repot

v. to make a career move, especially to resign, retire, or take work in a new field. Subjects: English, Employment

Editorial Note: Often used reflexively: to repot oneself. Etymological Note: From repot (a plant) ‘to put a plant in another pot, especially a larger one.’

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Citations: 1980 Wall Street Journal (July 29) “Verbatim’s McCuen Is Fired as President; Duties Go to Chairman” (in Sunnyvale, California) p. 33: Mr. McCuen, contacted at his home in Sunnyvale, was rather stoic about his dismissal.…”It’s about time for me to get repotted somewhere else.” 1980 Marjorie Hyer Washington Post (Aug. 1) “A Man Of Peace Leaves Pilgrims” p. A28: “I’d never stayed anywhere longer than five years before I came here,” Meza said of his conviction that a thriving ministerial career requires frequent repotting. “Several times I’ve wanted to leave here but there always was unfinished business.” 1982 Robert A. Bennett New York Times (Dec. 23) “Wells Fargo’s Ex-Chief Taking Over At Seafirst”: Mr. Cooley cited a theory of Ernest C. Arbuckle, a former chairman of Wells Fargo who continues to sit on its board. Mr. Arbuckle urges that “you should repot yourself every 10 years.” 1986 Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska) (Jan. 15) “Stuart to Be Administrative Law Judge”: Stuart said in an interview Tuesday that his reasons for retirement from the district court bench were many, but he declined to be specific, according to The Associated Press.…“All of us need to be repotted now and then.” 1990 Peter F. Drucker Managing the Non-Profit Organization (Dec.) p. 154 @ (Aug. 3, 1992): One common problem is the person who has been in the same job twenty-two years and clearly finds no more stimulus left in it. While a first-class artist never gets tired of his or her work, the rest of us usually get bored if we do the same thing for too many years. The solution is “repotting"—to put the person in a different environment. 2000 George Anders Fast Company (Dec.) “Can You Slay the Demons of Overwork?”: “It was the right time for repotting, and a great chance to bring our family closer together,” Donahoe says. It also turned out to be a savvy career move. 2003 Nieman Reports (Cambridge, Massachusetts) (Spring) “Nieman Notes” (in Harvard University) vol. 57, no. 1, p. 106: Repotting instead of retirement seems to work if you don’t run out of pots. 2006 Kate McLoughlin @ Lehigh University Brown and White (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) (Apr. 27) “President innovated academics, Greek life”: Farrington said the decision wasn’t sudden—he had been contemplating the idea of “repotting,” as he calls it, since the summer. He expressed the same idea during his resignation announcement.

Posted 1 May 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

hmmm . . .

by liza 01 May 06, 0526 GMT