Chris Ryan/Getty Images
The Clash once asked, "Should I stay or should I go?"
- Tom Hardison is the president of Generative Leadership Group, and an executive coach at Pluma, a digital coaching platform.
- If you've reached a point where you're concerned about different career issues, it can be difficult to know when to stay or try to work through them. Before making any decisions, expand your perspective.
- Ask the people around you what they've observed and commit to taking small steps.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Most of us don't consider rock bands the source of insightful career questions. But that's just what The Clash offers us in "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"
If you are in a position where you're concerned about career issues such as upward mobility or the work environment, how do you know when it's time to leave - or stay and try to work through the challenges?
Often there are no simple answers and many possible choices: If you stay, how do you address the challenges? If you go, how do you leave without burning bridges, set goals for your next position, and then strategize and execute a job search?
The human brain often perceives job challenges as a threat, defaulting to a defend-and-protect mentality, and makes up a story to rationalize the situation. These initial, instinctive reactions can frame your future thinking and become a runaway train that inhibits your decision making.
When you were a kid, a crossing guard might have told you, "Stop, look, and listen" before crossing the street. That advice will serve you well when you arrive at career crossroads such as these - there are three simple ways to make sense of the situation.