At some point in your career, you’ll probably quit a job. Hopefully, it will be to take a position with more growth potential (and better compensation). But, it’s also possible that you’ll find yourself quitting for less celebratory reasons — like a bad boss, a poor cultural fit or a company that’s going nowhere.
When that happens, it’s tempting to use your exit interview as an opportunity to tell people what you think of them, the job and the company. Resist the urge to burn that bridge. Instead, heed the advice of our lead story, which offers 10 things you should never say when you’re quitting your job.
That, plus how you can change company culture from the inside and 42 ways to make your life easier, in our roundup.
Alison Doyle at The Balance: 10 Things You Should Not Say When Quitting Your Job
Why shouldn’t you speak your mind when you’re leaving a job? Because it’s likely to come back to bite you.
“Subsequent employers may formally or informally seek input from your past employers, whose comments about your performance may be negatively influenced by your parting shots,” Doyle writes. “Remember that reference checkers tend to side with management when there is a history of conflict with an employee.”
Doyle recommends avoiding any statements that disparage your boss, team members, or company. Find out what else to avoid, in the full article.
Jason Lippman at Jay Lippman Consulting: You Don’t Need a Title to Affect Company Culture
There’s a tendency to assume that culture flows from the top. If the executive team isn’t on board with change, the thinking goes, then it won’t happen.
But Lippman points out that this confuses status with leadership. He offers an example from his own experience at a branch office that had a great culture and strong business results … despite the fact that the bigwigs worked out of another location.
Now, the managers at my office were technically middle-management. They had no authority to affect change at the corporate level. However, being the best office in the company, we attracted the attention of some people that did have that authority. After meeting with the managers at my office, the company as a whole went through some changes that drastically improved the company culture as a whole. Corporate executives became more accessible, high-performing employees got recognized and rewarded, and everyone got a voice in what was happening in the company.
Bottom line? You don’t need official recognition to make real change.
Frank Sonnenberg at his blog: 42 Ways to Make Your Life Easier
Want to make things easier on yourself, at home as well as at work? Sonnenberg advises that you:
Shop value rather than price.
Never take things for granted.
Learn to say, “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.”
Focus your efforts instead of trying to be great at everything.
Keep your ego in check.
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