Should I Quit My Job If I'm Not Making A Difference?
Should I Quit My Job If I'm Not Making A Difference?
Should I Quit My Job If I'm Not Making A Difference?
Should I Quit My Job If I'm Not Making A Difference?
The organizations we are a part of are constantly changing — whether it is a company, a nonprofit, a church, or otherwise. Sometimes we are able to influence them to change for good, but other times we are not. Listen as Howard and Carter discuss whether you should leave your job if you cannot make a difference.
This past week we looked at how organizations change and how to influence change. We saw some key influencers of change as we looked at McKinsey Company’s Influence Model and God’s word around 4 key influencers of change for organizations.
- Fostering Understanding & Conviction
- Reinforcing With Formal Mechanisms
- Developing Talent & Skills
- Role Modeling
From McKinsey — and even more clearly from God’s word — we saw how each of us has a role to play in influencing others and the organizations we are part of for good.
While what we learned and disused was helpful, some people wondered: what if I have tried these things and more — to influence change and I am not having an impact on the organization I am part of?
What if my organization is not open to change?
So that leaves us with this question: Should someone quit their job or an organization if they cannot influence change — if they are not making a meaningful difference?
We looked at all those ways to make organizational changes, and when you are trying all those things and you still cannot make a difference, that’s a struggle. So, should you quit your job, nonprofit, or church if you do not see changes for good? If you do not see flourishing taking place in your life or the lives of others, should you leave? On top of that, maybe the leadership in the organization is not open to change. You don’t think they are going to change. They are not open to change, and what you are doing isn’t making a difference.
If all that depressing information is true, then the answer is yes. You should not be a part of something that does not have redemptive value for you or for those who you serve. But, things are almost never that simple. That’s why we are talking about this topic in our podcast and weekly groups.
So get in your mind a case or scenario where you are trying to decide if your influence is making a difference and whether you should quit. Or, maybe a scenario that would lead to this. For example, getting upset because you do not feel appreciated. Get a case like that in your mind and test that case against the principles from God’s word we are discussing.
To Know Him
We tend to overcomplicate our decisions and scenarios. We are always going to go to God’s word and see what He says. At the simplest level, God says we need to “love the Lord your God with all heart, soul, and mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). It’s simple, but it’s not easy. The question is this: Is this job or organization helping me know, love, or worship God better?
If your answer is yes, you should probably stay. You could be in prison and God can use it to get to know Him better. In fact, the New Testament is chalk full of examples proving that. You could be in a terrible job and in that job you could be learning how to depend on God more. If that’s true, God could be calling you to stay.
To Love Others
The second question is this: Is this job helping me love and serve others well? These are two simple questions, but hard to follow consistently.
So we break it down a little further. This is a diagram of how to think about a job.
The first circle is your gifts and talents. Your influence is in that circle. In the second circle are the needs of the world, and the third are life enablers. If you are not growing or getting opportunities, you might leave. You might have the gifts to make a real difference, but if the organization isn’t giving you opportunities to do that, you might want to leave.
So now think about quitting and think about a tough job. Just this week I had a conversation with a police officer at a restaurant in Memphis. In the past 3 weeks, his coworkers murdered a man and other officers are now being convicted. There is a lot of scrutiny on the officers and the public is weary of them. Also, his hours have doubled. So consider this case or a case like it.
Despite all this, the police officer was filled with joy. He said the overtime is terrible — almost double. But, he also said he knows he is making a difference because the individual people he serves are validating him. So I thanked him, and so did other people in the restaurant.
The case in your mind might not be as tough, but think about your case as we go through this first guideline.
Impact For God & Others
Consider your vow order and impact of others. You’ve made a vow to follow Jesus — He’s done everything for you and you’ve committed yourself to following Him back. If you are married, you made vows to your spouse. If you have kids, you took vows to them at their baptism. Most of us do not take vows to our jobs or organizations, but there are vows that are implicit.
So the first question is a gate to the second. First, am I getting to know God better? This question is so important. Are you being faithful to the organization? What do you need to remember about God as you work at this job? God is patient; so I don’t just get frustrated and quit. God is compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. God is sovereign and all powerful — He can use all things, good decisions and bad. All things are from God, through God, and for God. In Jesus all things are held together, and He is reconciling all things to Himself. God is strategic, and God is changing everything for good; so our job is to join Him.
So the first thing to consider is whether God is using this job to help you make major changes and impacts outside the job to your other vows. So are you getting to know Him better? But, the next piece is whether your family, neighbors, or community is getting to know Him better. Is it helping others that you serve? This is the gate to the next question. If the answer is yes, then keep going at that organization.
If the answer is no, ask this next question: Is God using me in this job to meet the needs of the world? If yes, stay. If no, dig deeper.
