Life throws curveballs, and sometimes they hit us square in the face. Just when I was cruising in my management role, the rug was pulled from under me: I was terminated. Buckle up as I take you through that shockwave moment, the emotional aftermath, and the pivotal lessons on accountability and power dynamics I learned in the corporate trenches. This isn't your run-of-the-mill career woe; it's an unfiltered dive into the nitty-gritty of office politics, ego battles, and the art of dusting oneself off.
Remember 2018 in Silver Spring, when everything that could go wrong in an audit did, yet my team's performance numbers were through the roof? That's where the rollercoaster took a wild turn. Join me as I peel back the layers of that chaotic time, and set the scene for the next chapter of this saga. Stay tuned for "Just Got Fired, part 2," where I'll keep unwrapping the realities of workplace upheaval and share more insights that might just resonate with your own professional journey.
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes they hit us square in the face. Just when I was cruising in my management role, the rug was pulled from under me: I was terminated. Buckle up as I take you through that shockwave moment, the emotional aftermath, and the pivotal lessons on accountability and power dynamics I learned in the corporate trenches. This isn't your run-of-the-mill career woe; it's an unfiltered dive into the nitty-gritty of office politics, ego battles, and the art of dusting oneself off.
Remember 2018 in Silver Spring, when everything that could go wrong in an audit did, yet my team's performance numbers were through the roof? That's where the rollercoaster took a wild turn. Join me as I peel back the layers of that chaotic time, and set the scene for the next chapter of this saga. Stay tuned for "Just Got Fired, part 2," where I'll keep unwrapping the realities of workplace upheaval and share more insights that might just resonate with your own professional journey.
thank you for being a part of this journey
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Speaker 1:
You're listening to the Daily American. Now here's your host, dan the man all righty. Well, most anticipated day of 2020. Fours here. 2024 is here, just got fired.
Speaker 1:
Now, guys, I didn't just get fired, but let's see, let's pull this termination letter up. We'll just get right into it. Might as well, just get right on into it. Share, Can't do that Screen Screen, no, what the heck did I do with it? Ay-yi-yi, ay-yi-yi. Actually, here it is, guys. No, that's not it either. Eh, standby, we throw this guy over here and Bada, bing, bada, boom.
Speaker 1:
Now, this does make me sick when I read this. But it is A wise this, but it is a wise man Once said, it is what it is Now. I also want to be clear when I state the fact that the situation that I am currently in is my responsibility. It's my fault, nobody else's. Start taking accountability for one's actions. That's pretty much all I got in that realm. I'm dressed Not because it's just got fired day. I'm dressed because I had an interview earlier and it went pretty well.
Speaker 1:
A little bit of overqualified terminology thrown out there, a little bit, but I got to stop telling people, stop telling employers what I was making, because, as you'll see, johnson's by the Boston group. They were generous. They were generous, but generosity only goes so far. Deceit, backstabbing, disgusting Would be adjectives I'd rather use. Anyhow, let's see. Where is this? Let's share this with you guys.
Speaker 1:
Alrighty, I'm going to read this one out for you guys. No context behind it at all. Dear Dan, purpose of this termination letter follow up on your conversation today with your supervisor regarding your employment status. We've decided to end your employment effective today. Over several months, there have been absenteeism and a lack of communication with John Merrier, your manager, and with DJ, the branch manager, on October 16th 2023.
Speaker 1:
Wait a second. This termination letter was written in February 19th. So we're going back. We're going back a few months. Okay, you know what. I're going back a few months. Okay, you know what. I'm going to pause right there. Let's take you back over 16th, because this is probably the reason I was terminated. Am I positive? No, is the guy a weasel? Yes, we'll start here. So, in October 16th, a couple of days before that, the Friday before that I think the 16th was either a Monday or a Tuesday. The Friday before then, 4.30 in the afternoon on a Friday, I get an email from my supervisor, john Mary. He says Dan, I need to meet with you on Monday around 10 am. For what? Naturally? Call him, doesn't answer, email him. John, this is a little bit crazy. I mean, come on, man, it's Friday 4.30. You really want me stressing about this all weekend. Let's just tell me what it's about. Call in Andy Boston. He's the owner of the company. Now we go back. We go back. She. 2016 of February.
Speaker 1:
I took over headquarters. There was five locations. Headquarters was horrible. A disaster. Hadn't hit goal in over a year. Fired the other branch manager. I had no experience.
Speaker 1:
I came in there and we started rocking and rolling, but it wasn't because of me. It was because the team of gentlemen I had with me. That's what it was about. The team got a guy with 20 years, got a guy with five years. Some hardworking warehouse drivers we were. We had a stellar squad. They just need a little bit of guidance and I needed a whole lot of knowledge from them and off we were running.
Speaker 1:
Take 45 days in start smoking goals. Eight months in hit every goal. Time to go to the next location Snarkstown, colmar. Same thing About the same time frame too, in regards to turnaround time Not hitting goals. All of a sudden hitting goals. I believe that freed up a little cash flow. They ended up purchasing or starting a scratch location in Beltsville. Now we're fast forwarding to 2018.
Speaker 1:
Beltsville complete shitshow.
