There is much written and discussed currently about “The Great Resignation”. The reasons, what it really means and how long will it last to name a few. There are multiple articles that claim that you will regret it and return to work. Other articles quantify how it is affecting the workforce and backfilling those positions. Still, many articles focus on how to address within your companies to identify those at risk and retention.
For those choosing The Great Resignation, “why” is a critical part of deciding what is next. The same type of role or company? Or will you use the opportunity to take time off and breathe, taking time to think about what you want next? Travel, relax, or start your own company?
The options are endless and each person’s journey will differ based on the reason why they turned to The Great Resignation.
This author believes it is all about finding the right purpose.
I joined The Great Resignation as a result of not being valued. It wasn’t retirement although that was what the company referred to it as to save face. Let’s be clear here…I was a top revenue producer and multi-award achiever and had no idea what was next, I just knew it was time.
Now, for 30+ years I had been on full tilt following The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:
Be Proactive
Begin with The End in Mind
Put First Things First
Think Win-Win
Seek First to Understand
Synergize
Sharpen the Saw
Super driven, executive leader and team builder, I lived this as my mantra and instilled them in all whom I led.
Looking forward to a break, I thought my Great Resignation would include rest, catching up on reading, exercise, traveling, cleaning closets, doing puzzles and binge watch some cool tv series.
Could. Not. Wait.
The first week, was awesome! Sleeping in, eating out, and good hikes - this is going to be fantastic!
Humm, nothing on my calendar, not getting the hundreds of emails daily, actually, no emails, phone not ringing from my team. Very weird.
A few weeks in, I discovered I had moved from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to The Seven Dwarfs
Happy!!! Yep, still enjoying the freedom
Sleepy…that is ok – occasional nap!
Dopey…maybe a little too much wine
Sneezy…dang, finally got Covid!
Doc…getting dental work done, that is ok.
Bashful…well not me ever
Grumpy…YES!!!!! What the heck went wrong?
There existed a high level of Grumpy. This was supposed to be fun and freeing; I was supposed to feel like the world came off my shoulders and was giving me time to explore options and the next steps!
Well, I could continue in the Seven Dwarfs phase, but I was worried that Grumpy might denigrate me into The Seven Deadly Sins!
Gluttony – yep, time to shop and cook fabulous things and eat them all!
Lust – not the traditional but lusting after things to buy…shopping the internet.
Greed – missing the income stream of salary and bonus.
Sloth – same sweats for an extended period?
Wrath – anger welling up and falling into the “they done me wrong” trap.
Pride (not the good kind)
Envy- envy my peers still hanging in and earning the big bucks.
Why wasn’t this as rewarding as I had envisioned???
For those of us that have put years of blood, sweat and tears into our careers, there were two key ingredients we had. Purpose and Social Connection.
We woke each day with a purpose of what we needed to accomplish, being accountable to the teams we led, purpose of service to the company, or the customer. We had social connections through the people we worked with. We had planned every minute of every workday, quarter and year, but maybe not well planned what came next as part of The Great Resignation. And with The Great Resignation, as also in retirement, almost no one talks about the importance of developing new sources of meaning and purpose.
So – I needed to find a new purpose and ways to cultivate connections.
I had wanted to become more involved in my community – a small, population of about nine thousand- and had wanted to figure out a way to continue in a servant leadership role, but not in the corporate America I just exited. As with every step of my career, I started deep-dive research. I connected with local leaders, learned the real issues facing the community, and reading, reading, reading to get informed on the issues the city faced.
What I believe the lesson here is, I should have been doing this all along. Knowing that I would one day move on from the role I held, I did not do the one thing that I had preached to my sales teams for years…prepare. I was not prepared for the gut-wrenching feeling of no longer having a purpose.
So my advice is while you are focused on the “7 Habits of Being Highly Successful”, start looking at what could be next. This is not just about planning financially, but looking deep inside to understand what will be next whether it is The Great Resignation or retirement. Now, it may be total relaxation for many – travel, golf, hiking, or similar activities but you need to determine if that will be enough before you leap. We should have taken a couple of months off to see what this really looked like and felt like. Would golfing or other hobbies be fulfilling all day every day? Will taking on hobbies be enough?
What did I discover? I had determined many years ago that I wanted my legacy to be – that I made a difference in the people’s lives that worked with me or for me. I now have discovered that I can continue my legacy by doing the same in my community. After volunteering in several different opportunities and seeking out information, this May I will announce my candidacy for City Council and will hopefully make a difference in my community and again have a sense of purpose.
I am still keeping a toe in the waters of my previous business world through mentoring and coaching leaders but have found a new goal to shoot for. I wish all those that take this leap happiness and self-fulfillment in your journey to your “Great Resignation.”