Leave on a Positive Note: How to Write a Letter of Resignation

Leave on a Positive Note: How to Write a Letter of Resignation

Whether you’re on your way to a great new position or unhappily leaving your employer for personal or career-related reasons, you need to write a resignation letter.

The main goal of your letter is to inform your employer about the details of your resignation, but the underlying benefit is a chance for you to strengthen your relationship with your supervisor/colleagues and leave on a positive note. Approach the letter as if you’re writing a thank-you note, and you’ll be on the right track. The following tips will help:

The Introduction

Your letter’s introduction should indicate that you are resigning and should provide your last day of employment. For example: “Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [job title]. My last day of employment will be [date] .”

The Body

The body of your letter should mention your reason for leaving and show your gratitude for the experience the job has given you. Here are a few ways to state that you are leaving, based on your situation:

· Found a New Job: “I have accepted a position as [job title] in [location], which will give me the supervisory responsibilities I have been eager to assume."

· Starting School: “I regret having to leave [employer name], but I am strongly committed to earning my [degree type] and have been accepted to [school name] for the fall term.“

· Medical Reasons: “I regret having to leave, but I am currently experiencing medical issues that prevent me from continuing in this position.”

· Partner Relocation: “My wife/husband has been offered an excellent job opportunity in [location], and we have decided to move there so that she/he can accept it."

· Relocation Refusal: “The Company’s restructure has left many of my colleagues looking for new positions, so I am grateful for your offer of reassignment to the office. However, my family and I have decided that relocation is not feasible for us right now.“

· Bad Experience: “My decision to leave is based on both personal and professional reasons, but please understands that I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with [company name]. I have learned a great deal from you, and I look forward to applying this knowledge in my next position.”

You may also mention that you appreciate the opportunity to work with your supervisor and other team members. If you name-drop, be careful not to exclude anyone. Remember that your letter may make the office rounds. If appropriate, state your willingness to help with the transition; for example, you might offer to train your replacement.

The Closing

End your letter with an expression of kind wishes and interest in keeping in touch. For example: “I hope that we can continue our professional relationship and that we meet again in the future. Best wishes to you and to the rest of the staff.”

Ref: By Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume Expert

EVERY FAILURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY

EVERY FAILURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY

History is full of people who were either blind to their faults and mistakes or refused to acknowledge them, and their pride was their down fall. How different things could have turned out if they would have been humble enough to admit when they were wrong.

What about you? Do you hide your mistakes? Or you take the courageous path of owning up to them? Believe me, most people will respect you more if you do. Sure, some people may rub it in or try to use your humbling for their own advantage, but that’s their problem and does indicate a weakness in your own character.

In the long run, character determines your worth. It’s not the easy successes that prove your mettle, but how you pick yourself up after a fall and try again. By acknowledging and going on in spite of your failures, you’ll also inspire others to not give up.

Failure is a step forward when you learn from it. Failure prepares the way for success by causing you to look hard at your plans and methods. If all those who had eventually succeeded at what they set out to do had stopped at the first failure, we’d still be back in the Stone Age! Aren’t you glad others took the advantage of their failures? Won’t you do the same?
Reference: Hari Nair

How to Coach Your Boss

How to Coach Your Boss

At the core of every toxic working environment is the toxic boss, manager or supervisor that breeds it. All roads go back to the manager. And if the manager isn't willing to change, then it's a safe bet that nothing will.

That's why to impact long lasting change; managers need to upgrade their style and approach to managing their people. The toxic boss is still alive and thriving. Sure, no breakthrough news here but what if you, as the recipient of this type of management style, could actually do something about it?

Knowing the type of boss you have, their limitations, their management style, their priorities, what drives them and how they communicate, helps you determine exactly where you stand, and what you can expect from them. After all, if you're looking for more individualized attention, support and training it may not be realistic to expect that from your current boss or even possible for that boss to provide you the support and training you need. And if that's the case, at least you now have the evidence to make a more educated and informed decision regarding whether or not to stay in your current position.

So, what can you do to turn around your boss's style of managing and how they communicate with you? Here's a twist. Start by coaching and supporting them using these three simple steps.

