Questions to Help You Decide What’s Next

Rather than asking “Should I stay or should I go?”, try working through these questions:

• What’s actually driving this feeling?

  Is it the cause, the role, the organisation or the workload?

  It’s possible to love the mission and still be in the wrong seat, and it can be empowering to come to that realisation and choose to do something about it.

• What would I tell a colleague or my best friend if they were in my position?

  We’re often far kinder to others than we are to ourselves.

  Imagining what we would advise someone else can build in healthy and helpful psychological space and cut down on the emotional noise surrounding the issue.

  Ask yourself:

  “If someone I cared about came to me with exactly these facts, what would I advise them to do, and why?”

• Could anything change that would make staying feel right?

  A different remit, clearer boundaries or more support could make a real difference.

  If not, that’s useful to know too.

• If guilt wasn’t part of the picture, what would I choose?

  This can show whether guilt is protecting something important or simply holding you in place.

  Loyalty in mission-driven work can become moralised in a way that may not happen in the for-profit sector.

  Mission-driven work can blur the line between “I am leaving a job” and “I am abandoning the cause.”

• If I did go, how could I leave well?

  Enough notice, a thoughtful handover and honest conversations can protect the people, animals and organisations you care about.

• Where else could my care and expertise make a difference?

  Leaving a role doesn’t mean leaving the cause.

  Many people stay involved as volunteers, trustees, advisers or in another part of the movement they care deeply about.