Walk Away, Pt II

(Con’t)

Employing the Take-Away is simply being honest and you’re doing what they, for whatever reason, are not; you’re just letting them move on as you inform them you’ve decided to move forward in another direction. I think it is a matter of professional self respect. But a word of caution, use a Take-Away only when you mean it. Faking it or using it as a ploy almost never helps. 

We all know the Take-Away Close; we’ve either used it or have been on the receiving end of it in our personal lives. Using personal relationships as a good analogy, some people get tired of being ignored, treated poorly or unappreciated and, as a result, they reach a point at which they’ll say, “enough, I’m done; I’m outa’ here”. What makes it powerful is they mean it, it’s not an attempt to get attention, they are walkin’. The response might be indifference, which only validates suspicions, or someone wakes up and takes notice. Either way they know better where they stand. On the other hand, what happens when someone talks and threatens but never really means it? Nobody believes it, or nobody takes their idle threat seriously. Either way they lose. 

If you are working and you have a reasonable concern before you conclude you will look for a new job as a solution, you should first meet with your boss to seek a mutually agreed solution. I always use the 3 strike rule. You’re not and shouldn’t be threatening, you just want to find a compromise suitable for all parties. Likewise, if you are pursuing a job and more than weeks pass since your last interview, the company is either a bureaucratic nightmare or they aren’t very interested. 

Whenever possible, the motto I apply to any business relationship I am seeking to build is one of “Shared Risk and Mutual Respect”, which is just a more formal application of the Golden Rule. In the hustle and bustle of the business world it can be forgiven that companies and hiring officials have a lot more going on than your application or situation at all times. But when you’ve exhausted all options, held up your end of the proposition, or the clock has run out beyond what is reasonable, there is no need for anger or vindictiveness; don’t be a victim with no self-respect. Nobody’s future hinges on just one opportunity. If you are met with inaction, dithering or indifference by a company you’ve been seeking out, if they aren’t interested, you can either forget about them and move on, or notify them and just walk away and go find one that is. 

 

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