I’ve been hearing from people who are established in their careers that they are open to other opportunities. Some have started looking and some are mulling over the idea. A common thread I’ve noted is part of the reason for wanting to see what other opportunities are out there is the values of the organization are not aligned with their values.

The interesting thing is that until people talk to someone and hear themselves describe their current situation, they don’t always realize there is a values gap. They may think they are uneasy for other reasons like organizational financial instability or uncertainty around the future of the company. And these do contribute to the discomfort as well, but when we are aligned with the values of the company we often learn to live with these other factors.

Think about what you value. How do you treat others? What impact would you like to have on others? What kind of organization would you feel proud to be a part of?

Now think about what your company values. Are they treating you and others as you want to see people treated? What impact do the leaders have on others? What impact does the organization have on their customers and their community?

And are you proud to be a part of that organization?

If the answer is yes, then let’s celebrate! That’s awesome news. I bet you love going to work!

If the answer is no, I’m guessing you have a more difficult time getting out of bed in the morning.

If you are in the second camp, don’t despair. There may be a very good overriding reason you want to stay where you are. You know if that’s you.

But if you think about leaving and your mind starts telling you that you shouldn’t leave because:

  • I’m comfortable here. I know my job and it’s become easy. Anyone would be happy to be in this position.
  • I’d let down my team if I left.
  • What if it’s not better anywhere else?

then do a “is this real check.”

If you are misaligned with the values of the organization, does comfortable equal happy? Does easy equate to the satisfaction of knowing you are exploring your potential?

You are no doubt a valuable member of your team. You may even lead a team. Let me ask you this: has anyone on your team or in your organization ever left? Did the company survive? Did you feel personally slighted? I’m guessing the company survived, even if that person was key and had a lot of knowledge. Were you upset with them or did you understand they wanted a different opportunity? If you leave you may leave some people in a lurch for a short time. But they will find a way to move forward, just like you did when other people in the company left.

Is it possible every place is the same? From my experience and in hearing from others, there are striking differences in culture in organizations. You need to prove this to yourself, though. Start talking to people about the culture at their company. Do some research. I’m not surprised when I look on glassdoor and find negative reviews. But I am surprised in a good way when I see glowing reviews on glassdoor for an organization.

I do hope you are not in a situation where your values are at odds with those of the organization. But I know it happens. And when it does, reflect on what you want to do and then clear any mindset blocks that are hampering you from finding a fulfilling role.

engineer your life

  • If you feel uncomfortable in your current role, use that as a trigger to reflect on what is making you uncomfortable.
  • Ask a friend to say back to you what you are saying about your job, and listen for alignment of values.
  • If you are hesitating looking for another opportunity, list the reasons why and then ask yourself if those reasons are really true or mindset blocks that you’ve created so you don’t have to do something else that’s uncomfortable, like look for other roles.