Career: Should I leave my job?

Do you think you might be in a dysfunctional organization, or a dead-end role? If so, how do you know if you should leave the job?

A friend posed the above question; here's gist of his reply: ‘If you think you might be in a dysfunctional organization... you're in a dysfunctional organization. The leadership might offer platitudes. The trappings of the job - the salary, the airline status, the title and many such things may make you hesitate. But you should leave.’

I considered the question as well. I’ll base my answer on two folk stories from India.

Story 1: The Barber's Gold

The minister is worried that his king is losing touch with the common people in the kingdom. He advises the king to do nocturnal rounds in disguise. The idea is to talk to people to get the pulse of the country. 

The king is unconvinced. He says, ‘just come to my palace in the morning, when the barber visits me for my weekly haricut’. The minister agrees, although he is dubious. 

The next day, the barber arrives and completes the weekly ministrations. As he wraps up his routine, the king asks, ‘How are the people in my kingdom?’ The barber replies, ‘O noble king, there is peace and prosperity all around, thanks to your able rule. Everyone has at least an ounce of gold saved.’

After he leaves, the king looks at the minister triumphantly. ‘See? Here is a citizen of modest means. He is a typical subject. This is all I need to do to stay in touch!’

The minister considers giving the kingdom a primer on statistics and sample sizes, decides against it, and simply says, ‘I see your wisdom, O king. However, please indulge me and ask him again, the same time next week.’

The king is puzzled at the request, but agrees.

The barber comes in the next week. After the routine, the king asks the question again. The barber hesitates, gathers his courage, and replies, ‘O mighty king! Your kingdom has been overrun by bandits. No one feels safe. People are poor!’.

The king is startled at the abrupt change, and notices that the minister doesn't seem surprised. After the barber takes his leave, he asks the minister to explain. The minister says, ‘I sent some thugs to tie the barber and his wife up, and steal the ounce of gold that he had saved. When he said everything is good, he was talking about himself. When he talks about the crime wave now, he’s talking about himself as well. Neither gives you the real picture.’

The king, suitably chastised, agrees to go on his nightly rounds.

Story 2: The Donkey’s Plan

A washerman owns a donkey. He treats the animal badly. The donkey doesn’t get much to eat, is overworked, carries unbearable loads, and lives under constant abuse. 

One day, the donkey’s cousin visits from the big city. As they exchange notes, the cousin tells the donkey that he lives as a stray. He gets plenty of food by scavenging, sleeps and wakes up when he pleases. He advises our donkey to run away and join him in the city. 

Our donkey shakes his head. ‘You don’t know the whole story. I can’t leave this job. Do you see the girl in the house? What do you think of her?’

‘Oh, she is beautiful! But what does that have to do with your job?’

‘She is the washerman’s daughter. Wait and you'll see where she comes in.’

After a while, the washerman comes home, asks his daughter for his morning gruel. The girl brings him a pot. He takes a sip from the pot. His face contorts. He shouts at his daughter, ‘Do you call this breakfast? This is not even fully cooked. It has no taste, and is lumpy. You’re 16 already. How will you find a man to marry with such housekeeping skills? At this rate, I’m going to have to give you away to this donkey!’

The donkey turns around and asks, ‘Do you see why I stay on the job now?’.

End of story 2.

As a matter of interest, these are the stories my brother and I told each other when we were offering mutual counsel over our respective careers. Let me summarize our conversations into some general advice.

If you think you're in a dysfunctional org, consider these possibilities:

Are you:

• the barber deprived of his gold (negative due to recent events; more time, or a move within the org can help);
• surrounded by such barbers (need more positive company before you decide);
• the donkey (in a hopeless situation, but somehow justifying staying on); or 
• the king (judging the situation by someone else's assessment)?

Consider these questions objectively before deciding to leave.

If you do choose to leave a bad job, there are definitely better jobs out there. You might get one of them too, but there is no guarantee, as is the case with most things in life. 

On balance, if you are really miserable, you should change jobs. You are better off trying the alternatives than not trying. Do that, knowing that the grass might not be necessarily greener on the other side. Don’t regret the decision if the new job is no better. You owed it to yourself to try the change.

This is general advise, applicable to many situations but not all.