Weekend Assignment: Quitting Time
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sooner or later, we all quit something that was once important to us: a job, school, a club, an addiction, a relationship, and probably other things I haven't thought of. Tell us about something you quit, and why you did so.
Quitting is not the American thing to do. We've been brought up to never give up. I've written several times about the job I didn't quit and all the grief that came out of that, so it's time to talk about the position I DID quit.
I was with a non-profit, which shall remain nameless. This was a local group I'd worked with for many years. While it was small in terms of the number of people working for it (there was only one paid employee - not me - and the rest of us sometimes put in 20 or more hours a week on top of our regular jobs), the project itself had garnered some good support from foundations.
Over the years I've noticed something with small non-profits. People tend to have a stake in their position in the organization that they'd never have in their day job. Sometimes this is a good thing. It's what drives us to help out a cause. Sometimes, people take that stake way too seriously and engage in a little empire building. This had happened in this particular organization to the point where it was on the brink of implosion. I can't point to one person or thing that led to this, although one factor was an economic recession. This organization had an educational purpose, but in a recession when foundations had dwindling funds, most educational programs were less of a priority than charities that helped people keep food on the table. I couldn't disagree with that, but in times when money was better the personality issues and empire building could be overlooked. It got to the point where this was almost all that was left.
This was several years after the job I didn't quit, but it was hard to let this one go because someone at this non-profit was responsible for getting me that job. (The job was the best I'd ever had until the company was sold and new owners took over.) I felt some loyalty for that. And yet, I felt I was constantly banging my head against the wall. Personalities had taken over to the point where ideas were approved or shot down because of the person presenting it rather than on the merits of the plan. I was reduced to playing that game I hate: office politics.
I handed over my letter with much regret. It's hard for any of us to let go of something in which we've invested a significant portion of our lives.
Extra Credit: Did you ever regret your decision?
I did - for about a week. I wondered if I'd made the right move. When the organization finally imploded about six months later, I was glad to be out of there. My regrets were less about quitting than what I could have done to help avoid things from coming to a head in the first place. The answer was nothing. Once I came to realize that, then I truly had no regrets.
Right about this time frame I was involved with another non-profit that was also having trouble due to personalities. I stuck around long enough for them to put on their event and quit. I felt absolutely no regret in tendering my resignation to this group.
Just as I was heaving a sigh of relief to be out from under two burdens, I got a call from another group asking if I'd help. I decided to give it a year. I was going to take over a task from someone who was moving on. My meeting with that person gave me pause. I got an earful about how the president was an evil person with her own agenda. There was very little about how I should do the job; just warnings about the other people I was going to work with. I called the president and told her I wouldn't be working with the group and why. She made a deal with me: If I still felt the same way after a couple of months in the position, then they'd find someone else. I ended up sticking around for five years and am still good friends with the president to this day.
The reason I bring this up is that, if I hadn't been so fed up with other events to voice my concerns that I'd have gone into the organization with the wrong attitude. Sometimes, quitting is necessary, and I discovered that live goes on - even after something I'd invested so much of my life in - and that the experience gave me strength to tackle new challenges. I also learned that the old chestnut was wrong: Sometimes winners DO quit, but only when it makes sense.
Tags: Weekend Assignment
Filed under: Weekand Assignment
Comments are closed
Raoul said:
Very nicely put, Julie. If we don't address the inner conflicts caused by these unfortunate job situations, they'll keep smoldering inside and will get worse. Best thing to do is to put them out, literally and figuratively.
Date: 10/18/2009 12:57:43 PM
Date: 10/18/2009 12:57:43 PM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
This pattern comes up over and over: organizations being damaged over personality conflicts, miscommunication, power grabs and infighting. I believe Douglas Adams said it best: "People are a problem."
Date: 10/18/2009 6:20:13 PM
Date: 10/18/2009 6:20:13 PM
Raoul said:
Very nicely put, Julie. If we don't address the inner conflicts caused by these unfortunate job situations, they'll keep smoldering inside and will get worse. Best thing to do is to put them out, literally and figuratively.
Date: 10/18/2009 12:57:43 PM
Date: 10/18/2009 12:57:43 PM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
This pattern comes up over and over: organizations being damaged over personality conflicts, miscommunication, power grabs and infighting. I believe Douglas Adams said it best: "People are a problem."
Date: 10/18/2009 6:20:13 PM
Date: 10/18/2009 6:20:13 PM
|