term ‘The Great Resignation’ by now.) If you are considering giving your job the Great Heave Ho, you might be fired up to grab your things and march out the door — but have you also taken the time to pause and prepare before you proceed? Read on...
Pause
Firstly, do some perspective work to help you with your thought process — especially if you are on the fence about the pros and cons:
What is the motivation – are you being pushed or pulled to leave?
Which of the two has more weight, and what does that signal?
What is the impact of your decision on yourself and others?
Prepare
Be mindful about your exit strategy: if you choose to leave and it doesn’t work out, what is the plan? Many of the women I interviewed about taking a professional leap into the unknown most definitely had an exit strategy — e.g. had hired a coach or identified a business buddy to help with tactical matters. Others had additional interviews lined up, chose to volunteer in an area of interest to see if it was truly something worth exploring full time, or had a small nest egg as back-up.
You can mitigate risk by lining up your contacts and having conversations with people you know in the business. Keeping your leads alive means staying connected. Ask yourself: what resources can you access as you explore the option to leave? Stay active on LinkedIn; join an in-person or online community where you can explore new relationships. Careers are built through people, not systems, so you need to keep relations alive.
Do I stay or do I go? Whichever route you choose, it’s important that you make time to think about the benefits of each option. The simplest way: draw up a list for Keeping It and a list for Heaving It, and take it further by having someone you trust pick the lists apart for you and challenge by arguing for/against each side.
Proceed
To keep or to heave is ultimately up to you, but it can be helpful to think your decision through fully out loud. Write everything down so that you can view and receive the information in different formats, which helps with approaching decisions from a head, heart, and gut perspective. And most importantly, don’t forget about the exit strategy! It is most definitely possible to go for bold if you approach the Great Heave Ho thoughtfully, and armed with patience and persistence.
With joy,
