Should I Stay, Or Should I Go Now?

Somewhere between the third passive-aggressive email of the morning and the moment you caught yourself nodding along in a meeting while internally reciting your shopping list, the question hit: Is it me? Or is this place slowly chipping away at my soul one ‘quick catch-up’ at a time?

We have all been there. The once-exciting job that now feels like a never-ending episode of The Office – only without the laughs, and with a lot more meetings about meetings. You start questioning everything: your role, your values, and whether anyone actually reads the vision statement.

So, do you stay and navigate the internal politics like a weary diplomat, managing up, managing yourself, and managing not to roll your eyes in meetings? Or do you quietly start exporting your CV as a PDF and planning your escape?

The Crossroads No One Warned You About

This is where coaching earns its keep. Not by giving you the answer on a PowerPoint slide, but by helping you untangle the real questions underneath: What matters to me? What am I no longer willing to tolerate? Is this frustration temporary or structural?

The answer is rarely as simple as “just stay” or “just leave.” It is more nuanced than that – and that is exactly why coaching works.

When It Might Be Time to Stay

Stay if you can see a version of yourself in this workplace that feels energised and aligned – not just surviving the days with caffeine and passive resistance. Sometimes, the real work is about recalibrating your responses, not relocating your desk.

With coaching, you can start by getting under the hood of your reactions. Using NLP tools like reframing, you can shift how you see situations – not to excuse bad behaviour, but to expand your choices. For instance, what if that frustrating colleague’s abruptness is less about you and more about their own workload pressure? This does not mean you accept being spoken to poorly – it means you stop internalising it.

You also get to work on anchoring, which in NLP terms, means creating calm, confident states you can access in moments of stress. Imagine being able to respond to a challenging situation with clarity rather than cortisol. That is the power of mental preparation.

And crucially, staying makes sense when you still have influence. If you feel like your voice counts, if your role has room for growth, and if there is hope of aligning your work with your values – then coaching can help you maximise that opportunity.

When It Might Be Time to Go

If the gap between your values and the organisation’s is not just a crack but a canyon, it might be time to move on. One clear sign? When you start describing your job with a laugh that is a little too close to despair.

If your role feels like a poor fit for your skills or if it requires you to constantly dial yourself down just to get through the week, coaching might help you plan your next move – with intention, not impulse. This is where timelines in NLP can be powerful. You can mentally step into your future and explore what life looks and feels like six months after staying... or six months after leaving.

More often than not, the body knows before the brain catches up. That heaviness in your chest on a Sunday evening? That might be more than “a busy week ahead.” It could be your subconscious letting you know that something fundamental is not sitting right.

Enter GROW: Not Just a Model, But a Moment of Clarity

When you are not sure whether to stay, shift, or start again somewhere else entirely, the GROW model can offer a structured pause in the chaos. It gives shape to your thinking and space to get honest with yourself – without leaping straight to conclusions.

• G is for Goal: What do you actually want? Not the vague “less stress” or “better work-life balance” (although, fair), but the meaningful outcomes you want to work towards. A role where your contribution matters? Leadership that listens? A calendar that does not induce dread?

• R is for Reality: This is where you put the rose-tinted glasses (and the rage-tinted ones) to one side and assess the situation as it really is. What is working? What is not? Is your frustration circumstantial or systemic? Could things improve – and do you want to be the one to try?

  
  

Also – is it feasible to leave? Do you have financial runway, professional opportunities, or a network you could activate? Or are you in a chapter that requires you to dig deep and regroup before making your move?

• O is for Options: Here is where it gets interesting. What are all the possible routes forward – including the ones that feel risky, lateral, or even a bit bold? Could you take on a different role? Request coaching internally? Start exploring outside opportunities quietly? What would it take to feel re-engaged again?

• W is for Will: Do you actually want to go – or do you just want things to change? Do you have the energy and clarity to pursue a new direction, or is now the moment to regroup and invest in where you are? This is where coaching can support real accountability. What will you do – and by when?

  
  

Sometimes, working through the GROW model reveals that what you need is not an exit plan, but a plan to reclaim your boundaries, your time, and your sense of purpose. Other times, it shows you exactly where the door is and how to open it without burning down the building on your way out.

The Role of Coaching – No Advice, Just Insight

A good coach will not tell you to hand in your notice or stay and suffer. That is not the job. The job is to ask the right questions. To help you tune into what you already know, but perhaps have not given yourself permission to admit. To create space where you can explore possibilities, not rehearse complaints.

Coaching can help you differentiate between a challenge that builds resilience and a situation that erodes it. Between staying out of loyalty and staying out of fear. Between “this is hard, but I am growing” and “this is hard, and I am shrinking.”

And when you see it clearly, you will not need a sign. You will just know.

Curious whether it is time to stretch, stay or step away?Coaching helps you find clarity and momentum – without the drama. Book a session, bring your questions, and let us GROW through it.