Image by @AATImage (Graham Smith)

I’m going to publish this blog on my last full day in the office in my current job.  After nearly eight years, I’m making a move.  It’s not been the easiest of decisions, but an opportunity for change arose, and I felt it was time to roll the dice.

I reflected a great deal before making the decision.  So when should you move on from a role or a company? These are my thoughts on this choice; some are my own personal reasons, some just my general thoughts. 

• There aren’t any opportunities to progress.  Not everyone wants the next role, the bigger challenge.  But if you do, and your boss is in for the duration, you have a decision to make.  Stay and maybe get stale, or take a deep breath, be brave and move on.
• Your team tell you to get off the pitch because they don’t need your help anymore.  Two of them actually did in my case.  I’m not bitter.  Much.  But seriously, sometimes, it’s a good thing for the people that work for you.  If you are always around to answer the questions or provide support, then you can stop people from growing and learning.  And by leaving, you create them new opportunities.
• You’re getting institutionalised.  You can simply stay too long and get too immersed in a culture and before you know it you are saying phrases like ‘we’ve always done it like that’ or ‘fifteen years ago…..’.  As a recruiter, when I see someone that has stayed in one company for a decade or more, it does raise questions with me, especially if they haven’t been progressing during their tenure.  A new role, a new culture forces you to up your game and keep current. 
• Your personal values and the organisation values don’t match.  In the real world, we all have to do things sometimes that we don’t necessarily agree with, implement someone else’s decisions.  But if your values are seriously out of line with those of your company, in the long term it’s going to be like wearing a pair of badly fitting shoes.  It’ll just keep rubbing away at you until you do something about it. 
• You’re bored.  If you’re lacking in energy, if you feel you’ve done everything you can, then you owe it to the people that work for you to move out of the way for someone else. 

 Smoke me a kipper; I’ll be back for breakfast.