Is It Time to Stay or Move On? Why Regular Career Reflection Makes You a Stronger Leader

In today’s demanding and fast-changing workplaces, many professionals wait far too long before asking themselves a crucial question: “Is this still the right place for me?”

We often associate this question with frustration, burnout, or conflict. But in reality, the most grounded and self-aware leaders don’t wait for something to go wrong. They reflect proactively, long before performance drops or disengagement creeps in. They know that career decisions are rarely sudden — they evolve over time, shaped by values, energy, growth, culture, and future expectations.

As a leadership coach, I regularly guide clients through this process. Not because they are unhappy, but because they want to stay intentional about where they invest their talent, attention, and energy. To support that, I use a structured reflection questionnaire that helps leaders assess their current role and organization through five meaningful lenses: Meaning & Values, Growth & Development, Energy & Well-being, Leadership & Culture, and Future & Intentions.

This reflection is not about making an immediate decision. It’s about creating clarity.

Reflection as a Leadership Habit — Not a Warning Sign

Many leaders assume that evaluating whether to stay or leave is only relevant when something feels “off.” But reflection is not a sign of dissatisfaction — it’s a sign of ownership.

Just as organizations review their strategy regularly, individuals benefit from stepping back and assessing their career alignment. When done routinely, reflection prevents reactive decisions and instead supports choices that are conscious, values-driven, and aligned with personal well-being.

Proactive reflection helps avoid drifting into disengagement, normalizing unhealthy stress, losing sight of development needs, or staying in a role simply out of habit. The strongest careers are built on conscious choices, not passive continuity.

Why This Matters Even More in a VUCA World

Today’s workplace is defined by VUCA — volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. These forces reshape jobs, expectations, leadership realities, and the emotional experience of work. In volatile environments, roles shift faster than leaders can adapt. In uncertainty, long-term predictability is gone. Complexity increases the cognitive and emotional load. Ambiguity blurs signals about whether you are still in the right place.

In such an environment, staying grounded becomes a leadership responsibility. Regular, structured reflection provides the clarity that VUCA environments simply do not offer. It creates an internal anchor, helping leaders understand whether the new reality still aligns with their values, energy, and future aspirations.

This is why I use the reflection questionnaire in my coaching practice: it helps leaders stay centred and intentional even when everything around them shifts.

How the Reflection Questionnaire Works

In coaching sessions, I guide clients through the five dimensions, combining structured questions with a radar chart that visually maps their scores. This helps leaders instantly see patterns and insights: where the alignment is strong, where it is weak, what the energy drains are, and what would need to change to make staying a meaningful choice.

For many clients, one insight stands out: you don’t need everything to be perfect — but you do need the right things to be healthy (mine…)

Sometimes this leads to a renewed commitment: “Yes, I’m in the right place — and here’s how I want to grow.”
Other times, it reveals that something essential is missing: a value mismatch, a lack of growth, cultural friction, or simply a sense of loyalty that no longer aligns with personal well-being. Both outcomes are equally powerful. Awareness always comes before meaningful action.

Turning the Table: Inviting Your Team to Reflect

Reflection is not only valuable for leaders assessing their own situation. In today’s workplace, where silent resignation and disengagement quietly erode team performance, leaders can strengthen their teams by inviting them to reflect on similar questions.

Silent resignation rarely announces itself. It shows up as politeness instead of passion, reduced initiative, emotional distance, or just enough performance to stay invisible. Often, employees hesitate to speak up — not because they don’t care, but because they aren’t sure their voice matters.

By using a simplified version of these reflection questions with team members, leaders can uncover:
• what gives people energy
• where they experience unnecessary friction
• how they perceive the team culture
• whether they see a future in their current role
• and what support they need to thrive

When leaders open this dialogue, small issues surface early, psychological safety grows, and team dynamics become healthier. It transforms performance conversations from administrative routines into meaningful, human-centered discussions.

In a VUCA world, these reflective dialogues help teams stay connected to purpose, to each other, and to the organization. They reduce the risk of losing people quietly — one of the most damaging trends in modern organizations.

As a coach, I often support leaders in introducing these conversations safely and constructively. When done well, reflection becomes more than personal insight — it becomes a shared practice that builds trust, engagement, and sustainable performance.

This Reflection Is Not About Leaving — It’s About Leading

Whether a leader ultimately stays in their role or chooses a new direction, intentional reflection strengthens leadership. It enhances confidence, improves clarity, and supports better decision-making. Reflecting on one’s work situation — and inviting the team to do the same — is one of the most powerful ways to promote alignment, energy, and well-being.

If you’re curious whether your current environment is still supporting your best self, or if you want to explore how your team perceives their own alignment, the reflection questionnaire can be an excellent starting point. I use this tool in coaching sessions to help leaders gain the clarity they need to move forward with intention and confidence.

Using This Reflection Process in Teams: Rebuilding Engagement, Passion, and Alignment

While this reflection process is valuable for individual leaders, its impact grows exponentially when used at team level. Teams today face increasing pressure, shifting priorities, and the silent effects of disengagement. Many teams operate on autopilot — delivering output, meeting deadlines, but gradually losing the spark that makes collaboration meaningful and energizing.

This is where reflective team coaching becomes transformative.

When a team engages with the same five reflection dimensions — meaning, growth, energy, culture, and future — the conversation moves beyond tasks and operations. It surfaces what truly drives or drains them. It reveals what they need from each other, where alignment is strong, and where it quietly erodes.

In my work as a team coach, I facilitate these sessions to help teams reconnect with:

• their shared purpose
• the mission and vision of the organization
• their own strengths and interdependencies
• the energy patterns that shape collaboration
• the leadership behaviors they rely on to perform sustainably

Through guided dialogue, structured reflection, and visual tools like the team radar, I help teams rediscover what brought them together in the first place: passion for the work, responsibility for each other, and pride in their collective impact.

As alignment increases, several positive effects follow naturally:
Engagement rises — because people feel seen, valued, and involved.
Energy returns — because friction decreases and clarity increases.
Performance improves — because aligned teams make faster, better decisions.
Pleasure in work grows — because psychological safety and trust become visible norms.
Retention strengthens — because people stay where they feel connected, appreciated, and able to grow.

Teams often rediscover their mission not as a corporate statement, but as a shared commitment they can feel and act on. And once passion and alignment are restored, everything else accelerates: innovation, collaboration, learning, ownership, and collective responsibility.

This reflection process is not a one-time exercise. When integrated into team routines, it becomes a continuous anchor — helping teams navigate complexity, adapt to VUCA dynamics, and stay connected to each other and the organization’s purpose.

If your team is losing energy, struggling with engagement, or simply ready for a reset, I guide teams through this structured reflection journey to rebuild clarity, connection, and momentum. It’s a powerful path toward sustainable performance and a workplace where people genuinely want to belong.

Ready to Explore Your Own Reflection — or Your Team’s?

If you want to discuss your scores, explore what they mean, or bring this reflective practice to your team, feel free to contact me. I’m happy to guide you through the questionnaire and help you create the clarity, focus, and direction you need in a VUCA world.

Your career — and your team’s well-being — deserve conscious attention. Reflection is the first step toward leading with intention.