When It's Time to Go

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There comes a moment in your career when you feel it in your gut it is time to go . I've been there , actually more than once . I still remember the day I turned in my resignation . I was exhausted , frustrated and honestly done . But before I could even walk out the door , before the ink dried on the resignation letter , my company offered me more money to stay . And guess what ? I said yes , and it was the worst decision I could have made . Because here's what I realized later . Because here's what I realized later If I was worth that money the day I resigned , I was worth it long before I had to threaten to leave . That raise didn't fix the real problem , it didn't get to the root of anything and it didn't erase the resentment that I felt for being overlooked in the first place .

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In today's Leadership Unfiltered episode , I want to talk about the signs it may be time to leave , why staying for money rarely solves the real problem , and how to leave with clarity and confidence . And I'm also going to share how to give your organization the chance to meet your needs before you walk away . So let me back up a little bit . The reason I turned in my resignation wasn't just about pay , and I need to clarify that . It was about feeling and being undervalued and overlooked . I had been showing up , putting in the work , delivering excellent results . It showed up on my reviews and in other ways , and yet I kept getting passed over for opportunities . And yet I kept getting passed over for opportunities . When I gave my notice , they suddenly saw my value . Look at that and offered me more money to stay and for a moment I felt validated . It actually felt like validation . I thought man , they finally see me .

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But in the coming weeks and months , the same frustrations return . The culture didn't change , the lack of growth didn't change and , honestly , my feelings toward the organization didn't change . I actually became more frustrated .

Red Flags You Shouldn't Ignore

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Change I actually became more frustrated . That's when I learned this truth that money doesn't fix misalignment . It only delays the inevitable because I ended up leaving anyway .

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If you're listening to this and wondering if it's time to go , I want to share with you today . I'm going to share with you some red flags I wish I had paid more attention to sooner , one of the ones that I was able to see , which is why I ended up leaving . I was constantly being overlooked for promotions and growth opportunities . If that is you , this is a clear red sign . I had exceptional reviews . I made sure that the person that I was reporting to , and even human resources , knew that I was looking to grow with the organization , because I wanted everybody to know . I also had awesome team success . I had been able to turn around low performing departments more than once and still I was overlooked for promotions and growth opportunities .

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The other thing is is that you don't see a clear path forward for your career . If you are looking to grow , if that is your ultimate goal , you need to be able to see a clear path forward for your career with the organization that you're working with , and if you don't see that , that's another red flag . This is a big one . The culture or leadership is draining your energy or misaligned with your values . This is why I talk a lot about knowing your principles and understanding your values , so that you could clearly see when there is a misalignment . And the last thing is is that you are burnt out , disengaged or feeling invisible . No matter how hard you work , you feel unseen and again , you're burnt out and disengaged . You just you're not feeling it . So if you're nodding your head to any of this , it's a sign to pause . I'm not saying leave . It's a sign to pause and take an honest look at your situation .

Advocate Before You Exit

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However , there's a caveat . If you still enjoy the work or you believe in the organization that you work for , before you leave , make sure that you are vocal about what you need in order to stay . Maybe it's a title change , a pay adjustment , more growth opportunities or simply recognition for what you bring to the table . Give your leaders the chance to meet your needs first . The first thing you do shouldn't be to resign . If you are like I said , you enjoy the work and you believe in the organization , then give them the opportunity . That way , if they don't step up , you leave with clarity and no regrets . You'll know you advocated for yourself before making a big decision , because it is a big decision to leave an organization , especially if you've been there for a while , especially if you are in a leadership position and you have a team . It doesn't just impact you and the people around you , it directly impacts your team . And I know I already know , because I used to think this way as well that some of you are thinking well , they should just know . My work should speak for itself and let's be real , it doesn't always work that way and closed mouths don't get fed .

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If you want an opportunity , a promotion , support , whatever it is , you need to speak up and ask for it . If you never speak up , your leaders might assume that you're content with where you are . Everybody does not want to grow . Everybody does not want to reach the next level . So , before you walk away from an organization that you actually like , give them a chance to meet your needs . Advocate for yourself , because silence won't get you the career that you want or the career that you deserve . I've done it myself , which is why I started by saying earlier that they knew I wanted to raise . They knew I wanted to grow with the organization . They knew all of these things . I was vocal about it and you want to be vocal about it as well . It's that important .

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Now let's talk about the money trap that I fell into , that raise or counteroffer

The Money and Recognition Traps

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. It feels good in the moment , but the reality of it is it's short-term relief or a long-term problem . There were other problems that I had with the organization and money doesn't erase missed opportunities or a toxic culture . That doesn't change because you make more money and in many ways specifically in my case , accepting a raise to stay it just delays the departure . Like I said , I ended up leaving anyway because it wasn't only about money , but I don't have a regrets and because of the God I serve , I understand that nothing is wasted . I learned a lesson that I'm able to share right now , today , and if it can help one person by sharing my story , if I can help one person , then I've already won . It's worth it . And I know that there are people listening to this podcast right now , because I know I'm not the only one . Remember , I coach leaders , so I know that I'm not the only one that have experienced this or are experiencing this . I know that there's people out there that's listening to it , and you may be one of them , and this is going to help you with the decision that you need to make . So the money trap we're not falling for it .

