It takes a certain amount of confidence, conscious thought and planning to exit constructively from work that you are no longer enjoying.

Changing jobs—and especially changing careers—is a delicate process. When you notice that you are disillusioned and somewhat disengaged at work its time to question why you should stay. If this state of mind continues it is common that negativity and disgruntled-ness can seep into workplace relationships and affect the quality of your work.

An early career theorist, Charles C Dett noted that when we are unhappy at work our career is likely to deteriorate unless steps are taken to make positive change. The concept was later popularised and called ‘The Doom Loop’. Although a negative concept, it is certainly one that many people understand having been there, usually describing a timely exit. This video points out that it’s important to become friends with the 4 states the Doom Loop describes.

Before making a reactive exit or change step back, gain perspective and find a clear way forward. It takes some presence of mind to do this and most of us need someone else to help us to gain the perspective we need.