Strategically burning bridges when appropriate, putting forth a will-do attitude even if it means doing things outside scoped responsibilities, and just being kind to people.
strategically burning bridges? Sometimes it’s tempting but I always tried to leave each gig on good terms, no hard feelings, no matter how good or dysfunctional the situation was, since you never know when past connections can be helpful later on. Curious to know when is it helpful to burn the bridge.
If a manager was mean to the woman on your team, and you stood up for her and called him out and maybe taken it to HR and thus burned the bridge with that manager, the woman and her team might be much stronger connections in the future.
If you have enemies, or for that matter people who just hate/envy you, the bridges are burnt no matter on what terms you leave. They will just be happy to see the end of you.
Don't burn bridges is for relationships where people like each other.
Strategically burning bridges is cya in a way that you benefit while leaving, leave others wondering before they deliver a blow.
Not the OP, but there is a lot to be said for the concept of karma. Karma is the result of some action. You can hold on to some karma, or you can let it go. Sometimes you have a connection with a person or an organisation. That connection can have consequences that are not good for you. You are free to hang on to that connection, or let it go most of the time. Usually it's a good idea to let it go. Sometimes the other side persists in trying to keep the connection (for one reason or another). In those cases, it's probably a good idea to be perfectly clear about your desire to sever the connection. You don't have to be cruel about it, but it's usually good to be crystal clear.
This is often super difficult to do, and the Seinfeld "off like a bandaid" approach is probably best. By doing it clearly and quickly, you allow yourself to focus on what you really want and not to carry around a lot of baggage. For example, I've been approached by previous employers about working for them again and I've had to tell them politely that it's never going to happen. Usually I try to give them some constructive criticism if they are able to receive it, but I admit to having done the "It's not you, it's me" routine before. Basically, I think it's important to focus on explaining that the paths are different and that each party needs to concentrate on their own path without needing to try to drag the other along. A couple of times I've received the, "But I've changed..." thing and I just have to reply, "That's great. I know you'll be able to find great people to work with because of that. I need to focus on my own stuff."