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The other trap that I fell into , and maybe some of you have too , is the recognition trap . That's what I'm going to call it . I was showered with bonuses , so I was at the manager level . I got bonuses , I got awards and public praise and all type of recognition . I have some stuff around here somewhere . That's how valuable it was to me . I have some stuff around here somewhere that I was given you know whether it be plaques and you know all other kinds of stuff but I never got the seat at the table that reflected my value or allowed me to have the influence I desired . And this is where the trap comes in those recognitions and all of that stuff . That is the trap . I was good enough to execute the decisions but not trusted enough to influence them . Let me say that again I was good enough to execute the decisions but not trusted enough to influence the decisions .

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And at first , the recognition and all of that , it felt good . Who doesn't like recognition or bonuses and things like that ? But the truth is , applause without advancement is just a temporary distraction and that's exactly what that was . It was a distraction for what it really was , that I wanted and that I deserve . So organizations they can give you all the feel good moments they want . So recognitions and plaques and bonuses and all of that stuff is good .

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I'm not saying that it's not good . I share with my leaders that I work with that you want to give your team recognition , you want to make sure you acknowledge them , but if they're not offering real growth and influence or path forward . It keeps you stuck in the same place . You're not offering real growth and influence or a path forward . It keeps you stuck in the same place . You're not going anywhere and , over time , the gap between how hard you work and how far you can go only grows . You become more frustrated . So I want you to be really careful with this trap and really understand that a lot of times , this is so that you don't reach the level of influence where you're actually influencing decisions not just executing

Best Practices for Leaving Right

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the decisions that have been made , but influencing the decisions . If this is something that you want to do , everybody does not want to grow . I've worked with managers that they like and enjoy being a manager and they're good where they are . If your goal is to grow , then this is a part of it , right being able to influence the decisions .

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So I want to wrap this up because I've talked about a couple of different things . If you have done your reflection and you've sat in it because I really want you to do it and you have come to the conclusion that this is not the organization for you and it should be about more than money , this could be about the environment , the culture , the being overlooked , because in my case , it wasn't that there weren't any open positions . The positions became available time and time again . I'm talking about the person that I report to . They filled that position several times While I was in my role .

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If you've come to the conclusion that it's time for you to move on , there's a couple of things that I want to leave you with . So , if you've reached the point it's time to move on , I want to talk to you about some best practices for leaving the right way . This is extremely important because for me , anytime I've left an organization , the crazy thing about it is I go to another organization and someone that I work with in my past is there . Or they're a vendor or in some way , our paths have crossed . Also , I've had where I left an organization and someone that worked at that organization called me for a job . So I didn't have to do a lot of interviewing because they knew me . They knew how I work , they knew what I brought to the table , they recognized the value , they were in another organization and they wanted me there and they called me . This is why we want to do things the right way when we leave .

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So the first thing I want you to do is reflect , know your why and be clear on your next move . Know exactly what it is that you're looking for , why you want to leave the organization , what you want in your career , so that you are clear on what your next move is . And again , if this is an organization that you feel that you like and you could continue to work there , advocate for yourself before you exit . Ask for what you want . Don't leave wondering what if I had asked ? Ask them people , see what they say .

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The third thing is before you leave , prepare financially and logistically . I share on a previous episode that I'll link below , where I did not do that . Thankfully , things ended up working out for me , but I allowed myself to get to a place where I was so overwhelmed and burned out and frustrated that I just went to my desk and turned in my resignation , typed it up on their time on their computer and turned in my resignation because I did not prepare the way I could have or should have . So I want you to prepare financially . Make sure you have a plan in place or a cushion . The fourth thing is and you should be doing this on a regular basis document your wins . Document your wins . Many times we don't do a good job at this , and I work with a lot of women and we are some of the worst people at doing this . We get a win and we pat ourselves on the back and it's like yay , and maybe have a glass of wine , and then you're on to the next thing . But those days are over . I want you to go out , get you a journal a separate journal that's specifically for this where you are going to document your wins and your successes , and then you're going to update your resume and LinkedIn with your accomplishments .

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The 15th exit with grace . Give proper notice , transition your work and keep the doors open . Like I said , you never know when you're going to meet somebody in another organization , in another place . Even let me just say this , even owning my own business , let me just say this , even owning my own business , it has benefited me to leave gracefully , because I'm interacting with some of those people . Some of those people have referred me to get jobs . That's number five . Number six prioritize your peace . Leaving is as much about reclaiming your energy and confidence as it is about career advancement . Prioritize your peace . This is a big step and this

Final Thoughts and Resources

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is why I want you to make sure that , if this is something that you are trying to do , that you put a lot of thought behind it and also that you are intentional with how you move through this season of your career season of your career .

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Here's what I would like you to walk away with today .

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If an organization only values you when you're leaving , that's a sign it's already too late .

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Speak up , advocate for yourself and , if nothing changes , give yourself permission to go where you are truly valued . If today's episode hit home for you , if you've ever felt undervalued , overlooked or stuck in a role where you're good enough to execute but never invited to influence , don't stay in that space alone . This is exactly why I created the Leadership Shift Coaching . It's a space for leaders like you to get the tools , support and strategies you need to confidently advocate for yourself and build the career and team you actually want and deserve . If you want to learn more about the Leadership Shift , you can go to Signal Partners Signal with a C C-I-G-N-A-L partnerscom , slash the shift and you can learn more information . And if you want bite-sized weekly tips to strategies to help you navigate leadership challenges , make sure you're signed up for the Team Navigator newsletter , which is going to be linked below in the show notes , you'll be able to find also the link to the Leadership Shift as well . Until next time , protect your peace , trust your gut and lead with confidence .