Ready To Quit Your Job? Regrets To Avoid

Buses, for some reason, make great analogies. When we want people to engage, we like to uses phrases like, “Get on the bus.” When we build teams, we ask questions like, “How do we get the right people on the bus?” Or “Are they in the right seat on the bus?” When people start pointing fingers we talk about getting “thrown under the bus.” And, when you start wondering if it’s time to quit your job, you might be asking yourself, “Am I on the wrong bus?”

If you’re currently considering quitting, you’re not alone. According to Mercer‘s What’s Working study, 32% of employees are actively looking to find a new job. And, if you’re wondering why they want to leave, a recent study by Accenture reveals the most common reasons are:

• 43% cite a lack of recognition
• 35% dislike internal politics
• 31% of employees don’t like their boss
• 31% feel a lack of empowerment

All are valid considerations for finding a new job. However, there’s something missing in the reasons discussed above that often gets overlooked—yes, it’s the bus.

Many years ago, one of us (Todd) worked at a government contractor job where he was required to ride a bus 80 minutes to work every day in the high desert of Idaho. Each day, on the ride home, he chose to sit in the same seat, next to a graying, slightly overweight, and gruff looking man—a guy who definitely did not shine with friendliness. The man never said hello. He never made small talk. And, Todd didn’t actually mind the man’s silence because it allowed him to catch up on his sleep.

A couple months of riding that bus had passed. Same seat. Same guy. Still, no words exchanged. But, then one day, as Todd sank into the seat, wrapped his travel pillow around his neck and got ready to drift off, the man fidgeted. He lifted his hand, holding a fistful of bus tickets. “You can have these,” he said. “I’m done.”

Stunned by the gesture, Todd asked the man what he meant. And, for the next 80 minutes heard the story of his 30-plus-year career. He talked about his family and his hobbies. He talked about how he was going to spend his retirement. But, then he said something that forever changed the way Todd looked at work, and how it fits into his overall life-plan. The man said, “I did the math. I realized I’ve spent three years of my life in this bus seat.”

As a young man, that was a hard number for Todd to digest. It had nothing to do with pay, or bosses, or empowerment. Yet, that conversation gave Todd a clear understanding of the bigger picture—knowing precisely why he didn’t see a future with that company, and more importantly, knowing exactly what he wanted from his next job, and every job after—no regrets from wasting time on the wrong bus.

Over the past few years of interviewing subjects and colleagues, we’ve talked to people from nearly every walk of life—at all levels within organizations, with various experience levels, and across almost every industry. We’ve heard plenty of stories from people who wished they had quit their jobs and followed different passions. But, what made us more curious was a different question, “What regrets do you have from the last time you quit a job?