What should you not tell your employer when quitting a job?

You should not let your emotions run away with you.

Your communication should be insightful and instructive, not just a venting opportunity for you.

There are a number of reasons you may decide to quit your job…

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

How do you know it’s time to quit your job and find something different?

Hi, You asked, How do you know it’s time to quit your job and find something different? Here are some signs you should leave a job: * When you find yourself getting subversive * When you feel you are not getting anywhere * When you experience repeated mental shutdowns * When you are spending more time arguing or defending yourself than doing your work * When you stop feeling appreciated * When a sense of dread comes over you as you enter the door at work * When you start being sidelined * When your manager changes, and it is clear the new manager doesn’t really appreciate you * When you start feeling continually dumped on * When it becomes a drag to be on the team you are on * When your compensation, or the fact you’ve been passed up for opportunities, or a promotion, begins to rankle you * When you are being asked to do things that conflict with your values These are signs its time to say ta ta.

A better opportunity is a good reason.

And an ideal reason.

But we often quit for other reasons, like the ones I listed.

I myself have left jobs, because of being frustrated by one thing, or another:

Minoo Jha

 · 6y

What was your biggest "I need to leave" moment?

Hi Isabella, You asked, What was your “I need to leave right now” moment? Omg, I have walked out of 5 jobs in my life. I spilled the beans about that in answer to the Quora question, What’s Something You Have Done That Most People Haven’t? So, I have had 5 professional “I need to leave right now” moments, Isabella. I became a freelance consultant in 2010 and the histrionics stopped. But here’s the most recent of those 5 “I need to leave right now” moments… My last full time employment quit story… I reported to two levels of Manager at the company, my Manager and my Manager’s Manager. When the 2nd level manager changed, the new chap and me just couldn’t get along. The fact that I worked mostly from home was a big part of it. But it seemed I couldn’t do anything right. As I narrated in my answer to Quora question, What small, non-verbal thing makes you judge someone instantly?, I even managed to rub him up the wrong way with my hand gestures. My non verbal gaffe: I waved my hand at my manager at a meeting at which my manager’s manager was present and said, “Oh so you will take care of that,” just before I headed out the door. My manager’s manager turned on her as soon as I left the room, and said, “How can you take such disrespectful behavior from her? I wouldn’t have tolerated the way she waved her hand at you, and said ‘Oh, so you’ll take care of that.’” He instructed my manager to address it with me the next morning. Things were already bad between me and my manager’s manager, and it got worse with finding out that he was bothered even about the way I moved my hands. Eventually,it got to where I went home one Friday evening and decided not to return to work on Monday. I was done. I don’t recommend my way of quitting, as it burns bridges. But that was my “I need to leave right now” moment. Here’s the proper way to leave a job: * Schedule time with your boss to let them know * Give two weeks notice * Make sure the hand over is smooth, don’t leave a mess for them to sort out after you are gone * Show gratitude - express your thanks for all the different benefits that you got out of the job * Promise to keep in touch * If they want to take you to lunch or have a going away of some kind for you, attend, do not decline * Exchange personal information, so people have your contact information * Tell them they can contact you after you leave if they need help. They will rarely do this, but it is a nice gesture

Has anyone ever quit their job because of me?

Yes, I was a source of frustration (or more like despair) to someone I employed. I regret it to this day:

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

Has anyone ever quit their job because of you? What happened?

