The decision to move on can be informed by a wide range of indicators.  But we have to be awake enough to catch the drift and explore the questions.  Moving on is a choice if we allow ourselves the space to come to the decision.  Knowing what we are stepping into or away from isn't always clear.  Sometimes the decision is made for us - resulting in both pain and perhaps relief.  We encourage leaders to pause, explore, ask questions, engage in deep conversation with trusted colleagues and family members.  Is it time for you to move on? 

Tara Hill, currently ED of Maine Cancer Foundation shares: "When did I know it was time to leave and what was the process of deciding what I wanted to step into? 

I recently changed jobs, trading in an ED position that I had held for 3 ½ years.  The organization I left was much improved over the one I had inherited, thanks to a great deal of hard work on the part of staff, volunteers and the board.  It was starting to hum along with new and interesting prospects on the horizon.  Why did I leave then?  Mostly personal reasons - long commute, evening hours, a desire to work in an area for which I had more passion.  These things don't change even when an organization is no longer troubled. 

So when a job offer came complete with a shorter commute, better pay, and a focus close to my heart, the decision should have been easy.  It wasn't.  The new organization had its own complicated past full of potholes and roadblocks.  I agonized over whether I really wanted to start over and go back to the days when every step was a difficult one.  My current job suddenly looked so good. 

In the end, I went for it simply because it meant I would have more time with my family.  I have in many respects started over again, and many steps are difficult, but the difference I hadn't considered is that I'm not the same person I was four years ago.  I have more experience, more patience, and more optimism that this organization will find its way -- and that I will be proud to be leading it. "

Gibson Fay-LaBlanc of The Telling Room tells us:  "It's hard to leave a job that you love, that feels like a vocation. There is not only your own physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial health to consider, but that of your organization. My decision to leave The Telling Room was born out of a realization, made with the help of my most trusted confidante, that the job had grown beyond the bounds of what I could give. I wasn't expecting it, but it had become bigger than my family life and creative life could allow. Once I saw that, the question became not if I would leave, but when, and how. Leaving is never easy, but with the help of a great board chair, I have been able to create a plan for my exit that I hope will allow both the organization and me to face this transition head on, and flourish"

These are two perspectives, two processes - both with positive results - personally, professionally, and for their organizations.  Give yourself the gift of digging into your rich questions.  Staying may be the conscious result - or perhaps your next great adventure may unfold! 

• The Journey: a group of 6 professionals in the Portland area meeting to support each other in achieving more work-life balance.and practicing strategies to embed new learning.  Contact Carol.  

• The Leader Defined - three 3-hour sessions focused on looking at leadership practice through reflection, several assessment tools, discussion, and reading. May 11, 18, & 25; 2-5PM, Bangor 

• The Eleanor Days - a five-day retreat for women leaders on Isle Au Haut focusing on self care and connection.  June 14 - 18, 2011        

• Rest, Reflect, Renew - a retreat for leaders, October 2011;  to be held in a beautiful location in Maine        
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• Paddling the Rapids - peer consultation groups for leaders, new groups will start in the Fall of 2011  

How do you know when it is time to leave? Do one or more of these statements resonate with you?  Take the time to reflect and see where your answers point you. (Read the full article here).

1. I keep returning to this thought: the organization needs to go in a new direction (or to a new level) and I'm not the right person for it.

2. I'm burned out and I know it.

3. I don't think I'm burned out, but other people think I am.

4. I can't stand my board anymore . . . and/or, I can't seem to please the board no matter what I do.

5. My clock is ticking.  

6. Family roles are calling me.

To these statements, we would add:

7. I have a burning desire to ________________(write, travel, participate in world service, go back to school, get my PhD, etc.).

Tim Wolfred, Psy.D., has a new book out: Managing Executive Transitions, which looks thoughtfully at all aspects of executive director departure. He is a Senior Project Director at CompassPoint Nonprofit Services in San Francisco, and consults across the country to nonprofits and funders in leadership development. He is a former executive director, former interim executive director (in 16 positions), and former elected official.