Hi Zooliners, 

How many jobs have you held so far in your career? We’d be willing to bet it’s more than one and we think that’s great! For his latest Forbes piece, Tom dives into Why A New Role (At A New Agency) Can Be Better Than A Promotion and he makes a pretty solid case.

While it may have been the case that people were expected to find a comfortable job after graduation and stick around as long as possible, that’s not what the reality has been. Tom found some numbers to back these claims, too. Did you know the average tenure here in Germany is 10.6 years? Within Europe, Greeks stay the longest at 13.1 years and Danes move on the quickest at 7.8 years. Head here if you’d like to fact check these numbers or find your own country’s stat for loyalty or bravery, depending on your stance, that is.

In the Forbes piece, Tom gets into why being a generalist trumps being a specialist. He views generalists as the more adaptable, more all-arounders, more versatile and open, and ultimately more appealing as a potential new hire. He also digs into the financial side of things. Asking for a raise at your current job will always be based on your starting and current salary. Ideally, it will also reflect industry standards but the case Tom is making here is that you’ll stay within a fairly specific range. If an extra zero on your paycheck is important, then a new starting offer from a different company can be the way to go.

As a leader, it can be hard to let any employee go, let alone a star employee. But trying to keep people on the team that want to leave ultimately hurts you, them, and the company. Telling your boss that you’re looking to move on is never easy and so first, Tom says he approaches these conversations with an appreciation for their honesty and bravery to make the leap. Second, he encourages them and their decision and lets them know that they’ll always have a home within the company, and a couple of us can attest to this. Of course, there are people he’s been happy to see move on and others he would have rather clinged to, but those aren’t the people he’s referring to in his piece. In fact, many people who have left their position with Tom ultimately found their way back as an employee at some point, sometimes a few years later, sometimes as a freelancer or contractor. In the words of Leslie Higgins, the loveable Director of Communications at AFC and assistant to Rebecca Welton on Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, “A good mentor hopes you will move on. A great mentor knows you will." Yes, we’re Ted Lasso fans around here. 

Now if you want all of Tom’s insights and advice, then head over to Forbes and read Why A New Role (At A New Agency) Can Be Better Than A Promotion.

Greetings on top, from Zoo Kid On The Blog

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