Should I stay or should I go..

Not quite the same context as the 1980's Clash hit song lyrics, however, one of the hardest decisions throughout our career. Happy New Year ! I thought this post timely given many will have come into the new year with a desire for a change and with fresh ambition. An interaction with a respected senior woman, prior to Christmas and over the festive break, triggered this post. The torturous decision making process of, do I stay or do I go, can be exactly that. Like me, I am sure you have all sat there at some point and hoped that someone would just make the decision for you. The fact is of course, is that there is only person who can do this.. you! Having options to consider, is not a bad problem to have. In particular, given you will have worked hard to reach this point in your career. If you do find yourself in this situation, there is only one way to reach a final outcome. Unpack it all, create a list of pros and cons and then dig deeply as to why you have created an opportunity to consider something else in the first place. Is it a reactive response? Did you have a frustrating period at work and when angry, just decided you were going to leave? Were you approached and became curious? Are you bored?

Are you feeling like everyone is moving around in the organisation but you? Is that colleague you don't get on well with, getting under your skin a little more than you would like? (a topic for another time). Or a deeper issue? You can't work with or do not respect your leader, or do not feel aligned to the company culture or vision. You feel undervalued (this can translate from feeling underpaid, missing out on promotions, not being heard) You cannot see a career path ahead or are feeling "stuck". Regardless of the reason, the swirling thoughts, that create the decision making turmoil begin... You have this great opportunity in front of you, more money, good chance to stretch your legs, however you really like your role and the people you work with. Should I take a chance? There might be change afoot in your company, should you sit tight and wait for that? Sure the business can be challenging, however as we know the grass is not always greener. There is no perfect business and you will have no idea, what it is really like until you are there. Do you play it safe and stay where you are, or do you take a leap of faith? There is no easy answer to any of this, however some guiding principals and suggestions to work with;

• Sit down and write down all of the pros and cons. Visual information can be far more powerful to work through than floating thoughts.

• Money is a powerful change trigger. I would not suggest this is the only motivator.

• Consider your mapped desired future path or skills development plan - does the role make sense in getting you to where you want to be? (If you don't have a path/skills plan mapped out - do it! It helps guide decision making along the way).

• Understand as much as you can about the new company. Does it align to your values? This is really hard, as you never really know until you work somewhere, however their position on ESG and voice/activity of the CEO down, will give you a good sense.

• Unless your current situation is untenable and you feel you must leave given a personal impact, try and remove as much emotion as possible from the decision. You need to think clearly and objectively (the pros and cons list will help here).

• Reach out to your trusted network. Mentors or those who can step you through a thought provoking process without adding more confusion, will be particularly important.

Finally and most importantly, trust your intuition and belief in yourself. Sure it might be a stretch role and yes you may have people responding negatively and causing you to question yourself. Stop the voices and make the right decision for you. Across your career, it is quite possible you will make a bad decision at some point. We have all done this, however it's not the end of world. Remember, if it does happen, dust off and get back up again. You will learn from any experience and you will be fine.

Until next time. Lisa