All organizations have had employees that, when they left, inspired people to say: “I didn’t think she’d ever leave!” or “Good riddance, he’s been phoning it in for years.” I didn’t want there to be a whiff of that when I ever left a job.
People might be sorry I stayed as long as I did for other reasons—maybe they wanted me out of the way so they didn’t have to work so hard—but it wouldn’t be because I had quit working hard myself.
Earlier this year, I determined that I needed some new nutrients. While UMW announced I was retiring (because, I suppose, I technically meet the institution’s requirements to retire), most who know me well expected me to move to another challenge. And so I am.
I have worked as a business dean (the greatest job, in my opinion, on a college campus) at three institutions with very different missions, sizes, cultures, and locations. One thing each has had in common, however, is they have all been public institutions. For what will likely be my last job, I’m going to a faith-based private institution in the Northeast. Like I have in my previous roles, I expect I will bloom where I am planted.
My parting message to you is to not get stuck in a pot that has become too small for you, or that is not nourishing you with the nutrients you need. It takes courage to leave a comfortable job, but smart people need to grow. And unless your employer gives you opportunities to be replanted in different pots within the organization, at some point you need to see what other pots are out there.