Sanrith Descartes
Veteran of a thousand threadban wars
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I am being given a business
- Thread starter Brad2770
- Start date
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With that kind of attitude you'll be living in a ragged out camper in no time!
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Cutlery
Kill All the White People
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Brad, lemme tell you something.
I'm really good at what I do. I also do something that most people (even in my field), don't want to do. I also have a small problem, which is a very big problem in the corporate world - I don't bullshit people. I speak plainly (not in corporate lingo) and I tell the truth about issues, even when what people want is a sanitized, dumbed down version of "everything is fine." This means that I am very valuable - to a degree. I get treated well, I get left alone, and when I come to upper management with small requests/requirements, they do their best to appease me, because I'm valuable.
But - when I start making waves, I make REALLY big waves. Waves like the kind of waves where in a multiple tens of thousands of employees company, the VP of operations knows me by name. Not for me being good at my job, not for me being a very important part of the day to day operation of the company, but for telling the truth in a way that is unpalatable to people who must be tiptoed around and have their feelings massaged because they are super type A personalities and they can't handle criticism or failure even remotely pointing towards them in any capacity.
This means that my job is very secure - I don't need to worry about much. I get left alone (partly because they know what asking my opinion on things leads to), I get very good raises, and I am left to do my own thing.
But - I have no future at this company. There is no path forward for me. I cannot move up the chain, because my name will never be seriously considered for anything because I piss people off. Important people. However, unlike you, I also know that I am essentially a fucking peon. I am only irreplaceable because the effort it would take to replace me is far greater than the payoff when I am not making waves. Hence - I try to not make waves. I don't make deliberate, ridiculous demands. I don't assume I'm more important than I am, because the reality is that everyone is replaceable when you start becoming more effort than you're worth. Right now, I'm not causing enough problems to be seriously considered for replacement because not only am I exceptional at what I do, but I am also agreeable BECAUSE I REALIZE THAT I'M REPLACEABLE. And I may say shit that people don't like, but I always do as I am asked, I go above and beyond when I'm not asked, and I understand that there's probably 1000 people like me around here, and I don't give the company any reason to look for one of those guys.
You are trying to be this guy, but you are failing because you are a bitch. When you don't get your way, or you get slighted, you start being more effort than you're worth. Stop. Everyone is replaceable. Everyone can be pushed to an extent, but when you push them past that, they will find someone who will do the job without your fucking baggage. And they may lose money in the short term, not having your "expertise" around. But the company will survive, and they will be better in the long run without your drama.
I type this not for your benefit - although I hope you take it. I know you probably won't. I type it because it echoes a lot of what has been said earlier and it may help someone who's in a similar situation and just reading along. You can be extremely good at your job, but if you're also a crybaby, no one respects you, no one is going to offer you anything else, and you're never going to move up in that company because you've proven you don't have the temperament for it.
My choices right now involve waiting until about half a dozen people retire/move on, or look outside the company. Good thing I make enough money, get left alone enough, and can do my own thing enough, that I actually don't mind being here while I wait for something palatable to pop up. You are going to force someone's hand soon, and then you'll be back to living in your truck, not by choice this time.
I'm really good at what I do. I also do something that most people (even in my field), don't want to do. I also have a small problem, which is a very big problem in the corporate world - I don't bullshit people. I speak plainly (not in corporate lingo) and I tell the truth about issues, even when what people want is a sanitized, dumbed down version of "everything is fine." This means that I am very valuable - to a degree. I get treated well, I get left alone, and when I come to upper management with small requests/requirements, they do their best to appease me, because I'm valuable.
But - when I start making waves, I make REALLY big waves. Waves like the kind of waves where in a multiple tens of thousands of employees company, the VP of operations knows me by name. Not for me being good at my job, not for me being a very important part of the day to day operation of the company, but for telling the truth in a way that is unpalatable to people who must be tiptoed around and have their feelings massaged because they are super type A personalities and they can't handle criticism or failure even remotely pointing towards them in any capacity.
