Be grateful (and don’t burn your bridges)

“Don’t burn bridges. The person you throw under the bus today could be driving it tomorrow.” ~ Glenn Shepard

Whatever your reason for moving on, there’s always something to be grateful and gracious about. Even if you’re leaving because you can’t stand another moment longer with your team or doing what you’re doing, you can still be objective as you leave. You will have learned so many lessons and been exposed to all sorts of people and experiences which will have taught you something – even if it’s that you never want to do that again.

In my own corporate role, I lost track of how many people left to go to the competition, full of anticipation for the new and, at times, sarcasm of the old. Then, the situation changed. The company you leave buys or merges with the company you went to. The boss you left to get away from joins the company you joined. The team you didn’t want to work with any more are brought into your company. Like magic, here you are again. I’ve seen all these things happen and remember how uncomfortable they were for those who burnt their bridges.

My suggestion is to do your absolute best to look for the positives in what you’ve experienced where you are and to seek to be objective as you leave. Prepare a few notes to take to discussions you might have to keep you as positive and clear as you can be.

When you’re talking about what you’re going to do and why, remember you never know where you’ll meet again and when or if you’ll need the connection again. That’s strategic as well as energetically strong and you want to be a ‘good leaver’ as you set off.

Who knows when, and where, you’ll meet again?

Extracted from Principle 7 ”Move On With Grace, Style & Gratitude” from my new book.

Release date: 4th October 2018