Don't Exit With a Bang

In 15 years of being in a corporate environment and management I have seen plenty of Corporate Rockstars come and go, some more talented and memorable than others. The one defining departure factor has usually been surrounding dissatisfaction with a particular manager and/or corporate culture issues. Having gone from a small company to medium size to now very large, I can easily say that this is a universal exit factor regardless of size or structure. There will always be that one manager that you either do not like nor get along with. Some folks manage to exit gracefully, others less so. There are plenty of urban myths out there about exiting a company, many of which play into people’s daydreams of what they really would like to say to their nemesis manager upon departure. One in particular, a disgruntled employee supposedly sent this resignation letter to his boss, sparking a shock wave across the web as it first was published. Many a cubicle warriors snickered as they got it, secretly wishing they too could write something similar. People wanted the letter to be real, hoping someone really had “stuck it to management” like this. Sorry; urban myth # 456334. Letter was made up.

Funny? Yes. Smart? Not so much. The resignation letter above may be just an urban myth, but the sentiment behind it is not. The disgruntled employee/boss relationship has existed for eons. That said, there is a lot to be said for not burning your bridges, hard as that may seem to do when you feel like you want to skip out of the department singing with your new job offer in hand. You never know what may come down the road; lay offs can happen in your new company, you don’t meet expectations during your probationary period or you may find yourself on the job market again several years down the road, in need of a career reference and history. Employers may not be in a legal position to comment on your character or performance, but make no mistake, they can send a strong message using tone of voice and enthusiasm when saying “Yes, she/he used to work here”. Regardless of how you feel about your boss or management, always exit gracefully and professionally. It will reward you down the line.