Who is in charge of the company? Are you in charge? If so, align the organization to God’s will to create kingdom impact. The ultimate goal of our influence is to know and experience the love of Christ.
We know we’ve been changed, and Jesus explains it this way in John 12:24-26, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” He’s saying that He did this for us. He’s about to die, He’s headed to the cross. This is in the week right before Jesus’ death and crucifixion.
He is foreshadowing what is going to happen to Him, but he is also telling us what is going to happen if we follow Him. Many times, we have to do this in little ways like giving someone else the last cookie. We do this in big ways by staying back and helping someone who is suffering at work so they can flourish.
Shine Your Light
So if it’s my company, that’s the way it works, but the scenario most of us have in mind is a little tougher than that. They are not the chief influencers in the company. If you are not the leader of the company, consider what influence you do have. Do you have some front-line customer facing influence? Even for police officers, today they have some front-line influence. They do that with their faces, smiles, presence, etc. They have the opportunity to be light.
So ask that question, am I being light? Am I being an example? In Matthew 5, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is from the sermon on the mount.
Even though the overall direction of the organization is not good, if you are being light for some, you may have to keep going.
For bigger organizations, you need to know what the company stands for — what the values and mission are and how they play out. Some organizations have a mission and value statements, but they do not play them out at all.
Are they consistent with their values and mission? Let’s assume it’s an organization where they are consistent with their mission and values. Personally, I have an example of this from a company I used to work for called Wunderman. I couldn’t align with all their values — both some of the written ones and how it played out. But, there was so much good I could align with that was good. So we created a submission that allowed us to complement the main mission. In no way did we detract from the larger mission, but our submission was to help people be successful. So that meant we had to help everyone — our clients, our clients’ customers, our executives, associates, and other team members — be successful. We looked at that as a mission and added values that were consistent with our submission and helped everyone be successful.
One time we were asked to help a gambling company, and since that was not good for the success of everyone — specifically the poor — we told our parent company we couldn’t work on it. And, they could not have been more kind. They told us that we didn’t have to take on a gambling company as a client if it violated our beliefs. So we were able to align by being honest about where we stood.
Some people are out of alignment because they’ve never had the conversation with those who are in charge of them. So know the mission of the organization, observe how that plays out, and talk to leadership about how you do that in your unique way. They might not be comfortable with a submission statement, but it’s worth having the conversation.
The Example Of Daniel
Now, for an even harder case consider companies or governments that do not stand for good. There are plenty of examples of this in the Bible. In the New Testament we do not have many examples of Christians on top of the power structure. It considers us as servants under an oppressive system — not on top.
If you want to look at someone who has power and influence at the highest level, you have to go to the Old Testament and look at Joseph or Daniel. Daniel is one of those examples who is under one of the most obnoxious and oppressive rulers. They were slaves who were conquered by Babylon. The best and brightest of them worked at the palace. Lots of hard things happened to people at the palace, but Daniel served there and became one of the greatest influences of the whole kingdom. Just like Joseph, for such a time Daniel was appointed.
Daniel was so influential that he could tell him about a disastrous prophecy that was about to take place and then give him straightforward advice about avoiding that calamity. Daniel interpreted dreams and had to interpret the king’s dream that literally meant the king was going to become an animal and eat grass because of his self-righteousness and false pride.
In Daniel 4 he says, “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
I recommend reading the book of Daniel for yourself, but in this passage Daniel is able to give the king advice right after giving him terrible news. And, there are a few more takeaways about serving in an organization without aligning to their mission, but still influencing it for good — just like missionaries go to dark countries and shine light. Missionaries do not go for political alignment or economic gain, they go to help other people flourish. Daniel somehow had a missionary mindset as he was a slave to the king. Here are four things Daniel did.
- He stayed connected to God through prayer. Daniel kept praying to God before he acted. He recognized his gifts were from God, thanked God for his gift and influence, and he would pray. Daniel got in trouble for praying, but even when he was thrown in the lion's den, God provided.
- Daniel had a great community. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were also slaves and ended up in a hot furnace with them. Even before Daniel’s dream in chapters 3-4, Daniel asked them to pray with him. So he had a good community of believers and they stayed together in it.
- He doesn’t totally assimilate. In chapter one he requested to not eat certain foods of the palance and they let him. Daniel stayed unique to who he was. This is important to remember — especially in a darker organization.
- Daniel meditated on God’s word. He meditated on God’s law and this kept him connected to God. He was willing to be a servant of God’s change.
If Daniel can do it in his circumstances, I’m sure most of us can find a way to advance God’s work in the world — even in organizations that are not aligned. I hope this gives you a view of what it might look like to make an impact on the organization you serve, but if you’ve tried all these things — prayer, community, alignment, and understanding God’s word — and the leaders just won’t have it and you cannot help others flourish, then you should make a change.
