I was at run club last night (a weekly event and promise I made to myself that if I was ever my own boss I would attend more often) and the director of my position called me from Denver. I was surprised to see his name on my phone and I then again I wasn’t. It made sense. I had wondered all day why I hadn’t received any sort of paperwork or notification regarding my abruptly leaving the company and as it turned out they had other plans than to just let me walk and had yet to ax me from the company.
The guy on the other end of the phone is a great guy (everyone at my last company was great), but this went above and beyond. He is also a master salesman. He’s probably read more books on the subject than 90% of salesmen and he’s even written his own. I knew I was going to have to avoid making any rushed decisions during that call because he has the skill set to make anyone do so.
His question when I picked up was:
“How do we make it so you can come back to work and still achieve your goal?”
For the duration of my run (yes, we talked my entire run) he overcame every hesitation I had to coming back and pitched some amazing ideas to work with me. They weren’t firm offers, mind you, but you can’t just ignore, or even take lightly, the thoughts he was pitching.
Some ideas he offered included:
- Part-time hours
- Working remotely
- Working on just special projects and tasks
- Working on-demand (helping only when I needed extra cash, and from home)
- Accelerating a promotion
How do you say no to that?!
Talk about an offer you can’t refuse. Just picture this: The director of everyone with your job title is on your phone, he has a whole company worth of people to manage, several offices to oversee, and he’s going out of his way to work with you. How do you say no? Can you say no?
Well, I did.
For me, it’s not about the money. It’s not about the security. It’s about the dream. No bosses.
I’m writing this at 3am (now 4:15am as I edit [4:50am as I wrap and schedule the post, {almost gym time!}]) because I’m compelled to get it out while it’s on my mind. If this means I need to take a nap at 1pm tomorrow, so be it. I can do that and still put in a twelve-hour day towards my goals.
Not someone else’s goals. Not someone else’s company. Not someone else’s dreams.
Mine.
So how do you say no to such generous offers?
Why don’t I just show you? What follows is the e-mail I sent my boss.
{}{}{}{},
I appreciate everything about your call last night. From just picking up the phone to presenting different ideas and potential routes for us to keep working together. Your patience, persistence, and willingness to work with me showcases the strength of your character and your leadership. There is no doubt you are a special person and the right individual for your job.
However, I have to decline your offer to return to work and it is not because your offers weren’t good. Believe me, you make not coming back to work a difficult decision. It is because I know in my heart of hearts that if I don’t give this a 110% shot at least one time I will kick myself for the rest of my life for not trying.
Again, your offers to help me balance both working and my dream were extremely generous and tempting, but I want to see what I am capable of if I go after this idea unimpeded. I want to leave no room for “what-if’s” in this pursuit. If I compromise right out of the gate, even as flexible as some of your ideas were, I’ll always know in the back of my mind I could have probably done more and that “what-if” would forever irk me.
As I mentioned on the phone, it’s not about the money for me. {}{}{}{} is a great company and everyone there is phenomenal. The hardest part is, and always has been, walking away from you guys.
With the explosive growth we are experiencing, it is an exciting time to be a part of the {}{}{}{} team right now. I know you’re going to build something wonderful and I wish you the best of luck, though I doubt you need it.
Warmest, kindest, sincerest regards,
Kyle
I get it. I gotta eat, right? Yeah, the people screaming that at me are right, sort of, and I appreciate the place they are coming from. I have some ideas in the works and I’ll share more when those processes pan out.
But I made a decision when I left my job and I have to stay the course, an ideal I both preach and put into practice.
I am not one to do things half-assed. When I go for something I don’t compromise.
I’m an idealist. I’m a dreamer. Hopefully that is my strength and my key to success, not my Achilles heel- because everyone is watching now.
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