Counteroffer Decision Framework

The Problem This Solves

A counteroffer addresses the number. It does not always address the reason you were looking.

Most counteroffers move on compensation. Fewer change the growth trajectory, the leadership relationship, the scope of the work, or the organizational dynamics that prompted the search. This framework separates what the counteroffer actually delivers from what you originally needed, so the decision is grounded in a clear-eyed comparison, not the emotion of the moment.

Use it within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the counteroffer, before you respond.

The Question This Framework Answers

Not "is this a good offer?" but "does this offer resolve what caused me to start looking?" Those are different questions with different answers, and only the second one produces a decision that holds up over time.

Map the Original Reasons

Write down why you started looking, specifically, before the counteroffer number influences the answer.

Score What Changes

Rate how fully each original reason is resolved by the counteroffer terms, and see what the offer actually covers.

Know What You Need to Believe

Articulate the conditions under which staying is the right call, before the counteroffer creates the answer for you.

Enter your info to unlock the full Counteroffer Decision Framework. Free, instant access.

Work Through Your Counteroffer Decision

Complete this framework before you respond. The goal is a decision grounded in what the offer actually resolves, not in the emotion of the resignation conversation.

01The Counteroffer Terms

Start by recording exactly what is on the table. Vague recollections of the offer are harder to evaluate than written terms.

Compensation change (base, bonus, equity)

Title or role change (if any)

Any other terms offered (flexibility, development, scope)

Response deadline

02The Original Reasons You Were Looking

Write these before you evaluate the offer. The goal is to record them as honestly as you can, not what sounds reasonable, but what was actually true when you decided to search.

Common reasons people look that counteroffers often do not resolve: A growth ceiling with no path to the next level. A leadership relationship that creates friction or limits your visibility. Work that no longer feels meaningful or stretching. A mismatch between contribution and recognition. A sense that the organization is moving in a direction that does not fit your goals. Write yours specifically.

Reason 1

Reason 2

Reason 3 (if applicable)

03Resolution Scorecard

For each original reason, rate how fully the counteroffer resolves it. Be honest, a partial resolution is better than overstating what the offer actually delivers.

Reason 1 (fill in above first)

Reason 2 (fill in above first)

Reason 3 (fill in above first)

04The Questions to Ask Before You Decide

Record your answers to the questions the counteroffer does not answer on its own. These are the ones worth a direct conversation with your manager before you respond.

Why now? What changed that makes this possible today when it was not possible before?

What changes concretely about my role or trajectory, beyond the title and number?

What does my position within the organization look like now that I have handed in notice?

05What You Need to Believe to Stay

Write out the conditions under which staying is the right call, before the emotion of the moment writes them for you.

I would feel confident staying if I believed the following to be true in the next 12 months:

Be specific. Then look at the counteroffer terms and your answers above and ask: does the offer actually deliver these conditions?

On balance, does the counteroffer deliver those conditions?

Your Counteroffer Decision Summary

Click Generate to assemble your framework into a clear decision summary to review before you respond.

Complete the sections above and click Generate to build your counteroffer decision summary.

Companion Tool

If you decide to go, plan the departure conversation.

The Departure Conversation Planner helps you prepare for the final notice conversation, the tone, the specifics, and the language that protects the relationship and leaves on a strong note.

Open the Departure Conversation Planner