There has been a lot of talk about The “Great Resignation.” The theory, promoted by Texas A&M professor Anthony Klotz, states, “When there’s uncertainty, people tend to stay put, so there are pent-up resignations that didn’t happen over the past year.” Now that the economy and job market has heated up, people will start actively searching for a new job—some quitting without a new job in hand.
With over 9 million jobs available and a war for talent going on, the prevailing narrative is to quit your job and find something better. This concept is very American. We are a unique country composed of self-reliant mavericks who do what we want. We’re not fond of taking orders from and putting up with tyrants and bullies.
Displeased that we weren’t treated fairly, we waged war against England to gain our independence, self-determination and freedom. This penchant for taking on powerful entities when we feel aggrieved permeates aspects of our lives and jobs.
If your boss and corporate executives lack empathy, compassion and micromanage your worklife, it may be time to rebel. Let them know your feelings. Tell your supervisors what you want and what you won’t put up with. If they don’t listen or care, it’s time to move on.
It’s okay to leave, but please don’t just quit in a fit of rage without anything else lined up. It will momentarily feel good, but three weeks later, you’ll regret the decision while you’re sitting at home watching Netflix.
Interviewers will question your judgment when they learn you abruptly quit. They’ll believe that you are impulsive and may leave their company too over some trivial matter. Managers will ask why you left. It’s not a good look to say that your boss was a mercurial tyrant—even if it’s the truth. They’ll assume that one to two years later, you’ll be interviewing and trash talk them also.
The colonists won the war against England through guerrilla warfare. They didn’t stand toe to toe against their more formidable armies. They planned clandestine sneak attacks. That’s what you should do too. The first thing is to not quit without anything lined up. What you need to do is play the long game. Act like everything is fine at the office and on video calls. Laugh at your boss’ lame jokes. Keep working hard. Don’t take off from work. He’ll never know what you’re planning.
Prepare a search strategy to follow every day. If you haven’t done so already, start networking with people. Select companies that you’d like to work for and find folks you know who work there. If you don’t know anyone, see if there’s someone within your network that has a connection and can make an introduction. You have a better chance to get an interview if internal employees sing your praises and recommend you for the role.
Update your LinkedIn profile and make yourself known as the go-to person in your field on the social media platform. Get in touch with top recruiters that specialize in your niche. Find a career coach and expert résumé writer to help you succeed in the search.
Then, when you get a firm offer in hand, say goodbye, but don’t burn any bridges. There’s no reason to create enemies. You’ll need a good reference in the future. Keep the peace and walk away feeling free. Consider this: after a couple of centuries, we are still close allies with Britain.
