July 30, 2025 • 5 mins
This episode explores the painful truth that both quitting and continuing hurt—and how leaders can make the right call under pressure. You'll learn how to evaluate whether it’s time to walk away or push forward with clarity.
Host: Paul Falavolito
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Host: Paul Falavolito
Connect with me on your favorite platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Substack, BlueSky, Threads, Discord
Free Leadership Resources: www.paulfalavolito.com
Books by Paul Falavolito
- The 7 Minute Leadership Handbook: bit.ly/48J8zFG
- The Leadership Academy: https://bit.ly/4lnT1Pf
- The 7 Minute Leadership Survival Guide: https://bit.ly/4ij0g8y
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
It's episode four sixteen. This episode is inspired by a
quote from my friend aarm who's been on this show before,
and it's one of those statements that hits you right
in the gut the second you hear it. He sent
to me. You either quit or keep going, both hurt
(00:45):
choose wisely. Let that sit with you for a second.
It's not a fancy leadership phrase. It doesn't come with
a three part framework or corporate jargon, but it says
everything about what LEE leadership is really about. Pain, pressure
in the choices you make under both. So let's break
(01:06):
it down. Option one. Quit. Quitting gets a bad rap
in leadership. We call it failure, we call it giving up.
But sometimes quitting is necessary toxic environment, Quitting might be
the healthiest choice. A business that's bleeding money with no
chance of recovery, pull the plug. A strategy that's not
(01:28):
working no matter how much effort you throw at it,
It's time to pivot. But that kind of quitting, that intentional,
strategic kind of quitting, that still hurts. It hurts because
you poured yourself into it. It hurts because you invested time, energy,
your name, and your belief. It hurts because quitting comes
(01:51):
with whispers. What will people think? What will they say?
You hear that voice in your head? Maybe if I
just gave it one more week, that's the pain of
walking away. Option two Keep going on the flip side.
You can keep going. You can push through, keep showing up,
(02:15):
lead through the stress, the unknown, the sleepless nights, the
broken team, the long hours, the chaos. You can white
knuckle it through the hardest seasons of your leadership life.
And let me tell you, I've done that, and you
probably have two. And that hurts just as much, if
(02:37):
not more, because staying takes a toll your health, your family,
your patience. You start to lose sight of the mission,
You start to question your own judgment. The passion that
once lit you up now feels like a job that
you can't clock out of. That's the pain of perseverance.
(02:58):
And here's the truth. Most people won't tell you. There's
no pain free path. That's why I loved Aram's quote.
It doesn't lie to you. It doesn't sell you on
motivation or sugarcoat leadership. It tells you something most books
and ted talks won't. Both quitting and continuing come with
(03:19):
a cost. You have to choose your pain, So how
do you choose wisely? Here's how I think about it
as a leader. Three questions? What's the long game is?
Is this pain temporary or is it permanent? And am
I in a hard season? Or is this just a
(03:40):
bad system? Question two? What's the impact if I quit?
Who's affected? If I stay? What am I compromising? In
question three? What would the version of me ten years
from now say, not the tired version of me today,
the one with hindsight? Would they be proud I pushed
(04:01):
through or relieved I walked away. Leadership is full of
moments where you have to choose what hurts more, giving
up or grinding forward. The secret is neither is weakness.
Weakness is avoiding the decision. Weakness is pretending there's an
(04:21):
easy way out. So let's get personal for a second.
I've led in seasons where I stayed too long, and
I've also made decisions to walk away from roles, relationships
and responsibilities that were burning me out or misaligned with
my values. I felt the sting of both choices, and
each time I grew not because the choice was easy,
(04:43):
but because I finally had the courage to choose. So,
think of something in your leadership life right now that's
hurting that causes pressure. Maybe it's a role that you've outgrown,
a project that stalled, a teammate that's draining your energy,
a business dream that's not returning what you're putting into it.
