GTFO: Creating The Exit Strategy

Sick of what you're doing? Short of simply walking away or forcing a termination,  most of us have to come up with a way out that minimizes the pain inflicted with an eventual departure from a role.  Obviously, yelling "forget you" on your way out only yields a quick satisfaction and a long-term relationship destroyed. Below are some tips for chunking up the deuce to a lousy situation without losing hard-earned credibility:

1. Determine what it is you want to gain from the new job, assignment, or experience. No one wants to jump in one frying pan to another without a real plan.

2. Define what success looks like to superiors and as best as you can figure it out, how long it takes to demonstrate said success with some consistency. To some managers, success is having a dependable workforce, while others would prefer people to ask questions and become lifelong learners. Each company is different, so inquire before jumping into the aforementioned frying pan.

3. Try to gain an understanding up front from your superiors how long they expect you to remain in this role before being considered for promotion, assuming you are exceeding expectations. By knowing this, you have a baseline to work with and if forward progress is possible much less required.

4. Create a timeline, allowing for a 9- to 18-month buffer based on your expectations and feedback from your superiors,  on which when you should be moving on to your next role. (Depending on company culture, it could be two to four years.) If you're able, be patient picking up the full scope of your role; otherwise, this may not be for you.

5. Detail what your actions will be for the new role, promotion, or assignment does materialize within that time frame. For example, working with search firms, monster.com, and attending professional-level career fairs are all ways to implement your plan.

6. If the time frame is exceeded, implement exit strategy. Don't stay so long you become outdated.  Your time and gifts are worth more.

Many of us would be grateful to take the LeBron James approach to protecting his brand and managing his exit strategy. By learning from 2010 what mistakes he made, his return to Cleveland - albeit a significantly wealthier one - he has not only mastered the exit strategy, but by knowing his value, he has empowered the people in his circles to greater heights. Know when it is time to get out before you are pushed out.