From the Harvard Business Review:
Are you working for the right organization? Make sure you don’t passively ride downhill with an organization in trouble. Here are seven signs that should concern you:
- A merger, acquisition, or change of control has taken place, and you are not a part of the new changes.
- Management is criticized again and again in the business press.
- The organization does not invest in new products or services and chooses to focus on old ways of doing things.
- People you respect are leaving the company.
- Profits are down, or if it’s a nonprofit, contributions are down.
- Outsiders are hired into management positions and begin to bring their own friends.
- Cost-cutting measures are implemented with little notice or rationale.
If four or five of these signs are true for your organization, take a critical look at it. Talk to the people you know who have left the company. Look it up in the business press. Is it an organization in trouble? There are times when you might want to choose to work for an organization in trouble, but only if there is a career advantage — like being part of the turnaround team or learning an important new skill.