Planning Your Exit Strategy

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives. Even if this is your first PCS you have been through a transition in your life. Transition is a bit of a deceptive word too because it sounds so smooth and effortless, doesn’t it? I am pretty sure if you transitioned during COVID, you wouldn’t necessarily agree with that description. But as summer PCS season gets closer, it is time to plan your exit strategy.

How will you leave here to arrive there? Part of transitioning is getting closure on this season of your life to welcome the new one, and here are a few tips to get you through it.

The nervous check out of the window to see if the plane is here.

Making Room For Your Departure

Own Your Farewell

Taking ownership of your farewell means getting out of your head and taking action. You may need to give yourself some tough love and ask difficult questions to get to the answers that can guide you. Are you afraid of leaving? Is not knowing what the future will bring, holding you back? Clear the way to a more realistic understanding of the situation by working through the pain of goodbye.

Preserve a Story

Our April newsletter featured Nora Kerr and her business Memoir For Me. She specializes in preserving personal histories. Nora's business of recording personal memoirs creates cherished memories you can re-read time and again.

Nora writes, "Do you have someone special you’re leaving behind in an upcoming move? Consider giving them the greatest parting gift: their life story preserved. It’s a gift for them, but really secretly, it’s for you! Mom and Dad have a great story worth saving. And if you have kids, I guarantee that they will love to read a story about how their grandparents met, or what you, their parent, was like as a child. And what grandparent doesn’t love to gush about their grandchildren? Kids love to read that!"

“The ending of a significant piece of one's life — a relationship, job, stage of life, or way of thinking — may be difficult and even painful for many of us. Something that you once counted on as very important to your life is over and done.”

- Psychology Today, Abigail Brenner M.D.

Prioritize Your Needs

This is a good time in your life to do what you need more than what others need from you. It is not your time to be your best people pleasing self. This does not make you selfish. This does not make your family selfish. Creating and holding healthy boundaries enables you to be your best version of yourself. Whether that means attending one less work-related event or going on vacation when everyone seems to be having community events, only you know what is best for you. You have to protect what you need, when you need it.

NEW TIPS

As USAID transitions come to a close for many in our foreign service community, I'm adding two critical strategies to support those navigating this unprecedented homecoming. These additional perspectives—focusing on family solidarity during uncertainty and mobilizing your networks effectively—reflect the unique challenges faced by those returning without the traditional roadmap for what comes next. Thank you for your service.

Family-Centered Perspective

When your entire family faces an unplanned transition back to the U.S., transparent communication becomes your most powerful tool. Create age-appropriate ways to discuss the situation with children, balancing honesty about the challenges ahead with reassurance about the constants that won't change. Involve family members in creating a shared vision for your return—perhaps by collectively researching potential landing spots, listing priorities for your next home, or identifying meaningful traditions you'll transplant regardless of location. Consider designating a "family council" time each week where everyone can share concerns, ask questions, and contribute ideas to the transition plan. While the professional uncertainty is significant, framing this as a family pivot that you'll navigate together can create a sense of agency and solidarity during an otherwise destabilizing time.

Network Mobilization Strategy

In times of career disruption like the one facing USAID personnel, your professional and personal networks become your most valuable assets. Before departing your post, schedule strategic conversations with contacts across various sectors—government, NGOs, private companies, and academia—specifically asking for introductions to their contacts in locations you're considering. Document these connections systematically, perhaps in a dedicated transition CRM or spreadsheet, noting potential opportunities and follow-up timelines. Consider creating a concise "transition narrative" that frames your return positively while acknowledging the circumstances, which you can share with your network to help them help you. Remember that your foreign service community extends beyond just current employees—reach out to alumni groups, professional associations, and affinity organizations that support federal employees through career transitions. The collective intelligence and support of your extended network can illuminate paths forward that might not be visible when planning in isolation.

Say Goodbye

Ceremonies are an important part of change and transition. That’s why there are so many of them. It’s a time to celebrate a season of your life. No matter how much you loved or hated a place that you lived, it will forever be a part of your history.

Plan time in your schedule to say goodbye to the people and places that meant something to you during your time in your former home. If you have children, plan a party for them to say goodbye to their friends before school ends and everyone disappears. Visit your favorite restaurants, travel to your favorite local destination or do that one last activity you enjoyed or didn’t get to do yet because life got in the way.

You smile through the goodbyes even when it hurts.

Don’t wait to begin this process until the last week or two you are there, plan it early and embrace this phase. Remember, it’s not just about you saying goodbye, it’s about those that care for you getting to say goodbye too.

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