The Long Goodbye: Handling a Job Transition

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Career Development  

This month, I want to take a slightly different approach. I recently had a situation at one of my clients that I think makes an interesting case study. However, rather than simply documenting the situation and offering a few opinions, I am going to take two separate approaches to it--one from the perspective of the organization, and one from the perspective of the individual. This article is the individual’s perspective.

So here’s the scenario. An individual knows that they are leaving an organization, but the departure is still several weeks or months away. They are professional and dedicated, but clearly the focus is starting to shift and that has the potential to impact their commitment and contribution to the organization. This situation may come about as the result of a contract that isn’t being renewed, or that requires a long notice; it could be an impending retirement, or perhaps an organizational change that will result in staffing changes. It’s inevitable that some things are going to change during that period, but if that situation happens to you, here are some thoughts on how to handle it.

Understand and manage your emotions
Transitioning is a stressful time. Even if you are leaving by choice rather than through a situation that is being forced on you, it can be an emotional rollercoaster--and no one is immune from the impact of …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.