The best way to resign when you don’t respect your boss
Ideally, we should address this problem early on so we don’t suffer. However, if we are not able or willing to solve it and prefer to walk away, this is how I would resign.
My boss and I were in the elevator at the Client’s offices. The manager and director were waiting for us. Due to the short notice and our clients’ lack of time, we held the meeting right there in the hall.
My boss opened it:
Leandro has something to tell you
That was my last day in the company. I had communicated it a few weeks back to my boss, but he didn’t share it with our clients (and didn’t allow me to do so). He was waiting for the “right time.”
The problem is that he chose the right time for him, but asked me to deliver the news.
Nevertheless, I did it. There were plenty of things I would have loved to mention. I kept reasons and explanations for myself. Partly, because they were subjective, and partly because we are not supposed to share that information with our clients.
After the meeting ended, I had the chance to speak in private with the director, who looked at me as if he knew most of what I had refrained from telling them. After we talked for a while, he told me:
You were professional from the first until the last day you worked with us.
And that’s something beautiful to hear.
The temptation
If our boss is the main reason for leaving the company, I can tell you that we feel overwhelmed, frustrated, underestimated, and victims of injustice. So, being tempted to spill everything out on our resignation is common.
We are full of negative feelings. The resignation is when we release that valve and let the pressure flow out. But let me give you a piece of advice:
Put your ego aside 1 more day.
Working for a boss we don’t respect is one of the most challenging situations. The frustration and disappointment stay with us daily, but we cope with it through resilience.
We need to extend that effort one extra day and resign professionally.
Nothing to win. Too much to preserve.
We can’t change the past. Once we’ve decided to resign, we should focus only on our future.
Of course, we must express our pain and the reasons for leaving during the exit interview. We should do it with professionalism and respect. This will help our former team members, boss, and company.
A lousy reaction or offensive behavior won’t make us any good, now, but precisely the opposite.
Our reputation, self-esteem, and every good action we did in the past will be at risk if we succumb to that temptation.
We can only keep them safe by controlling our emotions.
Avoiding reaching that point
Any disagreement with your boss should be (respectfully) expressed during your time on the team. This brings many benefits:
- You may change their behavior and improve your experience.
- You may understand their point of view, change your mind, and learn something.
- You will feel better after releasing part of your frustrations.
They are difficult conversations in the short term, but they are mandatory if you want to work happily.
If the situation is so bad or you don’t want to invest time in reverting it, no problem. Walk away.
Only keep this in mind:
Keep your reputation safe. Be professional until your last day.