(05:05):
Ask yourself, if I quit, will it hurt less or
just differently? If I stay, am I doing it for
the mission or just out of fear? And then decide
not out of emotion, but out of clarity. Because here's
the thing. Pain doesn't always mean you're doing something wrong.
Sometimes it just means you're on the edge of a
(05:25):
decision that matters. This has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast,
and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
It's episode four sixteen. This episode is inspired by a
quote from my friend aarm who's been on this show before,
and it's one of those statements that hits you right
in the gut the second you hear it. He sent
to me. You either quit or keep going, both hurt
(00:45):
choose wisely. Let that sit with you for a second.
It's not a fancy leadership phrase. It doesn't come with
a three part framework or corporate jargon, but it says
everything about what LEE leadership is really about. Pain, pressure
in the choices you make under both. So let's break
(01:06):
it down. Option one. Quit. Quitting gets a bad rap
in leadership. We call it failure, we call it giving up.
But sometimes quitting is necessary toxic environment, Quitting might be
the healthiest choice. A business that's bleeding money with no
chance of recovery, pull the plug. A strategy that's not
(01:28):
working no matter how much effort you throw at it,
It's time to pivot. But that kind of quitting, that intentional,
strategic kind of quitting, that still hurts. It hurts because
you poured yourself into it. It hurts because you invested time, energy,
your name, and your belief. It hurts because quitting comes
(01:51):
with whispers. What will people think? What will they say?
You hear that voice in your head? Maybe if I
just gave it one more week, that's the pain of
walking away. Option two Keep going on the flip side.
You can keep going. You can push through, keep showing up,
(02:15):
lead through the stress, the unknown, the sleepless nights, the
broken team, the long hours, the chaos. You can white
knuckle it through the hardest seasons of your leadership life.
And let me tell you, I've done that, and you
probably have two. And that hurts just as much, if
(02:37):
not more, because staying takes a toll your health, your family,
your patience. You start to lose sight of the mission,
You start to question your own judgment. The passion that
once lit you up now feels like a job that
you can't clock out of. That's the pain of perseverance.
(02:58):
And here's the truth. Most people won't tell you. There's
no pain free path. That's why I loved Aram's quote.
It doesn't lie to you. It doesn't sell you on
motivation or sugarcoat leadership. It tells you something most books
and ted talks won't. Both quitting and continuing come with
(03:19):
a cost. You have to choose your pain, So how
do you choose wisely? Here's how I think about it
as a leader. Three questions? What's the long game is?
Is this pain temporary or is it permanent? And am
I in a hard season? Or is this just a
(03:40):
bad system? Question two? What's the impact if I quit?
Who's affected? If I stay? What am I compromising? In
question three? What would the version of me ten years
from now say, not the tired version of me today,
the one with hindsight? Would they be proud I pushed
(04:01):
through or relieved I walked away. Leadership is full of
moments where you have to choose what hurts more, giving
up or grinding forward. The secret is neither is weakness.
Weakness is avoiding the decision. Weakness is pretending there's an
(04:21):
easy way out. So let's get personal for a second.
I've led in seasons where I stayed too long, and
I've also made decisions to walk away from roles, relationships
and responsibilities that were burning me out or misaligned with
my values. I felt the sting of both choices, and
each time I grew not because the choice was easy,
(04:43):
but because I finally had the courage to choose. So,
think of something in your leadership life right now that's
hurting that causes pressure. Maybe it's a role that you've outgrown,
a project that stalled, a teammate that's draining your energy,
a business dream that's not returning what you're putting into it.
(05:05):
Ask yourself, if I quit, will it hurt less or
just differently? If I stay, am I doing it for
the mission or just out of fear? And then decide
not out of emotion, but out of clarity. Because here's
the thing. Pain doesn't always mean you're doing something wrong.
Sometimes it just means you're on the edge of a
(05:25):
decision that matters. This has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast,
and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.
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