MOVE 85 · EXIT & RECOVERY · FREE
Decide Your Exit Before You Need It
Write down, while calm, the specific conditions under which you would leave a deal, client or role, so the decision is not made in panic.
Exit conditions written in calm protect you from decisions made in heat.
WHY IT WORKS
In the middle of stress, it is hard to tell whether to leave or persist. Defining exit conditions in advance — specific, observable triggers — makes the decision clearer, prevents both premature exits and staying too long, and lets you engage fully until a trigger is met.
WHEN TO USE IT
- You are starting a new client, role or partnership.
- You feel uneasy about a relationship but cannot say why.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT
- You are already certain you need to leave.
- Exit planning would distract you from a short, fixed engagement.
SIGNALS IT FITS
- You have stayed in difficult situations longer than you should have before.
- You are unsure what would make you leave.
PREPARATION
- List three specific conditions that would make you leave.
- Note how you would leave if a condition is met.
STEP BY STEP
- Write the conditions privately.
- Review them monthly.
- When a condition is met, take a day to confirm.
- Act on the decision calmly.
OPENING LINE
“I've set myself clear conditions for this engagement, so I can commit fully until they're met.”
SCRIPT
My conditions for continuing: payment within 45 days, no more than one major scope change per quarter, and respectful communication. If two are broken, I'll plan an exit.
LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS
- If they meet all conditions
- Commit fully; the conditions were for clarity, not distrust.
- If they breach a condition
- Raise it once directly; if it repeats, follow your plan.
SECOND MOVE
When a condition is met, use Step Back Without Burning the Bridge.
FOLLOW-UP
Review and update the conditions each quarter.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Setting vague conditions like 'if it gets bad'.
- Ignoring conditions once they are met.
WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS
- Two or more written exit conditions are met.
EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)
A consultant set three exit conditions for a difficult client. Six months in, two were met. She gave notice calmly and replaced the income within two months, rather than staying a year.
ETHICAL BOUNDARY
Respect contractual notice periods when exiting. Leaving abruptly in breach of agreements harms others and may carry liability.
RELATED MOVES
Content version 1 · Drafted by Power Move IQ Editorial · Not yet human-reviewed · Educational decision support, not legal, financial or employment advice.