Keep one option open you could walk away to. It changes how you talk in every room.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Having somewhere else to go is not mainly about going there. It changes your voice, your willingness to ask, and your tolerance for being treated badly, all without your deciding anything. People can hear the difference between somebody who needs this and somebody who is choosing it, even when nothing is said about alternatives.

Keep one real alternative alive even when you do not want it: the other job you could apply to, the other team, the money that would cover a month. It costs a little maintenance, and it buys the ability to speak as somebody with options, which is most of what steadiness in a room actually is.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

What could you walk away to if this fell through?

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