The organizations we are a part of are constantly changing — whether it is a company, a nonprofit, a church, or otherwise. Sometimes we are able to influence them to change for good, but other times we are not. Listen as Howard and Carter discuss whether you should leave your job if you cannot make a difference.
Resources
This past week we looked at how organizations change and how to influence change. We saw some key influencers of change as we looked at McKinsey Company’s Influence Model and God’s word around 4 key influencers of change for organizations.
- Fostering Understanding & Conviction
- Reinforcing With Formal Mechanisms
- Developing Talent & Skills
- Role Modeling
From McKinsey — and even more clearly from God’s word — we saw how each of us has a role to play in influencing others and the organizations we are part of for good.
While what we learned and disused was helpful, some people wondered: what if I have tried these things and more — to influence change and I am not having an impact on the organization I am part of?
What if my organization is not open to change?
So that leaves us with this question: Should someone quit their job or an organization if they cannot influence change — if they are not making a meaningful difference?
We looked at all those ways to make organizational changes, and when you are trying all those things and you still cannot make a difference, that’s a struggle. So, should you quit your job, nonprofit, or church if you do not see changes for good? If you do not see flourishing taking place in your life or the lives of others, should you leave? On top of that, maybe the leadership in the organization is not open to change. You don’t think they are going to change. They are not open to change, and what you are doing isn’t making a difference.
If all that depressing information is true, then the answer is yes. You should not be a part of something that does not have redemptive value for you or for those who you serve. But, things are almost never that simple. That’s why we are talking about this topic in our podcast and weekly groups.
So get in your mind a case or scenario where you are trying to decide if your influence is making a difference and whether you should quit. Or, maybe a scenario that would lead to this. For example, getting upset because you do not feel appreciated. Get a case like that in your mind and test that case against the principles from God’s word we are discussing.
To Know Him
We tend to overcomplicate our decisions and scenarios. We are always going to go to God’s word and see what He says. At the simplest level, God says we need to “love the Lord your God with all heart, soul, and mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). It’s simple, but it’s not easy. The question is this: Is this job or organization helping me know, love, or worship God better?
If your answer is yes, you should probably stay. You could be in prison and God can use it to get to know Him better. In fact, the New Testament is chalk full of examples proving that. You could be in a terrible job and in that job you could be learning how to depend on God more. If that’s true, God could be calling you to stay.
To Love Others
The second question is this: Is this job helping me love and serve others well? These are two simple questions, but hard to follow consistently.
So we break it down a little further. This is a diagram of how to think about a job.
The first circle is your gifts and talents. Your influence is in that circle. In the second circle are the needs of the world, and the third are life enablers. If you are not growing or getting opportunities, you might leave. You might have the gifts to make a real difference, but if the organization isn’t giving you opportunities to do that, you might want to leave.
So now think about quitting and think about a tough job. Just this week I had a conversation with a police officer at a restaurant in Memphis. In the past 3 weeks, his coworkers murdered a man and other officers are now being convicted. There is a lot of scrutiny on the officers and the public is weary of them. Also, his hours have doubled. So consider this case or a case like it.
Despite all this, the police officer was filled with joy. He said the overtime is terrible — almost double. But, he also said he knows he is making a difference because the individual people he serves are validating him. So I thanked him, and so did other people in the restaurant.
The case in your mind might not be as tough, but think about your case as we go through this first guideline.
Impact For God & Others
Consider your vow order and impact of others. You’ve made a vow to follow Jesus — He’s done everything for you and you’ve committed yourself to following Him back. If you are married, you made vows to your spouse. If you have kids, you took vows to them at their baptism. Most of us do not take vows to our jobs or organizations, but there are vows that are implicit.
So the first question is a gate to the second. First, am I getting to know God better? This question is so important. Are you being faithful to the organization? What do you need to remember about God as you work at this job? God is patient; so I don’t just get frustrated and quit. God is compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. God is sovereign and all powerful — He can use all things, good decisions and bad. All things are from God, through God, and for God. In Jesus all things are held together, and He is reconciling all things to Himself. God is strategic, and God is changing everything for good; so our job is to join Him.
So the first thing to consider is whether God is using this job to help you make major changes and impacts outside the job to your other vows. So are you getting to know Him better? But, the next piece is whether your family, neighbors, or community is getting to know Him better. Is it helping others that you serve? This is the gate to the next question. If the answer is yes, then keep going at that organization.
If the answer is no, ask this next question: Is God using me in this job to meet the needs of the world? If yes, stay. If no, dig deeper.
Who is in charge of the company? Are you in charge? If so, align the organization to God’s will to create kingdom impact. The ultimate goal of our influence is to know and experience the love of Christ.
We know we’ve been changed, and Jesus explains it this way in John 12:24-26, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” He’s saying that He did this for us. He’s about to die, He’s headed to the cross. This is in the week right before Jesus’ death and crucifixion.
