Work Obituary
Close a career chapter by writing what it meant and why it must end
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
A Work Obituary is an extended resignation reflection for a job that has become entangled with identity, relationships, status, and personal history. Instead of reducing the exit to logistics, write the story of the career: how you grew, what it gave you, what you sacrificed, and which values have since changed. Then explain why the chapter must end. Rewriting matters because the first draft may repeat institutional expectations rather than express the writer's actual needs. The exercise creates closure by holding two truths together: the work was meaningful, and it no longer fits. Its output can inform a resignation letter, but its deeper purpose is to let the old professional identity end without treating the years invested as wasted.
Origin
Purushothaman wrote and rewrote a long letter to Deloitte's CEO as she prepared to leave a 20-year career that encompassed her identity, relationships, and partner title.
Core principles
- 01A long-held job can become part of personal identity
- 02Leaving deserves more reflection than a transactional resignation
- 03Naming what changed creates permission to move forward
- 04A meaningful ending can honour the past without preserving it forever
How to run it
- 1
Name what is ending
Describe the role, institution, status, and relationships that make this more than an ordinary job change. Be explicit about what feels as if it is dying.
Watch out Do not dismiss the emotional weight simply because leaving is your choice.
- 2
Tell the career story
Lay out how you grew, what you achieved, and what the work meant over time. Honour the chapter without turning the document into a defence of staying.
Pro tip Include the parts you are genuinely grateful for.
- 3
Record what changed
Name the values, health needs, ambitions, or definitions of success that no longer match the role. Connect the decision to present reality rather than a momentary frustration.
Watch out Avoid hiding the real reason behind polished corporate language.
- 4
Write the goodbye
Explain why leaving is now the honest conclusion. Let the letter acknowledge loss while giving you permission to choose a different life.
Pro tip Write a private version before deciding what belongs in a formal resignation.
- 5
Rewrite for truth
Revisit the draft until it reflects your own values rather than the organisation's expectations. Use the final version as an anchor during the exit.
Watch out The exercise creates clarity; it does not remove the need for practical transition planning.
In the wild
After 20 years at Deloitte, Purushothaman was leaving a partner title, a powerful internal brand, and a social world built around the firm. Her work obituary laid out her growth and her changed values, helping her say goodbye to a role she had sacrificed heavily to earn.
→ The letter helped her process the identity loss and complete the transition without pretending the career had meant nothing.
Common mistakes
Writing only a formal resignation
A short professional notice may handle logistics while leaving the identity transition untouched. Write the honest private version first.
Treating sunk effort as a command to stay
Past sacrifice explains why leaving hurts, but it does not prove the role still fits your current values.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people leaving a prestigious, long-tenured, or identity-defining job.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as a substitute for financial, legal, or practical exit planning.
From the transcript
“i now tell women that you should all write your work obituary like what else would you do how would you say goodbye to your…”
“i basically just laid out my 20 years and how i'd grown”
From the episode
Deepa Purushothaman: Redefining Power In Corporate America
Deepa Purushothaman