When headhunters call, they always claim that the grass is greener on the other side of the hill, and so you should move. Gently remind them that it is greenest where it rains most. The reality of moving often does not live up to the hype which is so easily believed before hand.
There are five major problems with moving:
- You lose all your power networks: in your new organisation you will not even know how the phones work, let alone how to make change happen across the organisation. Only when you leave your informal power networks behind do you discover how important they were to your success. It takes time to re-build them, but new starters do not have time: they need to prove themselves fast.
- All organisations look great from the outside. Only when you get into them do you discover that all organisations suffer from politics, cock-ups, bureaucracy, dysfunctional people and processes and all the things you probably wanted to leave behind in your last job.
- Many people do not leave to escape their business, they leave to escape a lousy boss. But the corporate carousel keeps on turning. In your old organisation you or your boss are likely to part ways within 18 months. In your new organisation the great new boss you want to work for is also likely to move on, and may be replaced by another Darth Vader wannabe.
- You will not really know the rules of survival and success until you get into the new organisation. When their values do not match yours, you get organ rejection by the host organisation, and the headhunters get the opportunity to earn some more fees as you go on the market again.
- Moving too often mars your CV. A quick way to eliminate candidates is to remove anyone who has had four or more jobs in the last ten years. Too often that is a sign of someone who is a low performer who gets slowly eased out by each employer in turn, regardless of what lies they write in their references.
Set against that, here are four good reasons for moving on
- You just got fired or made redundant
- You want to move to a new country, to a new career, make a new start and you do not mind the risk and effort involved
- You wake up every morning and realise you are not enjoying work or life
- You get the chance to build skills, experience or responsibility you will not get in your current organisation
None of these reasons are about money. Moving for a bit more money is very tempting and normally ends in tears, for any or all of the reasons above. I should know: I once moved for a five fold increase in my salary. It was the worst move I ever made.
Find something you really enjoy doing and there is a severe risk you will become good at it, successful and want to stay.
