Red Flag: Unsustainable Patterns

Patterns that you find hard to ignore. When expectations keep changing, feedback is unclear, or decisions happen without the people doing the work, those are red flags. If responsibility grows but authority or support doesn’t, the role will eventually become unsustainable. When an organization values constant output more than thoughtful leadership, it usually shows in the culture. These are things that at work you may not be able to name, but you feel – trust that.

Knowing When to Leave a Job: When It Takes More Than It Gives

It’s often time to leave when the work consistently takes more than it gives, and that is a subjective measurement. When concerns are raised clearly and nothing changes, that’s useful information. If staying requires shrinking your boundaries or lowering your standards, the cost is too high. Leaving then isn’t a dramatic choice, it’s a practical choice and natural transition to protect your energy and future.

Red Flag: Lack of Authenticity

For me my biggest red flag can be summed up with one word. Authenticity, and this is not only in the work place but the coalitions and partnerships we look to support and lead. Authenticity is the quality of being genuine, real, and aligning actions with core values rather than conforming to external pressures. For me this also includes where we decide to give our time, our most valuable asset. We spend so much of our day/week/years working and it is important that you feel driven by working in this space and the people who surround you.

You can’t fake passion for conservation work, real conservation happens on the ground when you show up, make eye-contact, and shake hands with people. Get to know who you’re serving, listen to their stories and have their experiences guide the work. If a job is all talk, all LTE’s and op-eds, but no tangible action, that’s my biggest red flag.

It’s all interconnected: Authentic leadership creates authentic culture, which attracts authentic community partnerships. Without that foundation, the work crumbles.

Knowing When to Leave a Job: Trusting Your Intuition

Deep down, you already know when it’s time to leave. Your gut tells you before your mind accepts it.

It’s obvious when you can’t see yourself growing anymore, or when there’s no path for professional development/learning or sharing of power. It’s when organizational priorities shift away from community and toward optics or grant metrics that don’t actually support the communities we are all working so hard to serve.

Policy without people is just a piece of paper. If your organization or coalition is more concerned with operations, procedures, and presentations rather than the genuine community impact, it’s time to move on. Life’s too short to spend it in places that don’t align with our values. Trust that feeling.

Red Flag: Overworking Staff

A major red flag in environmental jobs is the expectation that overworking is part of the job. This can look like constant pressure to work beyond your hours, not take any paid time off, and that you’ll keep pushing through unrealistic expectations because the work is important. Over time, a work environment with this red flag can harm your well-being and lead to burnout, which will harm you and the work being done for our movement.

Knowing When to Leave a Job: Failure to Respect Work-Life Balance

When your boundaries and personal time off work isn’t respected, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to move on. Just because the work we do is important and we are passionate about it, it doesn’t mean we get to sacrifice other parts of our lives for it. A workplace that respects its employees encourages and creates balance and knows that our work can be even more impactful and meaningful when the people doing it are well supported.