“The grass is always greener” is a common phrase leveraged to combat employees fleeing a company. Often, that phrase is used to help employees understand that they may have an inflated perception of their new job offer. Like, beer goggles, but for jobs. It turns out it’s an actional Syndrome.

If your employee is showing a “grass is always greener” rationale for leaving their job, there is actually another approach worth considering.

What’s your Water?

When deciding to leave a company, many core aspects of one’s current environment are often overlooked. As an example, take Derek Sivers’s point of view. His example is that a Fish doesn’t know it’s in water until it’s taken out of water. I find that to be equally interesting in support of “the grass is always greener” mentality.

If you can get over comparing people to Fish, the lesson here is that sometimes you don’t know what you have until you don’t have it. In the Fish’s case, the ability to breathe.

People are very much the same. Sometimes, the support of an environment can cloud what is completely obvious to others. Retaking the fish example, it’s obvious that Fish need to stay in the water to live. In a work environment example, it may be evident to others that staying in a position or company can be the best path to thrive. But it may not be so apparent to the person who is succumbed to “the grass is greener syndrome.”

So, next time someone comes to you about leaving a position, you can send them this blog post, or maybe you should buy them a Fish. Either way, it will likely not change their mind, but it will at least make things interesting. And isn’t that what life is all about?

References and Resources

The Grass is Greener Syndrome

Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers

Supporting Music

I Got Mine by The Black Keys

The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes