Plus, the complete Summer Webinar Series available on demand.
Hi John,
Have you ever walked away from a relationship—personal or professional? Why? And how did you decide to do so? We invite you to share your experience with other readers in the comments section of today’s Q&A.
Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue
When Is It Okay to Leave a Relationship?
by Emily Gregory
Can walking away from a personal or professional relationship ever be the best solution?
Signed, One Foot Out the Door
Yes.
Absolutely, unequivocally yes. No one should stay in a relationship—personal or professional—that is abusive or toxic. Don’t fool yourself. Walking away from a relationship is not the easiest solution, but in some cases it is absolutely the best solution. Nothing we teach in Crucial Conversations about repairing damaged relationships or taking responsibility for your own role in a situation should be construed as an endorsement of staying in a relationship no matter the cost.
That is the answer to your question in the clearest terms I can use. But, to avoid writing the shortest Q&A in the history of Crucial Skills, allow me to answer a question you didn’t ask: How do I know when to walk away from a personal or professional relationship?
Yesterday we held the last webinar in our Summer Webinar Series, but you can still participate with on-demand recordings on our website. Learn about feedback, resilience, and inclusion with Joseph Grenny, Scott Robley, and Michelle Gielan.
As long as you think the cause of your problem is “out there”—as long as you think that anyone or anything is responsible for your suffering—the situation is hopeless. It means that you are forever in the role of victim, that you’re suffering in paradise.
