I can't begin to tell you the number of times that people ask me what I am going to do after this job.
I'll have just finished describing our company as a wonderful place to work, that I've never been happier, more productive, or felt more appreciated than I do at work. Then comes the question, "That's great, but what are you going to do next?"
For some reason the quick answer of "I don't have any plans to leave," doesn't seem to satisfy them. Don't I understand that I've been at this company for seven years and it's time to get out? So I go into the long answer: "I work at an amazing company that treats me extremely well, rewards hard work, respects me and gives me the resources I need to get my job done. I have the job people dream about, so why would I ever leave?" Usually the comment will be returned with a stunned look and silence.
I'm the only person I know outside of our company that can answer the question that way, so maybe that's why I get such a strange look of confusion in return. Is there such a pervasive need to move from job to job and to move on to a bigger, better position that people no longer understand that there is such a thing as a company that can treat their employees with such respect and mutual appreciation that people don't choose to leave? Or am I strange to think that I should be happy where I am, building a great marketing department and watching our company expand?
That's the problem with job growth in a medium sized company...there's not enough potential for growth for marketers. I can't eventually move to a VP or CMO position in a company that doesn't have those positions, so why would I want to stay? This company understands that there are other ways to reward us and to keep us happy, but am I one of the lucky few? Are there others out there with similar situations?