Hello, You asked, Has anyone ever quit their job because of you? What happened? Yes, I was a monster in my younger days, and a maid servant whom I liked very much quit because of me. I would like to share the story with you. The Gold Chain When I got married, I moved into the home where my husband lived with his brother and his dad. Working for them was Pushpa, their maid, who had been with the family for a long time. I knew Pushpa from before I got married, because she had been doing part time housecleaning and cooking for me at my bachelorette pad. Like all maids in India at the time, Pushpa was poor and lived a hard-scrabble life. Her home was a thatched hut in a slum, and everything - from food to clothes to medicines, to keeping her hut from collapsing when it rained - was a challenge. Pushpa's pay wasn't sufficient for all her expenses, so she would ask my father-in-law for additional money during the month. When my husband came home from work, my father in law would say to him, "Pushpa needs x rupees for medicine. Can you give me that to give to her." I felt sorry for Pushpa and decided to reach out to her secretly. When she and I were alone, I said to her, "Pushpa, I would like to give you some additional money on the side, so you don't have to ask Sir (my father in law) for money every other week. This can be just between you and me – Sir or Rakesh or Shreekant needn’t know about it.Can you tell me an amount that would be helpful for you to get." Now Pushpa was not a greedy soul, and she didn't know what amount to propose. She shyly replied, "I don't know Ma". So I made the decision for both of us. I said, "I'll tell you what. You are getting 2000 rupees every month from Sir. How about I give you another 2000 rupees? Here, take this." And with that, I gave Pushpa 2000 rupees, effectively doubling her pay. (I was earning a good income and I can assure you this was not financially difficult for me at all, so please don't think I was anyone great for doing this.) A month went by. One day, my husband and me arrived home from work together. As we entered the door, my father in law said, "Ah, Shreekant…..can you give me 400 rupees to give to Pushpa for medicine." I felt a flash of anger. I had expected that once Pushpa started getting the extra 2000 rupees from me, she would stop asking my father-in-law for money during the month. “How dare she ask for this money after I have doubled her pay!” I thought to myself. Of course I couldn't talk to anyone about this, since I was giving her the money in secret. At the first opportunity I could get her alone, I confronted her about it, "Why are you still asking Sir for extra money? I doubled your pay. You should not be needing to ask for 300 rupees here, 300 rupees there anymore." She looked embarrassed and never replied. I felt a great need to solve the situation once in for all, thinking mightily of my powers to do so. "Ok, I will tell you what, Pushpa," I said, "I will give you 3000 rupees instead of 2000 rupees every month secretly from my own pocket. This should cover you for anything and everything that comes up during the month. Agreed?" She nodded her head and I handed her an additional 1000 rupees which she gratefully accepted. A month went by. And, oh no. Yes, you guessed right. I hear my father in law say to my husband, "Ah, Shreekant…..give me 400 rupees to give to Pushpa. She needs to buy something for her family." It was like waving a red flag to a bull. I had expected that the extra 3000 rupees would have put a full stop to this. I could not understand what was going on. Things were not going as planned. Though Pushpa was getting two and a half times her pay, nothing had changed. She was still asking for extra money, as if the extra 3000 rupees did not exist. I couldn't wait for her to come in to work the next day to tackle her. As soon as she got in, and I got her alone, I demanded an answer. "Pushpa, your pay is two and a half times what it used to be. Whatever are you spending the extra money on? " I was taken aback when she sheepishly pointed to a thin gold chain round her neck. She explained..... Apparently she had always wanted a gold chain, but could never afford to buy one. When I started giving her the extra 3000 every month, she was able to enroll in a chit fund and take out a loan to buy a gold chain. Now she was using the money I was giving her every month to pay the loan off. All the extra money was going to pay off the debt she had incurred to buy the gold chain, and none of it to improve her everyday life. Which was why she still had to ask for 300 rupees here and 300 rupees there. I was horribly upset. There was nothing I could do and my hands were tied. I had expected to improve Pushpa's lot in life, but she was at square one, struggling to keep body and soul together, except she now had a gold chain she was really happy and proud to possess which I had made possible. Because of my expectations, it took me several years to come to terms with this. Over the next year, I gradually grew into an expectations monster, and a tyrant with Pushpa, nagging her about everything. Eventually Pushpa left the job because of my nagging and demands. Starting out as a kind, generous person to her, I had turned into a monster. And I didn’t realize it. It was many years later when remorse struck and I regretted what I had done. I had been inexcusably harsh. Pushpa was such a good soul, and didn’t deserve my harshness. Today, I understand that kindness is superior to generosity, and expectancy is superior to expectations. My kinder attitude has brought perspective as well, and I think about Pushpa’s gold chain purchase differently. It is human to have needs beyond food, clothing and shelter. Even someone in tough circumstances may prefer the beauty and pride of a gold chain to a marginal improvement in comfort. How I wish I had known that kindness was more important than generosity earlier in life.

Your job can lose its luster, if a manager becomes unreasonable about something they seemed okay with before, including your breaks, and your time-off:

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

If your boss declines your request for a personal leave of absence, what can you do other than quit?

