WHEN IS IT TIME TO GO?

At some point in every career most executives face at least one difficult situation that raises the question, "Should I stay with my current employer or leave?" Have you thought about what you will do and how you will make your decision? Perhaps my experience will be useful to your journey.

Four years ago I worked for a Fortune 500 company that desperately needed to reduce its expenses and improve profitability in order to survive in an industry where products had largely become commoditized. My boss presented me with an exciting opportunity--promotion to vice president of my division ($1.2 billion in revenues, 76 employees). But there was a catch. Grow the business, improve profitability and, oh, by the way, eliminate 70 of the 76 positions.

For 12 years I had been totally committed to building a team and helping the company grow. Now, all I had worked for was about to be eliminated with a single decision. Didn't they realize the investment of time, energy and emotion those 12 years represented? My mind raced. My first reaction was to update my resume and list it with some key executive search firms. But before I moved forward, I prayed and asked for God's guidance.

God's Surprising Answer

As I prayed, it became clear God wanted me to stay. At first I resisted. Surely He wouldn't ask me to stay under such difficult circumstances and dismantle a division I was partly responsible for building and improving! But He did.

He reminded me of another turning point six years earlier when I had asked Him what He wanted to do with my life and career. He gave me a vision for how my career could impact my workplace for Christ if I more fully integrated my faith into business decisions and acted more like salt and light in a very dark world. He invited me to partner with Him on the job, to operate with integrity, to make ethical decisions, treat people with respect and lead as a servant. Now, six years later, that vision felt under fire.

At the same time I also saw that--now more than ever as the journey was getting tougher--God was asking me to make a difference in the lives of the remaining employees and customers of the group. Given my years of investment in the employees and customers, no one was in a better position to do it. In fact, I believe God had prepared me for it all along.

Success By a Different Standard

The job was anything but easy. I remember many days when I would shut my office door and cry--not understanding why God wanted me to stay and feeling totally inadequate to counter the negative environment in my group. How could I go to our largest customer and tell them that we had to back down from the commitment we had made because we no longer had the resources to build and launch their new product? Why was I placed in a position where failure seemed inevitable?

I felt as though God made a mistake in choosing me for this task. Often during these times of despair God would tap me on the shoulder and say, "Kathy, I'm here with you. You are not in this alone. … Maybe there's another way of meeting your customers' needs rather than the traditional approach. … Your people are looking up to you. All they need is a little hope and encouragement."

When I felt sucked dry of all emotional, physical and mental energy, I was forced to constantly lean on God for His strength and sufficiency. I found that although He never promised it would be easy, He did promise to be with me each step of the way. And He was.

Here We Go Again

In the last year, further dramatic changes in the organization caused me to again revisit the question of whether God still wanted me to stay. This time I thought about and prayed through a series of questions--questions that may be useful to you when faced with a similar decision:

1. Do you believe in the mission and vision of the company you work for?
2. Are the company's values aligned with yours?
3. Can you support the business strategies and approaches to the business?
4. Do you have confidence and trust in the current leadership?
5. Are you trusted and able to have an impact within your sphere of influence?
6. Are you able to have an impact for Christ in your current position?
7. Is the position something that causes your heart to pump fast - something you can get excited or passionate about?
8. Can you be true to yourself and the personal and family goals you have established?

In my case, the work environment had become so difficult and mistrusting that it was hard to get out of bed and make the trek to the office. A dear friend committed to pray with me at 6:00 AM each morning as I drove to work. It was a life-giving gift.

For months I clarified my values, sought the counsel and prayer of Christian friends, and spent significant time in prayer and journaling. I eventually felt God releasing me to leave. Although I hope I don't have to face such a difficult experience again, I look back on it and I'm thankful. I see how God used all that happened to soften my heart, mold my character and draw me closer to Him.

God is intently interested in your career and your future. If you view your career as an extension of your faith and life in Christ, know that God will see you through every tough decision you face. He can use any situation for His glory if we invite His help. What decision is God calling you to make?

--Kathy Woodliff

Kathy Woodliff is Senior Vice President of General Liability for Zurich North America Insurance's Underwriting Management and Technical Services Business Unit. She is also founder of the Executive Women's ministry of Willow Creek Community Church and serves on the Advisory Board of LifeChasers, LLC.