This means that my job is very secure - I don't need to worry about much. I get left alone (partly because they know what asking my opinion on things leads to), I get very good raises, and I am left to do my own thing.
But - I have no future at this company. There is no path forward for me. I cannot move up the chain, because my name will never be seriously considered for anything because I piss people off. Important people. However, unlike you, I also know that I am essentially a fucking peon. I am only irreplaceable because the effort it would take to replace me is far greater than the payoff when I am not making waves. Hence - I try to not make waves. I don't make deliberate, ridiculous demands. I don't assume I'm more important than I am, because the reality is that everyone is replaceable when you start becoming more effort than you're worth. Right now, I'm not causing enough problems to be seriously considered for replacement because not only am I exceptional at what I do, but I am also agreeable BECAUSE I REALIZE THAT I'M REPLACEABLE. And I may say shit that people don't like, but I always do as I am asked, I go above and beyond when I'm not asked, and I understand that there's probably 1000 people like me around here, and I don't give the company any reason to look for one of those guys.
You are trying to be this guy, but you are failing because you are a bitch. When you don't get your way, or you get slighted, you start being more effort than you're worth. Stop. Everyone is replaceable. Everyone can be pushed to an extent, but when you push them past that, they will find someone who will do the job without your fucking baggage. And they may lose money in the short term, not having your "expertise" around. But the company will survive, and they will be better in the long run without your drama.
I type this not for your benefit - although I hope you take it. I know you probably won't. I type it because it echoes a lot of what has been said earlier and it may help someone who's in a similar situation and just reading along. You can be extremely good at your job, but if you're also a crybaby, no one respects you, no one is going to offer you anything else, and you're never going to move up in that company because you've proven you don't have the temperament for it.
My choices right now involve waiting until about half a dozen people retire/move on, or look outside the company. Good thing I make enough money, get left alone enough, and can do my own thing enough, that I actually don't mind being here while I wait for something palatable to pop up. You are going to force someone's hand soon, and then you'll be back to living in your truck, not by choice this time.
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Sanrith Descartes
Veteran of a thousand threadban wars
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You hit on a huge point. When you excel at your job, pull up <here> know your name. When you are a pain in the ass people up <HERE> know your name.
Once you have that rep for being a "non-team player", it will never go away. Ever.
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BrutulTM
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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That's the perspective that matters my good man. Your job is not to poison bugs. Your job is to provide more value than your cost to the company which includes not making your boss' life hell and it sure sounds like you're not doing your job.
moonarchia
The Scientific Shitlord
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Brad is a FOH bro, so I do want him to succeed, but the choice is his at this point. If he can't or won't take constructive criticism then he is destined for failure until he fixes that. We aren't RL pals, so we can't knock sense into him, but we can at least repeat the truth for him so that maybe it sinks in one day.
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Gavinmad
Mr. Poopybutthole
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The most pathetic part of your sad little meltdown is your complete and utter obliviousness to the fact that we were on your side the entire time until now.
Palum
what Suineg set it to
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Hateyou
Not Great, Not Terrible
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I’m a manager of 60 people. I have had people like Brad who tell me how much harder they work than everyone and how amazing they are. If you truly are THAT much more amazing than everyone…I ALREADY FUCKING KNOW IT and YOU know that I know it because I am telling you in one on ones, various ways of recognition, pushing you towards training, telling you what your next role is. If you are TELLING ME how amazing you are but that other stuff isn’t already happening, chances are you are not as amazing as you think. My supervisors are already feeding me these kinds of things on a weekly basis. I have a ton of data points in reports showing me. I have feedback from other departments. I have voluntary projects I make up just to see who steps up.
I’ve had employees like Brad and the discussion around them are more like “He could go far if he could stop doing x, y, z” Most of them don’t, and we bypass them for bigger raises and promotions and we give them the direct feedback of “stop doing x, y, z” and you’ll get where you want to go. Most don’t and end up just leaving the company and we’re glad when they do. It’s a lot better to just replace them with someone average than deal with their constant bullshit, even though they may do 10-30% more work…who cares. We do have some big “they turned shit around” success stories though, and people still bring them up. “Remember when we didn’t think X was going to make it? Yeah he turned that shit around and knocked it out of the park”. You want to be the latter, not the former. Being a pain in the ass and quitting isn’t going to be the gotcha you think it is. They’re going to remember you as a pain in the ass that they won’t rehire should your new plan fail.
