I work at a small software start-up (~5 employees, started 4 years ago). I knew my bosses already personally before joining about 2 years ago. Most of us have basically only development experience, which is breaking us up now. It is hard to bring in new contracts, which prevents us from growing and investing in our infrastructure, which is very much needed right now. Also the HR side of things was neglected, there were some frustrations between various people that were not handled well.
Because of this I started looking for another job. I told the managers and my colleagues this, so that they would have time to find a replacement. Because I know most of them personally, I wouldn't have been comfortable just handing in my notice. The news of me possibly leaving has sparked a discussion about where the company wants to go and how the working environment can be improved. This is going in the right direction, but not very quickly, and I am already close to the point that I expect an offer from another company.
Today, my manager told me that it is not pleasant to work with someone who says he is looking for another job, and asked what I would need to wholeheartedly continue at this company. I told him what I would need, but am very well aware that it cannot be provided in the short term (a significant investment in the infrastructure is not possible financially at the moment).
So it looks like I'll have to make a decision about the offer before having seen how the new strategy of my current company plays out. It feels like I'm not giving my current company a fair chance to improve. The suggestions I give to improve the situation would not only improve it for me but also leave the company in a better state (at least I think so), so I don't feel guilty about pushing them in that direction. However, I do not want to burn any bridges by giving the impression I did not give them a fair chance. Or to demand a lot of changes and then leave anyway. On the other hand, I also don't feel I need to tell them how far I am in any interview process. How can I navigate this situation?