Walking Away

I have walked away from difficult situations in my past. One was a new boss hired over our division who I quickly learned was a poor leader for our future. I also became aware of a neurosis or two that bedeviled him. Rather than spend another 16 years building new programs I had already done, I simply took another career route.

Another time I had labored for many years building a local institution (all volunteer) to a pinnacle of effectiveness when I learned new leadership had other ideas and gutted our capabilities. I walked away from them, too, and moved to another organization that bespoke my sense of possibility and collaborative values.

Each leave taking turned out well. I did not look back at the old associations, only the new. Most of the previous entities survived; one did very well; another did not thrive but did survive.

I write this recall to shine light on constructive leave taking. One must do what one must do and feeling undervalued is a clear sign it is time to go. Skill development in one situation also is a value needed in other organizations and going to them is a good move for both the organization and the person leaving to take on another challenge. These are positive outcomes. If the leave taking is spiteful something is wrong, and that may be on the individual, not the organization.

Sticking with a bad situation does offer opportunities for growth. For one thing it produces skills to adapt to bad situations. Making the best of a bad situation is worthwhile. Developing deeper skillsets to benefit an organization and its customers often leads to remarkable creations of products and services. Many are more effective and use fewer resources. A win-win is discovered.

Texas has offered to secede from the United States. Non-Texans have smiled and said, go ahead; your leave taking would benefit the other 49 states in many ways. Same is true with major counties in some states wishing to shed restrictions imposed on them by their state government. California, New York and Massachusetts have heard these gripes before. A seceding county, however, is not very likely; much too much complicated, and not a large enough win for the county.

Political parties experience secession talks too. Leaving the fold, however, doesn’t really solve their problems. Other opportunities are not readily available. Sticking with it and working toward constructive change is a better option. Trouble is, there are not enough people willing to do this.

Democracy is a hard master. It takes volunteers and citizen involvement to build the difference worth the effort. If no effort is provided, the system digests the problems and continues its path toward a bad end. It will only change for the better when better minds become dedicated to doing the hard work.

This is true in every organization. What matters becomes dynamic only when it is shared by other dedicated persons. That collaboration becomes impactful because of the passion of values present. Quitting that scenario only guarantees failure of the good for the bad.

Leaving taking can be constructive or destructive. The difference is found in the findings of serious analysis and detachment of ego. Those things of value give life to both the society at large and the doers of the good. Both are immeasurable. But oh, what a difference is made.

August 15, 2022

 

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