A great escape: How to prepare to hear, and say, 'I quit'

GOODBYES are tough. Whether you're chafing at the bit to run, or leaving more wistfully for a next phase in life, it's rarely easy to break the news.

It's also hard for the teams you leave behind. Managers are worried about the hole you leave behind, and the fallout on team morale. They may ask themselves what they did wrong. Colleagues foresee their workloads swelling, and wonder if they are missing out by staying.

Work aside: if you've built solid, authentic relationships with the people you work with, then quitting can be emotional on all ends.