“This Charming Role”: What Johnny Marr Taught Me About Career Moves (and Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Change the Record)

By Dan Ross

I’m a lover of all kinds of sport, football included, and recently found myself watching an episode of ‘Stick to Football’ on YouTube. If you know it, you’ll know the line-up: ex-footballers Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, Ian Wright, and Jamie Carragher chatting about the beautiful game and whatever else takes their fancy.

This episode featured none other than Johnny Marr: guitar icon of The Smiths, solo artist, film soundtrack maestro, and fellow Manc legend. (Although the comparison between us ends at “Manc.”)

Johnny spoke with humour and humility about his career, reflecting on his most famous chapter with The Smiths, a band he co-founded with Morrissey in 1982. What surprised me (and probably many others) was his reminder that he was only in the band for five years. He left due to a mix of creative tensions, poor communication, and sheer burnout from relentless touring.

But rather than stick around for the sake of it, Johnny focused on what possibilities lay ahead. Since The Smiths, he’s joined, and enriched, bands like The The, Modest Mouse, and The Cribs, while also helping to compose scores for films like ‘Inception’ and ‘No Time to Die’. Because of this transient variety over the years, he’s gained a bit of a reputation as a “serial leaver.”

Then he dropped a line that halted my brew halfway up to my mouth; one that redefined the whole conversation:

“I’m not serial leaver; I’m a serial joiner.”

It wasn’t flakiness, it was growth. It wasn’t about escape, it was about evolution. Johnny Marr wasn’t just leaving a band; he was joining the next big thing.

“Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (and So Are Half Your Staff)

Johnny didn’t waffle. He just said what we all know deep down: when the vibe’s off, when the team’s out of tune, when the magic’s gone, you feel it. And you have to make a move.

“When it’s a bad vibe, I don’t do well in that…it does affect me.” (Repeat to yourself in a Manc accent for added effect).

He’s not alone. In most workplaces, people sense it too. The spark goes. The work feels like dragging a tambourine through wet gravel. But instead of moving internally, they start polishing the ol’ LinkedIn profile. Why?

Because internal mobility is often harder than finding your way out of the Trafford Centre on a Saturday afternoon.

“Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This Career Framework Before”

Here’s where organisations need a Johnny Marr moment.

Too many systems assume people want to settle, stay put, and stagnate. But your best people? They’re like Johnny. Curious. Creative. And allergic to monotony.

Instead of shoving them into static roles and annual PDR purgatory, we should:

• Create proper career pathways. No riddles and no corporate sudoku.
• Encourage lateral moves, not just upwards ones (not everyone wants to become “The Headmaster Ritual”).
• Support managers to be talent sharers, not talent hoarders.
• Celebrate internal movement with Manc style finger-clicks, not suspicion.

And yes, there’s a business case too:

• Higher engagement and retention
• Stronger internal pipelines
• Better talent agility and succession planning

Because, as Johnny might’ve said in a boardroom:

“You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby”…until you’ve designed mobility that actually works.

“I Know It’s Over” (but It Doesn’t Have to Be)

Too often, when people hit a wall in their role, they leave the business entirely. Not because they don’t like the company, but because they can’t see a way to stay and change.

Johnny didn’t stay where the music stopped. He joined the next band. The next idea. The next sound. He didn’t ghost the industry, he explored it.

Imagine if we encouraged people in our organisations to do the same. Not out the door. Just down the corridor.

“Frankly, Mr Shankly, Your Career Ladder Is Doing My Head In”

Career progression shouldn’t be a cryptic crossword only solved by pure luck or management whisper networks. It should be open, transparent, and accessible.

• Give people clear steps.
• Show them how to remix their skills.
• Support them when they say, “I think I need a new tune.”

Because “Nowhere Fast” isn’t a viable career development strategy.

To the Serial Joiners: “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”

So, here’s to the Johnny Marrs of the world. The serial joiners, not leavers.

They’re not jumping ship; they’re tuning their guitars. They’re not being flaky; they’re following their rhythm. They’re not difficult; they’re dialled in.

When organisations let people move, explore, stretch, and try new tracks without fear, that’s when the magic happens.

Shouldn’t we be building workplaces where people can stay curious? Where they can shift without shame? Where they can remix their roles like a proper extended 12” version of “How Soon Is Now?”

Because in the end, if we give people space to grow, they might just stick around longer than “The Queen Is Dead” spent in the charts.

If you want to help your people remix, not resign, let’s have a chat about how to design capability frameworks and career pathways that keep the spark alive, without missing a beat.