Many in the personal development world are fond of quoting this statement:

“Quitters never win. Winners never quit.”

But, in the context of work and careers, can a person sometimes win by quitting?

I think most would agree that there’s certainly risk in quitting a job or career path – sometimes quantifiable, often not.

From a career coaching perspective I believe it’s a very personal thing, since the definition of “winning” (and even of quitting, for that matter) may differ among people, time and place.

Take this article from Stanford Professor, Bob Sutton: Quitters Sometimes Prosper.

Of course, at the time these folks were very smart college students and not yet ‘weighed’ down by mortgages, children and other such responsibilities. Their decision to drop out may have been an easier one.

But, still – think what they were giving up. Probably what many graduates aspire to – a high earning and prestigious career somewhere or other in the corporate, professional or academic worlds.

I’m less certain by this “quitters never win” statement.

And much prefer “Fail Forward Faster.”
(Of course, you’ll need a personal definition of “failure” in the career context. I’m leaning toward describing failure as taking “calculated risks”. )

How about you?

- Mark McClure

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