Five questions to consider before being part of the great resignation

There’s a lot of talk right now about the great resignation. With so many employees choosing to jump ship and make a fresh start, it’s not surprising that those remaining are asking themselves whether to follow suit. 

Maybe you’re over the seemingly never-ending Covid related turbulence that’s created so much activity and exhausting change. 

Maybe gaps are appearing left, right and centre leaving those that remain with an ever-increasing workload and ever-decreasing belief that it can be done.  

Maybe everything feels so broken you simply don’t know if you can be bothered to keep trying to fix it anymore. 

Or maybe you’re simply craving something new and different that feels a lot more fulfilling than the day in day out job you struggle to feel motivated or engaged in. 

So, what should you do?

Of course, there’s no black and white answer to this but maybe, before we react out of frustration or fear, here’s some questions we can ask ourselves. 

Am I in the right state of mind to make this decision?

One moment our mind is clear and unburdened the next it can be the complete opposite. Although often invisible to us, our state of mind has a far-reaching impact as it acts like a filter through which we see the world. In a low state of mind everything looks a lot more challenging and urgent and the people we work with seem more frustrating. Yet in a higher state of mind everything looks more easeful and engaging and our level of compassion and understanding for the people we work with takes a huge step upwards. Not only does this impact how we see our work and colleagues but the decisions we make and how we behave. Most of the time we are walking around completely oblivious to our state of mind and yet, when we start to get a feel for it, it simply doesn’t make sense to make big decisions when we are in a low state of mind. 

What do I really think?

We often lose our perspective in the face of others, particularly when so much negativity and drama has been relayed to us we forget what’s true and what’s made up. Minds have a tendency to dramatize things, all minds do it and it can feel gripping but when we take the drama and the story out of it, we start to get real. What is true for you here? What do you believe? Just like the media reports a lot of sensationalist stories, it’s our role to sift through them to find the truth. Get to the bottom of it for yourself rather than getting sucked into the drama assuming it’s true. 

What have I not said?

We often suffer in silence feeling there’s no point in sharing our concerns because others surely know already or won’t be able to do anything about them. Yet by doing this we’re making some huge assumptions which result in us preventing people from having the opportunity to make change. It might feel like a big step to share some of our concerns but, if we relay them in a neutral manner, we’re likely to feel better (a problem shared is a problem halved), feel in integrity that we’ve given it our best shot and open the door to the possibility of things changing. 

How could I reimagine this?

We can spend so much time swirling around in the things we don’t like about a situation, we often lose sight of what we could do differently. We lose our ability for fresh ideas and perspectives as the old ideas look so solid and fixed. Yet we can always have new ideas about an old situation when we can see that everything has the potential to change. When you loosen your grip on your old perspectives, what could be possible?

Who do I want to be?

When we step back from the drama and frustration that we can easily become encircled in, we get the opportunity to think about who we want to be in it. Here it can be helpful to think of someone that we admire or who inspires us and consider what they might do in this situation. Maybe it’s Jacinda Ardern for you or Barak Obama, or maybe someone else.  By considering their potential perspective, it doesn’t mean that this is what we will do but it can open us to considering other options for addressing the situation that we haven’t previously considered.

Get honest with yourself as you work through these questions so that you can make a decision that feels less of a reaction and more of a considered response grounded in what truly makes sense for you. And if you’re still struggling, consider working with one of our coaches who can help you get to the heart of the confusion and find clarity and momentum for the journey ahead.