Nassim Taleb has recommended that you write your resignation letter before you start a new job. Leave the date blank and lock it away in a drawer, but make sure to take the time to draft it.
Better yet, you could put that letter in a frame, hang it on the wall, and include instructions to break glass in case of emergency.
Taleb recommends this “Because you feel relief when you do it. Because then you can continue on your job without feeling like someone’s controlling you.”
You’ve created an escape hatch for yourself.
That job will try to control you. Don’t forget that Taleb also said, “The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.”
With addiction in mind, it’s not surprising if you talk yourself out of leaving a job time and time again. I’m getting the shakes just thinking about it.
I guess denial feels better than withdrawal.
The case he makes is that thinking about your resignation and walking through the reasons why you will leave the job will free your mind. You’ll no longer feel trapped, you already thought it through to the end. You have a plan B, congratulations. The idea of a plan B is to think about your situation and identify the various scenarios and outcomes. Model them out.
Include that lifeboat in the initial planning rather than after you hit the iceberg.
Otherwise, you could end up adrift in icy waters, trying to stay above the surface on scraps of wooden debris. Figuratively of course.
People don’t always make a plan B when they start a new job, and without a plan B, you become fragile.
Taleb is not a fan of fragile.
Write the letter, identify the reason for your departure, and when those reasons come to fruition you simply unlock the cabinet or break the glass, and deliver the letter on your way out the door.
I feel better already.
It’s not always a good idea to have the weapon loaded, and the bullet chambered, but in this scenario, go for it.
An important part of the process is to identify the reason for your resignation.
Maybe the sign could have more detailed instructions.
Break glass if:
- The mission is dead
- The learning stops
- The work, the team, and the customers are not enjoyable
- The opportunities for advancements dry up
- The days have become repetitive
- The boldness is exchanged for bureaucracy
- The company is no longer valuing my contributions
A few of those items come up, and you break the glass and send the letter. Heaven forbid it’s all those things. If so, I’m assuming you’ve already sparked a match and slipped out the back door.
Except I know you haven’t because that monthly salary is so damn addictive.
Taleb’s suggestion really resonates with me, but I’m going to adjust the process just a bit.
The resignation is big. Prior to reading this advice, I’d spent more time planning my departure from a barbeque than a job.
But I’ll flip the lens and make the process about acceptance rather than resignation.
What are the reasons you are accepting a job? And do those things still hold true?
Because the reality is that every day you get out of bed, show up, clock in, log in, and fall in with the company, you have accepted the work ahead. At least for the day.
The same thing happens when you show up at the gym or write a blog post. You are becoming an athlete and a writer. At least for the day.
Monday morning, rise and grind. If you had to do it all over again, would you accept the work you have in front of you today? Accept their offer of employment?
Great. Now list the reasons why.
Charlie Munger has “Three rules for a career: 1.) Don’t sell anything you wouldn’t buy yourself; 2.) Don’t work for anyone you don’t respect and admire; and 3.) Work only with people you enjoy.”
You could stop the list right there and be headed in the right direction. Check those three boxes and things will go well.
Just make sure you revisit them often.
People renew their vows every year, and what you want to hear is “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes” not “Well, sure, leaving would be a real pain in the ass, especially the whole insurance thing.”
You should do the same thing with the work you do and the people you spend half your waking life with.
I accept this job because I’m desperate. No, that will not do.
I accept this work under the following conditions:
- It aligns with my values
- I believe in the mission
- I’m fairly compensated
- The team is fun and I’m learning from them
- I’m challenged and growing every day
- I’m excited and proud to tell people about what we are building
- I have a mentor helping me level up
- The company has character and is making a positive impact on the world.
Are your reasons for accepting still true? Do you accept their offer of employment again this morning?
As you brew your coffee, hop in the car, and point it towards the office, do you accept?
Knowing the reason for acceptance and resignation makes you antifragile. When you go through the process and think through the reasons for your departure it will make you less fearful of those alternate futures. Plan B, plan C and plan D, don’t seem scary anymore.
If you do it right, they’ll feel more reasonable than muddling through a failing Plan A.
So now when your boss or your company tries to pull the inevitable shenanigans that companies pull, you will feel more secure in breaking the glass and delivering that letter.
You are in control, free from addiction, plan B at the ready.
Doesn’t that feel better?
What do you think?