Hi, You asked, If your boss declines your request for a personal leave of absence, what can you do other than quit? I am going to give you some broad, general advice about requesting a leave of absence. “Leave” is something which, if you don’t do correctly, can become a source of dissatisfaction for you in your job. I have met scores of people who were upset about some leave issue. Both when they were at a company. And after they left that company. How do these “leave issues” arise? It is because, instead of looking at data, managers often fly by the seat of the pants when they respond to leave requests. In one company where I worked at, one of my coworkers took great pains to apply for his DTO, well in advance. He included comp time as part of his DTO, because he worked on several weekends and holidays, including the July 4th weekend. Not long after, the manager scheduled a meeting with him. When I saw him go off to that meeting, I assumed it was to be recognized for all his hard work, because I had personally observed how hard the guy was working. And commissions is a hard job, especially as the deadline approaches, when long hours are typically required. Instead, the manager called the meeting to bring up what the manager thought was this guy’s “excessive leave taking.” The fellow was miffed (pissed, as some people would say). He came out of the meeting and vented to me. I was completely on his side, realizing the manager was just flying by the seat of the pants, and not looking at the record of this guy’s actual time-off. Further, in response to the guy telling the manager that some of it was comp time, the manager questioned him about why he had worked both days of the July 4 weekend, saying, “We were all to work only on the Saturday. Why were you here on Sunday as well?” As if to say, the guy had deliberately gone slow on the work, so he could come in on Sunday, and then take comp time. BTW, though us commissions analysts reported to him, the manager had never actually done commissions himself. Otherwise, he would have known it is pretty common to have to work the whole weekend before payroll is due. So based on my observations, here is my advice to you, which you can use for future leave takings, even if you can’t use with your present leave request. Keep a record of the data - meaning the dates of all your leave takings. When you want to apply for leave, open the conversation with your manager by showing the record, and asking if it is within the norm, or whether it is excessive. Then ask how many more vacation days would you be able to safely take that year? And also what, if anything, could be done about worked weekends and holidays in terms of comp time? Then only make your travel or time-off plans. After you have made your travel plans, tell your boss, I have made my travel plans and I will be out of office from so and so date to so and so date. Request him to make a note of it on his calendar, so there won’t be any issues. Ask him if he would like a reminder the week before. If he has a lot going on, he will say yes. If he is one of those super-organized people, he will say, “not necessary.” So do be super-organized about your leave, so there are no issues. Good luck! If you regularly check in with your manager about your leave-taking, you should have no leave issues. Don’t overlook the importance of keeping good leave taking records, and sharing these records with your manager regularly. This way, they will have a record to show any other people who may have the perception you are taking too much leave. Unfortunately, this happens. P.S. The guy in my story - he left the job for greener pastures within a few months of the incident. The rap on the knuckles for excessive leave-taking was the cherry on top of the dissatisfaction pie for him.

Whatever the reason you decide to leave your job, try to leave with a good last impression:

The proper way to leave a job:

• Schedule time with your boss to let them know
• Give two weeks notice
• Make sure the hand over is smooth, don’t leave a mess for them to sort out after you are gone
• Show gratitude - express your thanks for all the different benefits that you got out of the job
• If you are leaving to attend to personal priorities, say you are leaving to attend to personal priorities. There is no need to go into details.
• Promise to keep in touch
• If they want to take you to lunch or have a going away of some kind for you, attend, do not decline
• Exchange personal information, so people have your contact information
• Tell them they can contact you after you leave if they need help. They will rarely do this, but it is a nice gesture

What if I want to vent?

Write an imaginary letter that you do not plan to send, but may be fun for family and friends to read.

Like this one. Not written by me, but fun to read:

Minoo Jha

 · Just now

What’s the most epic way you’ve seen someone quit or be fired?

