No one wants to be a quitter. It’s disappointing. You disappoint yourself more than anyone. Quitting at best may leave you with a momentary tinge of satisfaction, but you usually dwell in the long run about “what would have happened if I had continued?” If you quit too early, you never get through the hills and valleys of growth – triumph. You miss out on “winning” by forfeiting before it’s the only choice left. Working through tough moments or setbacks are when the real rewards are achieved, not through the easy times. Even knowing this, when I’m frustrated, I’ve thought of quitting.

 

What Are Your Options?

When you’re disappointed, frustrated, or, perhaps even angry about something that didn’t go your way, how are you going to make things better? What action will you take to either turn the situation around or approach it differently?

It’s easy to blame others, or take some responsibility for something that was at least partially your fault. What makes you grow is how you proceed after the blaming and admitting. This does not suggest giving up on the situation. It implies you have to shift something.

Of course, you could just cut bait and leave. This would mean giving up on growing, stretching yourself, taking a further risk. What do you get from leaving at the first sign of disappointment? And, are you punishing yourself more than any one else in this instance?

 

Quitting is Easy

Because of “helicopter parenting”, Millennials have often been sheltered from disappointment and frustration. Therefore, when confronted with it on their own in the workplace, and without a solution or “life-line” nearby, they’re confounded. Their first natural impulse may be to give up or quit. I saw this with my Millennial clients when I was in executive search.

Even though I lived through different times, I understood. My first executive search firm experience as a researcher, I worked for one boss who was very even-tempered, coming out of a military background, and another who was extremely high-strung. The high-strung partner pushed all my buttons. Many days I thought, “I should just quit”. I wanted to so badly I could see the whole scenario play in my mind of how I would do it. There were so many ways. I relished each thought of how it would happen.

 

The Ultimate Rewards

I didn’t. There was still more to learn, I liked my work and colleagues. I persevered – learning what I could. Then, the high-strung partner fired me. (Before you say, I deserved it for being a wuss or for not listening to my impulse, read on.)

While no one likes to be fired, my perseverance in staying put and learning until that time, paid off. It took me less than a couple of months to receive 8 offers from other executive search firms, with a promotion in title, responsibility and compensation.

What would have been another alternative? Quitting before I was fired. I would have felt some satisfaction leaving my difficult boss behind me. However, what would have been the job possibilities for me then? What were my transferable skills? I hadn’t worked in the industry long enough to learn what was necessary to be marketable in the field or be promoted in the next role.

What are you going to do next? Consider my options. And this, in 2017 Lizzo, the worldwide musical phenom, almost quit singing, “feeling demoralized by the music industry.” According to an interview in October’s Elle, “I made the decision to keep going, … and I’m grateful I did, but it was by the skin of my teeth.” Lizzo did not take the easy way out, she persevered. You have the strength to do the same.

 

If scheduling a one-time workshop is your answer to leadership training but your young talent is still showing signs of frustration, a workshop is not the answer. Developing emerging leadership is my life’s mission. If you’d like to create a more complete plan that offers better results with increased productivity, more satisfied team members and increased retention, let’s talk. Contact me at Susan@SusanGoldbergLeadership.com