Strength in Quitting: An argument against soldiering on, no matter what

I've had this notion for years that if I'm good at my job, I can overcome anything. A few months ago, I had to challenge that over-simplified notion and leave an organization as I battled with immense inner turmoil and grappled with leaving a team that had proven it no longer valued the work. I found myself juggling between "they don't deserve all the work I'm putting in" and "if I'm really good at my job, I should be able to handle all of this." It's a demoralizing dialogue and a dangerous mindset that we need to stop telling ourselves, especially in healthcare. Before you get too far in and start rolling your eyes, let me reassure you, this isn't a bad breakup letter to my former company - I owe a lot to the mentors that took a chance on me, gave me feedback and opportunities, and challenged me to be a better version of myself. Instead, this is a summons to evaluate how you and your company's (or project's) values align, and an acknowledgement that everything changes...so it's worth assessing if your career evolution matches that of your organization.

I'm not saying run at the first sign of adversity, or not to challenge yourself beyond the box and role you're but in. My argument starts at the end of a long road of trials which I firmly believe are necessary to build any leaders skill set. The question today is...when does quitting make you a stronger leader, and how you can convey that to those you serve without throwing away the relationship. Speaking from a fairly recent experience and tormenting myself with the idea that everyone would look at me as a quitter, I've identified three flags that may indicate you'd be sending a stronger message by leaving than "soldiering through", and a few tips to make sure you are using that experience to further your growth and maintain bonds.

Signs it may be time to find a new path:

1. When accountability is lost - you can see this manifest in a few ways:

   1. When teams are not held accountable for missing deadlines, under-delivering, or mistakes. This does not mean that everything needs a punishment - everyone makes mistakes. The different between healthy organizations with strong leaders and dysfunctional ones often lies within the culture. Part of that culture is coaching, and providing feedback, good and bad, to ensure the team can meet expectations and delivery quality results.

   2. When every recommendation or proposal feels like you're on the end of a bad bartering transaction, it may be a sign that the other parties don't want to take accountability for their side of the situation or help to solution.

      A word of caution...this may be decision making fatigue, and you may need to reset with the client/team. I would strongly recommend checking this before you jump to any conclusions - for ways to get out of a problem-solving slump, check out this post.

   3. If you're in a vendor/client situation, this can become apparent a lot faster. You'll start to hear your company name instead of individuals or the project name. It's when the vendors become a "them" instead of an "us/we".

2. When everything is an escalation....because as the saying goes - if everything is urgent, nothing is urgent.

   1. Risks and Issues are an organic part of projects and new initiatives, but if done probably, you should be routinely reviewing, mitigation, and preparing for any risks that may turn in to issues. The problems arise when that planning and forethought don't get the attention they deserve, or are ignored. This is when you start to see the escalation culture sent in, setting a tone and expectation on the team of urgent reaction and not providing space for prevention and planning.

3. When you lose board or leadership support. We're no an island and I don't care if you are the best person in your workforce, or in the country. You can not do everything yourself perfectly.