Updated - Loyalty vs. Reality: Knowing when to quit your job

Update: January 2012

I wrote the post below in November 2011, to help those who felt trapped in their current roles and were looking to make a change.  Also, I wanted to help those who were simply disastified in their current jobs and really just needed to find ways to make their currentt positions more palatable or interesting.  In any case, I am happy to report that I took my own advice and quit my job.  I now work for Microsoft as a Principle Project Manager in their Public Sector business, Justice and Public Safety Practice.  Yesterday was my first day and I am excited about what the future holds.

If you are unsure about where you want to go and what you want to do, take a few moments and read through the post below. 

Remember:  The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and today is the first day of the rest of your life.  What are you going to do with it?

Wake up!  You are going to leave your job

I have heard that every person holding a position in an organization brings joy to their office;  Some when they come... others when they go.  :-) When we walk through the door for the first time as a new employee we typically have high expectations.  Most people seek to make good impressions on their co-workers and managers.  Leaving the place they just worked so hard to get into is the last thing on their mind... But leave they will.  Like it or not it is an inevitable reality.  Everyone leaves... One way or another.

Communicating with Authenticity

The Problem: 
Corporate jargon separates us from those we are trying to lead.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone at work and when it was over you realized you had no idea what the person just said?  They used so much jargon and "business speak", they were able to keep you mesmerized for 15 minutes while they said absolutely nothing.  Or perhaps you have run across my personal favorite:  You ask a simple yes or no question (Like: Did you install the software on the customers computer?) and you get a five minute monologue that never quite answers it. It usually starts with: "You see, what happened was... "  I hate that so much.  :-)

How to Change, Overcome and Adapt in the Workplace

"If you don't like change you'll like irrelevance even less"
    ... US Army Gen Eric Shinseki June 2002

We must face our fears and stand for what we believe.

When it comes to business, today's marketplace is like the ocean: It is deep and it keeps its mistakes.  It is absolutely vital to the survival of any organization that it stay abreast of the changing tides in the market to be able to position itself to both survive, and thrive in the new environment.  This same necessity holds true for individuals as well.  The recent Great Recession brought new meaning to the concept of "Who Moved my Cheese?"  Peoples' dreams of a comfortable retirement were wiped out along with their retirement savings as investment values plummeted and the mass market contracted like a starving belly.  Some people thrived during this time because they were prepared.  Others simply overcame the obstacles, changed to take advantage of new opportunities, and adapted their outlook to the new environment. 

How to Survive Systemic Challenges at Work

Do you feel like having a workplace meltdown?  There is help.
Every place that I have worked had systemic challenges.  Your workplace is probably no different.  Local and State government, small business, large corporate organizations, non-profit organizations, and the Federal government, all have systemic problems that plagued the team and killed effectiveness.  Systemic challenges or problems in the workplace are those problems that are bigger than just one or two personality conflicts.  They are the problems that are sometimes caused by years of cultural or strategic misalignment with the tactical goals of the organization.  They typically impact all facets of the organization.  Here is an important fact:  Every company has them.  No one is exempt.  At some level, there are systemic issues in every organization that negatively impact performance.  It is what the organization choses to do about it that will set it apart from the others.