Not all marriages or employment relationships work out. People start out with the best intentions and every confidence that they can make the relationship last.
But, not every employee can work in the culture that you've created in your organization. Nor can every employee adapt his or her methods to the tastes and preferences of every boss. Sometimes, the personal goals and interests of an employee are out of alignment with those of the company that hires him.
Mismatches occur every day. When I hear employees say that they have no friends at work or that every time they suggest an option, the boss moves the project in a different direction, it's sad. Even more sad is an employee who says that he hates his job. But, it's also information that tells me that the employee may be in the wrong job, wrong department or wrong company.
Either the employer or the employee can recognize and decide to act upon a poorly fitting job. The entity that takes action first is wise to determine, and perhaps suggest, a potential exit strategy. You want an exit strategy in place before the relationship sours and future bridges are burned due to blame and increasing animosity. These can masquerade as performance improvement when no amount of improvement will make the relationship work.
On my list of top 10 reasons to leave your job, you can rarely recover from becoming untrustworthy and undependable. A loner fails in a team environment as does an employee who lies and sneaks around when transparent communication is the cultural norm.
The exit strategy may stay private - you're looking for a new job. Or, you may make it public. Here are seven ideas for the types of exit strategy that you might want to consider and pursue. Whatever you do, if the situation is unrecoverable or untenable, devise - or offer - an exit strategy.
Need an exit strategy for your small business? About.com's Susan Ward has 6 suggested exit strategies.
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Solve the Need for an Exit Strategy