I’ve had employees like Brad and the discussion around them are more like “He could go far if he could stop doing x, y, z” Most of them don’t, and we bypass them for bigger raises and promotions and we give them the direct feedback of “stop doing x, y, z” and you’ll get where you want to go. Most don’t and end up just leaving the company and we’re glad when they do. It’s a lot better to just replace them with someone average than deal with their constant bullshit, even though they may do 10-30% more work…who cares. We do have some big “they turned shit around” success stories though, and people still bring them up. “Remember when we didn’t think X was going to make it? Yeah he turned that shit around and knocked it out of the park”. You want to be the latter, not the former. Being a pain in the ass and quitting isn’t going to be the gotcha you think it is. They’re going to remember you as a pain in the ass that they won’t rehire should your new plan fail.
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Furry
WoW Office
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It's weird looking in on private sector managers, as a public sector manager. I've never once had an employee come and tell me how good they are at their job or how they deserve a promotion or recognition. I get the occasional email along the lines of "Teach your team to respect my authority!!!" when they mouth off at someone my rank or below that interacts with them, but most I do with that is forward it to my team with the message "Please respect his authority". As retarded as it is, I probably get that email once a year at least from new people cycling through.
In fact, I arguably encourage the opposite of go getters. Someone tells me they are tired I tell them to go take a nap in the break room (we have beds there). I encourage people to take extra breaks, go home early, call in sick, ect. 99.9% of the time higher ups come to me to hand out punishment I just lose it or mess the paperwork up so nothing sticks. Our administrative review lawyer is retarded, and misses it every time.
Truly is a different world.
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BrutulTM
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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I don't know about Brad but this has been my experience with these guys. My sister's ex was a competent plumber but thought that was pretty much on par with being a Nobel laureate in physics or something so if he didn't get a good night's sleep he thought he should be able to come in late without calling because he was so great when he was there. He rationalized everything he did that was bad was made up for by his amazingness. I'm pretty sure every manager he ever had eventually regretted hiring him even though some of them were very happy in the beginning. The guy was a total loser but a legend in his own mind.
Your only competition is you. Show up, do your work right, keep getting better, don't worry about what anyone else does. Indulging in resentment will make your life worse in pretty much every way. If you really are being taken advantage of, go find a new job, but be honest with yourself.
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Hateyou
Not Great, Not Terrible
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I had a guy who kept giving us his resume which was so outrageously good if it was all real he should have been a reliability maintenance director. Six sigma, managing dozens of engineers over high profile government contracts, every continuous improvement, management, engineering buzzword you could think of. It was a shock to us because he’s in an entry level role and conversations and the work he does doesn’t really align with what his resume shows. Eventually we have a role come up and several guys in the department apply, him being one. He couldn’t even answer any basic questions relating to his resume. A couple questions we asked he would try to open his resume and we’d have to say “without reading it, what does X mean”. He also bombed the basic test we gave them all. Him and another guy who kept telling us about all this untapped knowledge he had set the two lowest scores in the history of the test by quite a large margin.
Now, these guys are great workers at the level they’re at and they continue to be. Some people just think they’re a lot better than they are and it can be a hard pill to swallow when you find out you’re not. They did a pretty good job of swallowing their pride when they got their scores and didn’t get the promotion.
Now, these guys are great workers at the level they’re at and they continue to be. Some people just think they’re a lot better than they are and it can be a hard pill to swallow when you find out you’re not. They did a pretty good job of swallowing their pride when they got their scores and didn’t get the promotion.
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Sanrith Descartes
Veteran of a thousand threadban wars
- 41,465
- 107,518
Sanrith Descartes
Veteran of a thousand threadban wars
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- 107,518
- 40,847
- 173,447
moonarchia
The Scientific Shitlord
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