You Are Significant
A reminder of why we need to continue our good work
Welcome to the latest entry in The Workaround. You’re in good company with thousands of fellow entrepreneurs and innovators!
I’m Bob, your host. My mission here is to share personal, behind-the-scenes stories of the ups and downs of my career leading tech startups, corporate innovation, and tech-enabled service businesses.
I write to make you think, smile, and discover a shortcut to success or a trap to avoid.
Here we go…
I have over one hundred future posts outlined with shortcuts to success and supporting stories. I’ve been sitting on a couple I am particularly excited to share. But I’m going off the rails this week…
I want to share someone else’s story that motivates me, and I hope it motivates you to keep up your good work…
Ted is Not Excellent
It’s Friday, and I’ve got a spring in my step as I walk to my local coffee shop to catch up with a friend. Let’s call her “Beth.” I haven’t seen her since we worked together a few years ago. We hired Beth as a college intern and then full-time after her graduation. She is a star who we promoted several times.
However, she was recently impacted by a layoff when her company was acquired, and its new owners botched the merger in countless ways. She’s hoping to gain some insights and connections from me as she ramps up her job search.
Before we dig in, I can’t help but ask about her experience after the acquisition. She went from a company with a strong culture and growth rate to a private equity-backed business with a reputation for churning through people.
Over the years, I have heard the company's CEO called a “Monster” by multiple people, including its customers. So, I’m curious to listen to her insider perspective.
“Well, Bob, here’s a story for you…”
(That’s the phrase that pays for me…)
“A few weeks after the acquisition, we were migrated from Slack to Microsoft Teams. These tools were critical to our team's communication in managing client campaigns. But the new company was focused on cutting costs…So I was told to email the CEO, ‘Ted,’ and ask him to approve my license for Teams.”
“It felt odd to ask for something so small from the guy who runs this +1,000-person company, but I heard he’s pretty hands-on. I sent him an email with an explanation. He replied quickly:
“No, you are insignificant.”
Listening to Beth, my jaw dropped open, and I stared into space momentarily.
You read that right. A human with decades of leadership experience who touches the lives of so many employees speaks to a fellow human with no decency—no humanity.
Imagine for a moment—even thinking, “This person is insignificant.” But to directly write that to someone?!
Beth took it much better than I would have:
“I thought, well, a simple ‘no’ would have sufficed….But in a way, it was good to see such an obvious sign of who he is. And when someone shows you who they are, you should believe them. That day, I decided to dial it in until they laid me off and had to pay me the maximum severance.”
I snap out of my moment of incredulity and give Beth kudos for playing the game as well as she could. I’m a big fan of getting yourself fired. We spend the rest of the hour discussing job openings and interview tips.
(P.S. I’d love to introduce you to “Beth” if you’re looking for a rock star in content marketing, influencer marketing, and/or product management. I would hire her again in a heartbeat, and her leadership was a crucial part of scaling our company from $8 million to $60 million in two years. Just shoot me an email.)
We hug goodbye, and I walk home. I try to listen to a podcast, but I can’t stop thinking about how awful Ted is and how many other Teds there are.1
But then I remember: This is why I keep working.
By building businesses, writing/speaking here, and meeting with people, I can, in some way, fight against the asshole bosses of the business world. I can’t fix awful people or get them fired. But they motivate me.
There can be no good without evil. It’s the yin vs. yang, heaven vs. hell, the light vs. the dark side. This recurring theme in human culture is a sign that it’s a pretty important part of our programming.
This guy gives my life more meaning, which is…interesting.
“It is precisely in the tension between polar opposites that the most active engagement with life is experienced.” – Susanne Cook-Greuter
Maybe we need some number of assholes in the world to remind us what good is and to get us off our asses to put in the work. It also helps us appreciate the leaders who treat people with respect and love, even though they have the power to abuse us.
(Note: this is a good reminder to vote in our upcoming election)
So, in a way, thanks to Ted being open and honest in his antipathy for his employees, I’ve got a few more months of motivation in my tank. I would never have stopped everything to write this on Friday if not for Beth’s story. I was called into action, maybe like a white blood cell or as a tool of karma.
And if you’re still reading, this universal program completed its purpose.
(Note: we can debate free will in the comment section)
Grab Your Shovel
Business philosopher Naval describes our purpose in life: “To reverse local entropy.” That’s a short and fancy way of saying: “The world is always going to shit, so grab a shovel and do your part to improve it while you’re here.”
Jerk bosses are just one of the many ways that things can seem to turn to shit. Those of us in business can reverse local entropy. Be a great leader—and put the jerks out of business.
You ARE significant, and we need you to keep reaching for that shovel each day.
How we might work together…
Are you interested in launching your own consulting or service business or need help taking your current services business to the next level? Fleet is our holding company for services, and we’re actively looking to build business partnerships with winning leaders. Let’s talk!
Need guidance with revenue alignment or revenue growth management? We built Revelin to serve organizations through fractional and project-based execution, specializing in GTM alignment, CRM optimization, territory design, annual planning, M&A integration, and building your RevOps function to support growth. Schedule your revenue assessment.
My team and I lead Hearty, a boutique recruiting service that helps tech-forward companies hire proven talent. Our senior team of operators sources and screens, saving you time and money. When you need help, let’s chat.
Need help with a software project? Perhaps a product MVP, a project that requires outside help, or a fractional CTO for key strategic decisions? Our team at Shipwright Studio has worked together to build multiple successful startups, and we love helping leaders turn their dreams into reality. We're the team our clients trust for software built to last.
Looking for Influencer Marketing and Content Creation? The team from our previous company is back by popular demand with A2 Influence. We’re ramping up now and would love to share more.
Feel free to schedule a time during my Office Hours to discuss questions, feedback, networking, or any other topic! You can also find me on LinkedIn or email.
BONUS: Cool Content of the Week
A little something I found meaningful. You might agree…
My 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character
As I hope you know by now, the character of the people you work with and for has an enormous impact on your quality of life and business performance. It’s pretty easy to learn the dark truth behind people like “Ted”—but what about the jerks who are better at hiding their true selves?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post here about the importance of character. Since that post, one of my favorite writers—ironically, a real-life good guy named Ted—shared his 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character. Ted has worked in fields including the consulting and music businesses, which have quite a range of characters. I know you’ll enjoy his writing and learn something that might save you from pain down the road…
My apologies to the good guys named Ted, who are taking shrapnel here!