Part II: Is it Time to Quit?
Redefining Identity: Finding Freedom Beyond the Job Title
This is the second of three Substacks on staying or leaving a job. This is an excerpt from Sarah’s interview with Success Magazine. You can read the first one here. Enjoy the next one below, and look out for the third and final piece next week.
Success Magazine’s Question: The decision to step away might be seen as selfless or humble by some, but is it more complicated than that for employees? In your own story, what feelings were stirred up when you'd made your decision to walk away?
Sarah’s Response: In Western culture, we tend to adopt our professional role as part of our personal identity, which can make our relationship with our place of employment feel more important than it actually is. The stakes can feel really high.
However, who you are is valuable, period. What you do is only one part of how you contribute to the world, but you are not your job.
When you meet someone, you ask their name and quickly follow up with: "What do you do for work?" (Try not doing this and you'll see just how much you ask!)
We collectively tend to make judgements based on what people do, the title they have, etc. Given that most Americans work around 40 hours a week, it's no doubt that our work receives a huge part of our attention and energy. But it's not everything.
As an executive coach, part of how I help people is separating their identity from what they do for work. This requires an exploration of your identity and a willingness to embrace the fullness of who you are. Doing that can actually increase performance within a job, by the way, because you understand the value you bring to any environment.
When I left corporate work after 18 years, at the height of my career, I was faced with dismantling my professional identity and my attachment to the brands I worked at and the titles I held. The decision to go full-time in my own business came when I had a newborn baby and one of my dearest friends was tragically killed. After that, I wasn't satisfied with my work life. I wanted out of the corporate game.
But I had to reinvent my own understanding of my identity.
While launching my business full-time was exciting, it came with grief around detaching myself from the titles, roles, and brands I worked for. I wondered who I was without ___ behind my name. It was a tough process to walk through and I hired a coach of my own to help me sort it out. As a result, I now help other people find freedom in their identity whether they stay at a job or quit.
You too can reinvent at any point!
Did anything from this stand out to you? Was any of this valuable? Respond back and let me know.
For those of you who want more individualized support, you can book a Trusted Advisor Session by emailing back here.