He is foreshadowing what is going to happen to Him, but he is also telling us what is going to happen if we follow Him. Many times, we have to do this in little ways like giving someone else the last cookie. We do this in big ways by staying back and helping someone who is suffering at work so they can flourish.
Shine Your Light
So if it’s my company, that’s the way it works, but the scenario most of us have in mind is a little tougher than that. They are not the chief influencers in the company. If you are not the leader of the company, consider what influence you do have. Do you have some front-line customer facing influence? Even for police officers, today they have some front-line influence. They do that with their faces, smiles, presence, etc. They have the opportunity to be light.
So ask that question, am I being light? Am I being an example? In Matthew 5, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is from the sermon on the mount.
Even though the overall direction of the organization is not good, if you are being light for some, you may have to keep going.
For bigger organizations, you need to know what the company stands for — what the values and mission are and how they play out. Some organizations have a mission and value statements, but they do not play them out at all.
Are they consistent with their values and mission? Let’s assume it’s an organization where they are consistent with their mission and values. Personally, I have an example of this from a company I used to work for called Wunderman. I couldn’t align with all their values — both some of the written ones and how it played out. But, there was so much good I could align with that was good. So we created a submission that allowed us to complement the main mission. In no way did we detract from the larger mission, but our submission was to help people be successful. So that meant we had to help everyone — our clients, our clients’ customers, our executives, associates, and other team members — be successful. We looked at that as a mission and added values that were consistent with our submission and helped everyone be successful.
One time we were asked to help a gambling company, and since that was not good for the success of everyone — specifically the poor — we told our parent company we couldn’t work on it. And, they could not have been more kind. They told us that we didn’t have to take on a gambling company as a client if it violated our beliefs. So we were able to align by being honest about where we stood.
Some people are out of alignment because they’ve never had the conversation with those who are in charge of them. So know the mission of the organization, observe how that plays out, and talk to leadership about how you do that in your unique way. They might not be comfortable with a submission statement, but it’s worth having the conversation.
The Example Of Daniel
Now, for an even harder case consider companies or governments that do not stand for good. There are plenty of examples of this in the Bible. In the New Testament we do not have many examples of Christians on top of the power structure. It considers us as servants under an oppressive system — not on top.
If you want to look at someone who has power and influence at the highest level, you have to go to the Old Testament and look at Joseph or Daniel. Daniel is one of those examples who is under one of the most obnoxious and oppressive rulers. They were slaves who were conquered by Babylon. The best and brightest of them worked at the palace. Lots of hard things happened to people at the palace, but Daniel served there and became one of the greatest influences of the whole kingdom. Just like Joseph, for such a time Daniel was appointed.
Daniel was so influential that he could tell him about a disastrous prophecy that was about to take place and then give him straightforward advice about avoiding that calamity. Daniel interpreted dreams and had to interpret the king’s dream that literally meant the king was going to become an animal and eat grass because of his self-righteousness and false pride.
In Daniel 4 he says, “This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
I recommend reading the book of Daniel for yourself, but in this passage Daniel is able to give the king advice right after giving him terrible news. And, there are a few more takeaways about serving in an organization without aligning to their mission, but still influencing it for good — just like missionaries go to dark countries and shine light. Missionaries do not go for political alignment or economic gain, they go to help other people flourish. Daniel somehow had a missionary mindset as he was a slave to the king. Here are four things Daniel did.
- He stayed connected to God through prayer. Daniel kept praying to God before he acted. He recognized his gifts were from God, thanked God for his gift and influence, and he would pray. Daniel got in trouble for praying, but even when he was thrown in the lion's den, God provided.
- Daniel had a great community. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were also slaves and ended up in a hot furnace with them. Even before Daniel’s dream in chapters 3-4, Daniel asked them to pray with him. So he had a good community of believers and they stayed together in it.
- He doesn’t totally assimilate. In chapter one he requested to not eat certain foods of the palance and they let him. Daniel stayed unique to who he was. This is important to remember — especially in a darker organization.
- Daniel meditated on God’s word. He meditated on God’s law and this kept him connected to God. He was willing to be a servant of God’s change.
If Daniel can do it in his circumstances, I’m sure most of us can find a way to advance God’s work in the world — even in organizations that are not aligned. I hope this gives you a view of what it might look like to make an impact on the organization you serve, but if you’ve tried all these things — prayer, community, alignment, and understanding God’s word — and the leaders just won’t have it and you cannot help others flourish, then you should make a change.
The organizations we are a part of are constantly changing — whether it is a company, a nonprofit, a church, or otherwise. Sometimes we are able to influence them to change for good, but other times we are not. Listen as Howard and Carter discuss whether you should leave your job if you cannot make a difference.
Resources