Hi, You asked, What’s the most awesome way you’ve seen someone quit or be fired? I don’t know the answer to that question. But here’s an awesome tongue-in-cheek goodbye I read on Chris Kula’s blog… Chris Kula’s goodbye e-mail to his co-workers: Dear Co-Workers, As many of you probably know, today is my last day. But before I leave, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know what a great and distinct pleasure it has been to type “Today is my last day.” For nearly as long as I’ve worked here, I’ve hoped that I might one day leave this company. And now that this dream has become a reality, please know that I could not have reached this goal without your unending lack of support. Words cannot express my gratitude for the words of gratitude you did not express. I would especially like to thank all of my managers: in an age where miscommunication is all too common, you consistently impressed and inspired me with the sheer magnitude of your misinformation. It takes a strong man to admit his mistake – it takes a stronger man to attribute his mistake to me. Over the past three years, you have taught me more than I could ever ask for and, in most cases, ever did ask for. I have been fortunate enough to work with some absolutely interchangeable supervisors on a wide variety of seemingly identical projects – an invaluable lesson in overcoming daily tedium in overcoming daily tedium in overcoming daily tedium. Your demands were high and your patience short, but I take great solace knowing that my work was, as stated on my annual review, “mostly satisfactory.” That is the type of praise that sends a man home happy after even a 10 hour day, smiling his way through half a bottle of mostly satisfactory scotch. And to most of my peers: even though we barely acknowledged each other within these office walls, I hope that in the future, should we pass on the street, you will regard me the same way as I regard you: sans eye contact. But to those few souls with whom I’ve actually interacted, here are my personalized notes of farewell: To Rudy: I will always remember sharing lunch with you, despite having clearly labeled it with my name. To Steven : I will miss detecting your flatulence as much as you will clearly miss walking past my cubicle to deliver it. To Eileen: Best wishes on your ongoing campaign to popularize these “email forwards.” I sincerely hope you receive that weekend full of good luck, that hug from an old friend, and that baby for your dusty womb. To Felix: I left a new wristwatch on your desk. It is so that you might be able to still tell time even without your hourly phone call to let me know the copier is jammed. (Call Steven – he`ll come by.) And finally, to Kat: you were right – I tested positive. We`ll talk later. So, in parting, if I could pass on any word of advice to the individual who will soon be filling my position, it would be to cherish this experience like a sponge and soak it up like a good woman , because a job opportunity like this comes along only once in a lifetime. Meaning: if I had to work here again in this lifetime, I would sooner kill myself. Very truly yours, Chris Kula

Is it possible to return to a job after quitting? How long should one wait before reapplying for the same job?

It is possible, if you have a good relationship with the manager, and they think highly of you.

I have seen it where, someone left a company where she had been at for 17 years for another job, and decided she didn’t like it.

The manager and her had remained friends, and the manager told her the door was open for her to return at anytime.

And so she returned.

I was freelancing at the company when she left, and was still working there, when she returned.

I later learned, that there was a repeat of this, some years later.

She left for another job, and returned.

The same manager was there, and the manager left the door open for her to return, the second time as well.

I myself, was hired back, at 2 advertising agencies, in my previous career, as an advertising copywriter.

At each of these advertising agencies, MAA Bozell and HTA (part of J Walter Thompson), I left in good faith the first time, but not the second time.

Unfortunately, I burned bridges the second time, so there was no opportunity to return a third time.

The impulsive tendency to burn bridges (things can easily become a habit, you see), continued in the first part of my second career as a Commissions Analyst.

Minoo Jha

 · 4y

Why did you leave your last job?

Hi Abbi and Tiff, You asked, What was the thing that made you quit your last job? I am embarrassed to say I have quit my job 5 times. The most recent time was at my last full time job. I became a consultant since walking out of that job and the histrionics promptly stopped. Here’s my quit story... I reported to two levels of Manager at the company, my Manager and my Manager’s Manager. When the 2nd level manager changed, the new chap and me just couldn’t get along. The fact that I worked mostly from home was a big part of it. But it seemed I couldn’t do anything right. As I narrated in my answer to Quora question, What small, non-verbal thing makes you judge someone instantly?, I even managed to rub him up the wrong way with my hand gestures. My non verbal gaffe: I waved my hand at my manager at a meeting at which my manager’s manager was present and said, “Oh so you will take care of that,” just before I headed out the door. My manager’s manager turned on her as soon as I left the room, and said, “How can you take such disrespectful behavior from her? I wouldn’t have tolerated the way she waved her hand at you, and said ‘Oh, so you’ll take care of that.’” He instructed my manager to address it with me the next morning. Things were already bad between me and my manager’s manager, and it got worse with finding out that he was bothered even about the way I moved my hands. Eventually,it got to where I went home one Friday evening and decided not to return to work on Monday. I was done. I don’t recommend my way of quitting, as it burns bridges. Here’s the proper way to leave a job: * Schedule time with your boss to let them know * Give two weeks notice * Make sure the hand over is smooth, don’t leave a mess for them to sort out after you are gone * Show gratitude - express your thanks for all the different benefits that you got out of the job * Promise to keep in touch * If they want to take you to lunch or have a going away of some kind for you, attend, do not decline * Exchange personal information, so people have your contact information * Tell them they can contact you after you leave if they need help. They will rarely do this, but it is a nice gesture

Until I understood, that perhaps, I was a free spirit, and I would be better off as a freelance Commissions Analyst.

And that's exactly what I became...

... a freelance Commissions Analyst.

I had the same epiphany about being free spirited, towards the end of my first career as an Advertising Copywriter.

