The Reasons for Indecision

You’ve been looking for a new job and have interviewed for a couple of positions. A start-up offers you a position doing the same work you’re currently doing but for considerably more money. Another firm gives you the chance to go in a new direction, one you’ve been thinking about for a while, for slightly less than what you’re currently earning but with the prospect of regular salary increases. And then, seemingly out of the blue, your boss tells you that the company is considering a new venture and implies that you would be the perfect person to head up this project; you’d get more authority, more responsibility, and more money—if the new project is approved. What do you do?

If you’re a black-and-white thinker, chances are you’ll reach a decision pretty quickly. You’ll have figured out what matters most to you and not worry that you might make the wrong decision. If you’ve already decided to leave, your boss’s suggestion is unlikely to persuade you to stay, and if you know that what really matters isn’t the money but the chance to blaze a new path, your decision is easy.