Geez, there were so many possibilities for a title to this post I almost didn’t write it.

I was thinking to go a little more straight to the point and call it “When to Quit Your Job” or maybe just “When to quit” but I decided I needed to have “boss” in the title because the vast majority of people who leave their job don’t really quit their job or even the company, they most often quit their boss.

I used the word “fire” your boss because I wanted to make sure people knew they were in control of their own destiny. At least in most parts of the world you can’t be forced to work somewhere or for someone who you simply can’t stand. You really can fire your boss, or company, at anytime.

It is, however, a question of timing as to when exactly to make this decision. Most people are unhappy in their job. Some are unhappy for an afternoon after a particularly tough morning. Some are unhappy for a longer period of time, weeks or months as they deal with issues at work or perhaps it’s personal issues that they can’t separate from work.

Others are just plain unhappy with their job, it may be the function they perform, it might be a personality conflict with their boss, or the job simply might not be a match for their skill-set.

If you’re in the third group and you’re experiencing any or all of the following “symptoms” then you’ll know it’s likely time to fire your boss.

Broken Promises. If you repeatedly promise yourself you’ll quit, there’s usually an underlying cause. Like any other bad habit, you become so used to broken promises to yourself about quitting that you never actually do it.

The second symptom is continued lack of growth despite your best efforts. If you’ve tried to improve your results and haven’t delivered, your skills, abilities and attitude may not be a match with your role. There are other possible problems here but this much is certain, if you’ve truly given your very best effort and still no one notices, your current job is probably not the job for you.

The last symptom is no jealousy. If you don’t want your bosses’ job, you could have a problem. If at least one of your goals is not advancement to a position higher than your current position, you will likely “coast” your way out the door. Your more motivated peers will simply pass you, likely creating even more discontent in your current job.

If you suffer from these symptoms, and “suffer” is a pretty accurate description of what you’re feeling, then your time is up. You need to more on.

Quitting your job, no matter how much you hate it can be a risky endeavor. So mitigate some of that risk by making sure you’re not running from your current job, make sure you’re running to your next one. You don’t actually have to have a new job before quitting your current one but you should have an idea of what you’re looking for and a plan, a real plan, on how to find it.

Once you quit make sure you walk out the door not run. Don’t damage your integrity by leaving lots of loose ends or by not following the due process of your current employer. As the saying goes “don’t burn bridges that you may need to cross again.”

Don’t allow yourself to dread going to work everyday. YOU control your life, the only way  that’s not true is if you allow someone else to control it for you. If you’re in a poor work situation then change it, it’s your life, it’s your job, it’s your choice.