After burning bridges with HTA, instead of taking up a job at another agency, I opened a creative hot shop.

The name of my creative shop was Purple Patch.

So many interesting stories from my Purple Patch days.

Purple Patch was a business.

Freelancing, which is what I did in my second career, is not.

But I discovered the trick is to think of your freelancing as a business.

So that you look at every company you work for as a customer, and not as an employer.

It is a good approach if you want to be successful as a freelancer.

Of course, there are other things which are necessary, as well.

If you want to know all the reasons, I found I was suited to be a freelancer, here they are...

Minoo Jha

 · 3y

As an entrepreneur, what motivates you the most to pursue your goals?

I am a faux entrepreneur - a freelancer, and here’s a look behind the curtain…. How I Did It. How I Resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Consulting. A Look Behind The Curtain Each time I was tempted to convert to a full time employee, I looked at what I had to gain by being a consultant. Here’s what would pop into my mind. A long list of worthwhile things, which only consulting could give me… Getting to have a faux business - ever since I ran Purple Patch (my own creative shop), I knew I was never so productive, so prolific, so creative, as when I was my own boss Getting to work for different companies – I have worked directly (or indirectly, by working on implementations, or testing) for 14 different companies - wow, a corporate adventure, in itself Getting to meet so many people in Sales Compensation and Commissions – my network has expanded from a handful of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation to 50-100 people in Sales Compensation and Commissions, not to mention people in staffing agencies, and in implementation companies Getting to train on, and work with different Commission Tools - first it was Excel, then Centive, then Xactly, more recently, Varicent, and still more recently, Oracle Fusion (where I have just initial exposure, because we still haven't gone live at the company where it is being implemented); but given this background, I expect (hope) it’s a question of time, before I get to train on, and work with Callidus, Obero, Optymyze, and other commission tools of the present, and the future Getting to use different commission systems and models – every company has their own “master” file – their own Excel beast, which is used to calculate crediting and commissions, or to sanity check the results of the automated tool. I have had a front row seat to observing, or working on this Excel beast in different companies Getting exposure to a variety of sales compensation and commission system challenges - Oh the stories I can tell Getting to work with different commission software architects - Commission software is not plug and play; it has to be customized for each company. This is where the design architect has a big role to play. Each commission software architect has her or his own design approach. It has been fascinating and educative to work alongside some of the most experienced and savvy commission software architects Getting to test plan change logic - Plans change. When they do, the plan logic has to be changed. And new plan logic has to be unit tested and UAT tested. Unit testing and UAT testing are an art in themselves. I have seen that, based on the implementations I have worked on, and also because I had the privilege of testing plan change logic at Salesforce, 2 years in a row. The exposure was great Getting exposure to different ERP systems – I have been on assignments where they use Great Plains, where they use SAP, where they use Oracle, and one assignment where ERP was still in the future, and they were still using, wait for it, Quickbooks Getting exposure to different BI tools - This is important, only because it is where sales people track their orders. And if there are differences between their orders in the commission tool, and the BI tool, you will be sure to hear about it. So yes, as a commissions consultant, I have had to run BI reports out of different BI tools like Cognos, Birst, Tableau, and sometimes even proprietary BI tools Getting exposure to different Commissions Analyst job roles - The role and function of a Commissions Analyst is different in different companies. And since I typically go in as the 'transition commissions analyst', I do whatever is defined for that role in my different assignments. Getting exposure to different managing styles - I have worked with different managers. And I have enjoyed working with each one of them, and observing their similarities, as well as their differences. As a consultant, I have sometimes found myself, a sounding board to managers, which is a privilege in itself Getting to grow my skills – Before I became a consultant, I only knew Excel and Centive. After I became a consultant, I learned Xactly and Varicent. And I learned how to do implementations. I was able to flex my writing and communication skills on FRDs, User Guides, Prototype demos and more. My Excel proficiency also increased by leaps and bounds - to include Advanced Filters , Sumifs, formulas such as Match and Index and Indirect. I also learned and started using over 20 Excel macros Getting golden opportunities - After I started consulting, some unexpected golden opportunities came my way. Such as getting to work on White Papers. One of my clients sponsored me for an all expenses paid Varicent training program in Canada. And I got to work on implementations for some high-profile companies such as Splunk, FusionIo, Lynda, which was subsequently acquired by Linkedin, and Cyberonics Getting to deliver extra value – A consultant is in a unique position to deliver extra value. As a consultant, I have been able to deliver value outside of the scope