In October 2022, I stood in my pulpit and made a suprise announcement: I would be stepping down from my rabbinic position. I promised my community a spectacular last year before finally leaving, which I hope I delivered.
I think it was pretty clear that I was departing on my own terms in a way and at a time that suited me. Most people in my community were taken by surprise, although of course, the announcement was long planned. It was so much of a surprise that someone actually asked me:
Did your wife know in advance that you were going to resign?
I’d realised that this groundwork would be necessary to give the ‘right’ impression. Despite that, immediately after I resigned, certain colleagues asked me ‘are you… OK?’ This is code for ‘were you fired?
Sadly, plenty of executives (including rabbis) end their careers neither at a time nor in a manner of their choosing. There are many reasons for this, some of which I will explore in the Leave Well | Live Better newsletter over the coming months.
In an interview a few months before I stepped down, I mentioned half in jest that most rabbis are either dragged out or carried out and that I hadn’t fancied either fate. Since I was ostensibly still alive, this some colleagues came to the conclusion that I was in the former category!
This leads me to a common assumption that Leave Well | Live Better is designed to challenge – you simply stay in a successful job / career, especially if you enjoy it, well, until the bitter end.
Some years ago, I began to realise that the opposite is true. Those who aren’t so successful and / or less comfortable in their roles may have few exit options and limited access to complementary income streams.
They are chasing the chimera of success many years into a role, when the moment has long passed.
But when you’re successful, content and effective in your role, you should be able to manage your timing to Leave Well | Live Better. And this is essential, because however good you are at your job, there’s an unavoidable point of diminishing returns. Preempting that point is key to being able to Leave Well | Live Better.
Do you know when your point of diminishing returns will be?
Please tell me in the comments.
Next up: Leave Well | Live Better: The Scrap Heap
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The detail in the photo accompanying this post suggest you were employed by the Russians. Time to come clean about the *real* reason you stepped down...?!