Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: This week we're talking about work and broadways of thinking
Speaker 1: about it. Today's tip is how to leave a job
Speaker 1: in a way that leaves you best positioned for the future.
Speaker 1: A few people work at the same place for their
Speaker 1: entire careers, anymore, there comes a time when most of
Speaker 1: us will need to move on for some reason or another,
Speaker 1: for a different job, to pursue a degree, or start
Speaker 1: a business for family reasons. As we've talked about in
Speaker 1: the past with this podcast, we seldom focus as much
Speaker 1: on how things will end as how they begin, but
Speaker 1: endings done well can create lasting positive impressions. I can
Speaker 1: open up possibilities to first, and I hope obvious. Unless
Speaker 1: you're in physical danger and experiencing a real trauma. Work,
Speaker 1: don't quit suddenly. Some workplaces may ask you to leave
Speaker 1: quickly once you've quit, but most managers appreciate a few
Speaker 1: weeks of support in winding things down and transferring your responsibilities.
Speaker 1: Being as helpful and cheerful as possible during this time
Speaker 1: means that people remember you well. Another one hopes obvious
Speaker 1: move don't send a passive, aggressive, or antagonizing goodbye note.
Speaker 1: Over the years, I've become a student of goodbye emails,
Speaker 1: the genre of literature people send out to their colleagues
Speaker 1: on their last days with their new contact information. These
Speaker 1: notes have a very limited purpose to inform anyone you
Speaker 1: work with tangentially that you're going to share your next
Speaker 1: steps if you'd like, and to tell people how to
Speaker 1: reach you. Acceptable variations include thanking people you've worked with,
Speaker 1: or maybe sharing one positive anecdote about your time at
Speaker 1: the company that you'll always remember fondly. Do not use
Speaker 1: these notes to get a grievance off your chest. Do
Speaker 1: not use these notes to complain in any way about
Speaker 1: the situation. Do not inform your former colleagues that you,
Speaker 1: unlike them, finally have your priority straight, or that you
Speaker 1: are making a move you should have made a long
Speaker 1: time ago, or anything along those lines. Here's why many
Speaker 1: companies are like revolving doors these days. Perhaps at some
Speaker 1: point in your new role you'd like to recruit former
Speaker 1: colleagues to come work with you. They'll be more excited
Speaker 1: about the possibility if you didn't insult them on the
Speaker 1: way out the door. Or maybe the leader of your
Speaker 1: old organization will retire and someone new and wonderful will
Speaker 1: come in. Don't completely right off the idea that you
Speaker 1: might like to work there again. You don't want to
Speaker 1: be remembered as the can you believe this email guy?
Speaker 1: It's also possible that your former colleagues will start companies
Speaker 1: or be hired into amazing roles elsewhere. It's wonderful to
Speaker 1: have people all over your industry with fond memories of you.
Speaker 1: You can make this happen by leaving in a professional
Speaker 1: and positive way. You can also cement these feelings by
Speaker 1: continuing to reach out to people, just as someone who's
Speaker 1: interested in their lives. Why not send holiday cards, presents
Speaker 1: for new babies, and congratulatory notes when you read about
Speaker 1: something cool that they've done. Ending well means these relationships survive,
Speaker 1: and since life is more than work, that's a good thing.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E. The number four then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.