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“I hate my job, but the money is good.”
I’ve heard people say this so many times. You hardly find someone who genuinely loves their job.
Why do people work at a job they hate?
For the money.
But why do people quit their jobs? There can be several reasons for that, like:
- Lack of opportunities and career growth
- Low pay
- Lack of respect at work
- Lack of flexibility
- Feeling burnt out
According to research, most people quit their jobs because of the first two reasons.
In November 2021, I handed over my two-week notice to quit my corporate job. I pledged myself not to work at a 9–5 job ever again.
My reason for quitting the job was not because of a lack of career growth opportunities. It wasn’t about the money either — even though I was underpaid for my skills and qualifications.
I knew I could negotiate the money if I had worked for a few more months. But I decided not to do so because I was done with “the people.”
I quit my corporate job because I didn’t particularly appreciate the people running the company. The leadership sucked.
I did not have any personal issues with any of my ex-employers. Nor did they ever say or do something to offend me personally. But they undermined my skills and qualifications. They never took ideas and suggestions from other employees or me. Instead, they always did what they wanted.
The organization was a mess. And the leaders were doing nothing about it. They thought they were, but nothing was changing.
It was not just me who felt that. All the employees, especially those in senior positions, knew that the company was falling apart. We knew that the leadership sucked. Yet, we had to cope with their BS every day.
I was the first one to leave because I had had enough. Three other senior-level employees left a few months after I quit.
Why leadership matters
A leader should inspire me, motivate me, and bring out the best in me. He is someone I look up to and respect. I should have a feeling of wanting to follow their path in my career.
I never saw that in my leaders while I was at the company. Instead, when I saw them, I felt furious. I did not want to follow their orders and work for them because they made no sense.
When leaders cannot motivate employees, the organization will fall apart. Leaders should communicate well and share the company’s vision with the people. They must have the ability to align the organization’s common goals with those of the employees.
Leaders should do all that by action and not just by words.
Leaders show the path, and employees follow them. They don’t just sit back and give orders. Instead, they show how things are done.
A few years ago, one of my friends worked at a renowned IT company. He was paid a lot for his job. At the time, we had just begun our careers. Yet, he was making almost three times as much as me.
I was jealous of him. “He must be so lucky,” I thought. After a few months, he even got a raise. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I was shocked by how much he made at his first job.
A few months after he got the raise, I met him around the neighborhood. “How’s your work going?” I asked.
“I quit my job,” he said.
“What?! Why?” I was shocked.
“I got bored of the same work. The people who ran the company suck.”
“Money didn’t motivate me anymore,” he said.
Even though he was paid more than three times as much as me, he quit his job because of unsatisfactory work and bad leadership.
When he talked about him leaving the job, I thought he was stupid at first. “How can someone leave a job that pays so much?” I thought that in my head.
But after a few years, the same thing happened to me. Then, I understood how my friend must have felt.
Even if my bosses had offered me a raise, I wouldn’t have stayed at the company because it was not about the money anymore.
The callback
After a year of leaving, I got a callback from the company. They wanted me back. They even offered me more money.
But I was on a different path then. I wasn’t ready to go back.
I thought about it for a few minutes, but I remembered how I felt when leaving. Then, the answer was easy for me.
I respectfully declined the offer. I have no regrets.
Final thought
A leader can make or break a company. The essential leadership skill is communication. By that, I do not mean just talking or negotiating. I mean the ability to motivate and inspire the people of the company.
As I said previously, I should be able to look up to my leader and say that I want to be like him (or her) one day.
Action speaks louder than words. Merely talking about big things will not take a company anywhere. Leaders should be able to act according to their terms. They should be the first ones to take the initiative.
Further, leaders should also respect other people’s opinions and ideas. After all, we are a team.
