Are the reasons we contemplate changing jobs valid?

There are usually a number of reasons that motivate us to change jobs but usually only one that provokes us to make the leap of faith and becomes the deciding factor. I have listed a number that my coaching clients repeatedly list as their reasons for wanting to change:

• Better career opportunities

• Higher compensation package

• To feel valued

• Lack of challenge

• To be recognised for achievements

• Better work life/balance

• To seek an organisational culture that is more aligned with theirs

• Lack of synergy with the hierarchy

• Lack of autonomy and/or overlooked for promotion.

All valid reasons, but which one is niggling away at you?

Interestingly, the first one is rarely the one that provokes the decision to move - that always needs further exploration. I often wonder why that is. Why we cannot be honest with ourselves and others from the outset.

The conclusion I have reached - when we vocalise the reason to other people, we feel it may sound weak or we have not explored the cause and our role within it. After all, we are masters of our own destiny, aren’t we?