of my client's expectations. For example, I routinely document the commission processes on every assignment. I do not believe I would have been able to do this as an employed Commissions Analyst. It would have been outside the scope of my job, and it would have appeared to team members, I was trying to make them look bad. Getting to coach, train, and mentor – There are those who like to do, and those who like to do and teach, and I am in the second group. I thrive every time I have the opportunity to transfer what is in my mind to someone else's mind. Whether it is teaching someone how to do their taxes on Turbotax. Or giving Money workshops to GATE students. In my role as a 'transition commissions analyst', I have to typically hand the baton to someone. My process has been to write a document, and teach from that document. I have done this at multiple companies. Some of my best friends are people who I have had to pass on my knowledge to (do KT as they say in India) in such a way There’s more. Whenever I feel sad an assignment is coming to an end, I have a further list of things I remind myself about…. I remind myself of the freedom, which is such a basic human need, we will risk our lives for it. I remind myself of the repetitiveness, boredom and burnout I have avoided. I remind myself of the footprint I have been able to leave at different companies; the documents and tools I have created, the bonds I have forged. I remind myself it’s more empowering to choose change than to have change imposed on me. I remind myself of the demand for what I do; when that demand stops, I will stop consulting. I remind myself being self-employed has only improved my competitiveness and my value proposition. I remind myself my services are ideal for companies with variable cost business models, or companies in a jam. I remind myself, I never have to feel threatened or vulnerable in any assignment, because of being, not an incumbent in danger of being dislodged, but a temporary contributor whose services have a definite end date. I remind myself of the autonomy. You have no idea how much I like automony. I remind myself how consulting saves me from office politics. I remind myself of other things I have been spared of: performance reviews, forms to fill, surveys to fill out, and so on, and so on. I remind myself, my work never costs me my life; if I feel overwhelmed on an assignment, I speak up. I say “This is all I can do (core commission work).”Typically, I will be given additional help. I like opportunities to find out the truth. I can quickly identify gaps I need to fill, or the company needs to fill. I remind myself, how I am able to increase my competitiveness without competing. If there is a team, I will cheerfully take on the tasks that are invisible, and the tasks that no one else wants to do, and then, see what I can do, to make those tasks less dreary, more manageable. I have learned to customize my skills and services to meet the customer’s need of the hour (and by customer, I mean not just the manager, but the whole team, if there is a team). I remind myself of how much more adaptable and agile consulting has made me. I enjoy being a hero (of sorts); jumping in to help out a company when they are in crisis. I enjoy opportunities to apply critical thinking and problem solving. By having to prove myself in a new environment, I have the opportunity to reaffirm my skills and value. I continuously tweak my value proposition. I arrived at the proposition of being “A transition commission consultant who helps companies who are in a transition between people, or tools” and the promise, “I will be here as long as you want me, and no longer than you want me” a few years ago. They have served me well. I like being extended at companies. Contract extensions are proof I am delivering value. I believe my continuously expanding profile on Linkedin will continue to bring me future consulting assignments. Time will tell if I am right. Meanwhile, I sincerely believe, being a consultant is better suited to the complexity, volatility, and uncertainty of today’s economic and business environment. Above all, I remind myself, safety, security and benefits (the promises of employment) are not what they are cracked up to be. In fact, I will even go as far as to call them fool’s gold, and say “Bah Humbug”. Confidence, competence, ever expanding skills and horizons, plus an ever expanding network of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation – What’s not to like? Yes, I’ve resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Being a Consultant. And now you know all the reasons why.

Because of thinking of my freelancing as a business, and regarding the companies I worked for as customers, I was able to approach work and work challenges better.

I did not burn even a bit of a bit of a bridge, and always looked for positive, non-confrontational ways to deal with work challenges. 

Because of this, companies extended my assignments again and again.

I was at some companies - such as Fortinet -for a whole 2 years, my assignments being extended again and again, in 2 month increments.

And I was also invited back to do repeat assignments at some companies, such as Linkedin and Zoom.

They say that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers.

Think of your career as a business, and manage it like a business.

Leave the door open for your return, when your employment with any company ends.

Do your best work, and leave in good faith.

Make sure you leave, with your bosses and coworkers, thinking highly of you

Make a good last impression.

So like the coworker I told you about, at the beginning of this post, you have opportunities to go back to former employers, again and again.

As an employee.

As a freelance consultant.

As a business owner.

All of which may be in your future, as it was in mine.