Speaker 1:
Complete shitshow, no traction. Tried to cut a deal with me. Couldn't get it done because by now I had already done three of their locations. Now I have a little bit of clout, or a little bit of leverage to negotiate what I want, right, naturally. So I said pay for my apartment, do this, do that, do that. Blah, blah, blah. No, we're not doing it. Okay, no problem. Well, who's that? Is that Ballsack? Andy Ballsack? Get the hell out of here. Anyhow, andy comes knocking. He'll give me the entire company to go down there and fix that location, because it was that big of an anchor weighing the rest of the company down. Why not just hire somebody else? Why not just hire somebody else? Why not just send somebody else? I don't know, because this is what I do, this is what I did. Anyhow, go down there. Now, granted, I was a manager then. I was doing outside sales and managing, just like the other three locations locations. We're rocking and rolling. I get sent a driver slash warehouse guy from another location. He was their weakest link and by now you know my, my father had passed.
Speaker 1:
My ego was getting the best of me a little bit. I will say that, like damn, I'm fucking good at this. I can really do this. I don't know shit about it. I still don't know anything about heating and air conditioning. It's not about that. How many businesses are you going to hit a day? How many cold calls are you going to hit a day?
Speaker 1:
What's your natural leadership capabilities? Now, do I consider myself a leader? Yes, do I consider myself a manager? Absolutely not. I don't consider myself. Actually. I take that back. I don't consider myself a leader. I think others consider me a leader, but anyhow, I'm in control down there doing both sales and management. Now, remember, my ego got it. Yeah, so we had an operations lady. I'm not going to throw any names out there for anybody else, because we had grown past this and she's a good woman and she's just very. She can be nitpicky when it comes to these operational audits, blah, blah, blah. But it wasn't about that. I got word that she was going to fire the weakest link that got sent to me, one of my warehouse drivers.
Speaker 1:
Now this guy, his aptitude lacked a little bit. No disrespect, I know you may listening. His aptitude lacked a little bit, but he was there early in the morning. That's what happens I get fired. I got this bunker equipment. See what he got me working with. I ain't going to live this down, andy. More importantly, we're going to get to that weasel. Andy's a weasel, but he means well. I'm not sure how much his hands were involved in this termination.
Speaker 1:
But anyhow, back to the story. The truth, I shouldn't even call it a story. I guess there's fictional stories, or is it non-fictional? Hmm, hmm, it would be non-fiction, I believe. Anyhow, who gives a rat's ass? Guys, shows up early, stays late, does everything he's asked of His aptitude's a little, you know, lackluster. Nah, he was actually like an awesome dude and I'm just making jokes there.
Speaker 1:
But that's the way they felt, to be honest, because what they wanted to do? This lady wanted him gone. Huh, I called her one day. She said hello and I said I addressed her by her name, so-and-so. We're not doing anything with so-and-so without running it by me. She didn't like that very much. Bang target on my back.
Speaker 1:
From that moment moving forward, while I was down in dc. Now there was another guy, larry hurston. This guy he's like he's probably six feet under by now. I mean, god rest his soul. That motherfucker was like 85, still working. God bless him. Big duke basketball fan. He was all right. Kind of looked like her, uh, herbie the per, uh, out of family guy the pervert, herbert the pervert, but like 30 years older southern accent, he was all right. One one, one if one.
Speaker 1:
Like sunday morning I had gotten done church with my brother. I was going to church then and we're going to sit down for some brunch but like not drink. There goes larry, mr larry hurston, he's just 10 am. I don't even know how the bar was open. Slugging, slugging back red wine. Too much toilet paper paper in that bathroom, too much toilet paper. So anyhow, toilet paper story. This is where I really lost it. So targets on my back. Now they're coming down often to check things out, but they were nowhere to be found. When the branch needed help, when it needed sales, when it needed to be operationally sound, they were MIA. But now I'm down there and I got a little bit of an ego and I'm a lot younger, definitely better at my job than both of them combined. I will say that Now, eileen, I wasn't going to say any names, but fuck it.
Speaker 1:
She was the woman who wanted Craig, my warehouse guy, gone. Can't do it. We're not getting rid of him. That's my guy. I'm sorry that he wasn't trained before I got here. I'm going to do everything I can to protect my team, especially if they're doing the right thing and showing up every day. I don't give a rat's ass who's coming down Shit.
Speaker 1:
Joe Ballson, andy Ballson, ballsack, ballsack Jr. Who gives a fuck? I don't give a fuck, not when it comes to doing the right thing. That's integrity 101. 101. Integrity.
Speaker 1:
So, anyhow, let's get rid of him. He just can't pick up the gun. He can't pick up the gun we're not even talking about like a fucking M4. We're talking about an RFID scanning gun. God forbid, he misscanned something or typed something. Come on, get the fuck out of here. The guy showed up every day. He put in his effort, he did what was asked of him. We failed him by not training him. Actually, eileen and Larry, you guys failed him, you know, but it's a cutthroat world. They wanted him gone. I wasn't having any.
Speaker 1:
So now, after that, after I called her and simply stated Eileen, we're not getting rid of Craig without going through me, like I get rid of Craig. If I want to get rid of Craig, not you. You're not here working with him every day. I guess that was an obscene gesture. I mean, I don't know. It was a complete lack of respect because I didn't say and we'll get back to this part, quote unquote hi, eileen, how are you? Well, guess what? Business is business. It's not my job to make sure you're pampered on the phone. If I say, eileen, we're not getting rid of Craig without going through me, there's nothing wrong with that. That's not disrespectful. Then we talked after that. You didn't say it was disrespectful.
Speaker 1:
Anyhow, now the audits start coming, month after month. Of course I'm fucking flunking them. Meanwhile, the branch's numbers through the roof, just like all the other locations that I had managed in my short tenure so far, because it's only 2018. 19 maybe Actually, 18 was when I was down there living in Silver Spring. Anyhow, I got some yams calling. Guys, we're going to take a break right here. Stay tuned in next week to kick off. Just Got Fired, part 2. Thank you.