First: Coach Up. What can you to do support your boss? Most are used to their employees coming to them with problems and complaints. It's an interesting reaction you get when you approach them with, "Hi Mary. Listen I know how much we're all under the same pressure to produce and for you I can only imaging that it's even more intense. So, I just wanted to ask you what I might be able to do for you to possibly take some of that burden off, or if there's anything you see in my production or performance that I could be doing better which in turn we'd all win."

Next: Create the Opportunity to Discuss Expectations: The law of reciprocity applies. After you've determined how you can make his life a little easier, eventually, your manager can ask what he can do for you, which is your opportunity to ask if you can discuss the management style that you best respond to and how you want to be managed.

Finally: Set Your Boundaries: Bosses don’t know boundaries. Like it or not, through many managers eyes, their #1 responsibility is to run the company, not worry about your feelings. So stand up for yourself and establish your role, but always give 100%. While most of the time not premeditated, people, especially your boss will continually test you, over and over again, in the sense of what they can and cannot get away with when it comes to making requests and demands of you and how they can treat you. While a large percentage of people might initially be scared or intimidated to say something to their boss, in fear of some type of consequence or fallout, most of the time, managers are clueless about how they treat people and often don't even know they're doing it! Don't be surprised when you drop off this article on their desk, and they in turn, thank you for it. So, re-train all the people around you, including your boss, how they can respond to you in a healthier, non-toxic way.

(About the author: Keith Rosen is the Executive Sales Coach™ that top salespeople and managers call first to develop a team of champion performers and boost their sales. A best selling author, Keith has written several books including the award winning Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions. Inc. magazine and Fast Company named Keith one of the five most influential executive coaches. He's been featured in Entrepreneur, Inc., Fortune, TheStreet.com, Hoovers.com, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Keith is a frequent guest correspondent on News 12 and has appeared on Fox Business )

Success Endangered - Organisational Behaviour

Success Endangered - Organisational Behaviour

Employees in today's people driven organisations are provided with enormous opportunities to satisfy their entrepreneurial instincts than their predecessors. Though they have an opportunity to start companies, lead business units and run projects individually, not many are successful.

Waldroop and Butler have identified five behaviour patterns - The Impostor, The Meritocrat, The Hero, The Peacekeeper and The Procrastinator, which affect success.

The Impostor

People with the Impostor syndrome unconsciously feel that they are placed too high and do not belong there. They believe that they are pretending in their position and are afraid that someday people might find out. Every person has strengths and weaknesses. An individual's knowledge of different areas differs. Waldroop suggests, "Don't blame yourself. Buy yourself some time. Fake it - that's fine. Act as if you're going to win, do your homework, and the rest will take care of itself".

The Meritocrat

Meritocrats are persons with great ideas but fail at the implementation stage. Their frustrations in not being able to act upon their idea come in the way of success. Waldroop suggests that the person when presenting his ideas to a manager should present them as if they were not yet fully formed. Use phrases like - 'This is what I'd like to do, but I want your thoughts as well'. In that way they are more likely to avoid confrontations.

The Hero

These people are ambitious and work too hard to achieve their goals. They are compulsive in nature and do whatever it takes to get wherever they want to be. They are more commanders than leaders. Organisations run by these people are characterised by burned-out, exhausted and disgruntled employees. Such people can confront the situation by recognising the early signs of burnout.

The Peacekeeper

Peacekeepers are generally perceived to be calm and avoid conflicts. While organisations benefit from conflict that can create new ideas, peacekeepers are most uncomfortable with conflict as they lack experience in handling conflicts. Waldroop suggests that they should learn to handle conflicts.

The Procrastinator

Butler says, "Procrastination has a lot to do with shame". Procrastinators put off doing something because they feel that completing the task will lead to shame in some form. Their sense of shame arises from fear of challenges. Though they do not lack in skills their fear of shame unconsciously becomes a hurdle to success. According to Butler, the best way to deal with it is to stay with the feeling and experience it.These behaviour patterns not only obstruct the success at workplace but also hinder individual success. The best way to counter them is to identify and deal with them systematically.