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Four Types of Quitting

Quitting still carries an undeniable stigma, not only in the world of startups but in any asymmetric career. Think of music, art, and sports. Asymmetric careers are when the few win big, and most don’t win anything. To borrow the words of Scott Galloway, “An industry that has a 90-plus percent unemployment rate.”

The “never give up” mentality is so pervasive that many founders will run their startups into the ground rather than return capital to investors, and countless professionals stay in roles they’ve long since outgrown—all to avoid the label of “quitter.”

Yet, paradoxically, some of the most successful leaders and organizations quit regularly and strategically. By systematically disengaging from approaches that no longer deliver results, they free up resources for more promising pursuits, accelerate capability development, and outperform their more persistent counterparts.

So how do you quit without feeling like a failure? It begins by reframing quitting—not as a personal shortcoming, but as a strategic decision rooted in thoughtful analysis. In reality, not all quits are the same.

In my book, I highlight four distinct types of quitting that can propel both personal and organizational growth.

1. Recalibrative quitting involves redirecting resources from underperforming efforts to those that demonstrate greater promise. Rather than abandoning a larger vision outright, you strategically withdraw from specific initiatives that no longer deliver meaningful returns. In the startup world, “pivots” are a classic example of recalibrative quitting.

2. Explorative quitting entails stepping away from your current path with every intention of returning—unless you discover a superior alternative. Think of it as a calculated break. Professionals might take a sabbatical or pursue advanced training, returning to their original role better equipped or, alternatively, deciding to move on if they find an entirely new opportunity.

3. Elevative quitting happens when you intentionally leave an environment that cannot help you grow in the ways you desire, with no default plan to come back. Unlike explorative quitting, which has a return path if nothing better appears, elevative quitting is propelled by a clear drive to develop new skills, gain fresh industry insights, or embark on a career track unavailable where you are now.

4. Committed quitting is the decisive and often final form of departure, where you sever ties in such a way that returning would be structurally difficult, if not impossible. Though it’s the most commonly imagined form of quitting—complete with stark “no going back” imagery—committed quitting is actually the least frequent in practice.

Quitting isn’t a single, uniform concept. Each approach has its own strategic benefits. By recognizing these four types of quitting—recalibrative, explorative, elevative, and committed—you can let go of what isn’t working, uncover new possibilities, and direct your energy toward what truly matters.