avatarAldric Chen

Summary

A manager recounts the challenging experience of hiring Joe, a mid-career consultant with a domineering attitude, which led to conflicts within the team and ultimately his dismissal.

Abstract

The narrative describes the hiring of Joe, a seasoned consultant who initially presented himself as humble and collaborative during interviews but transformed into an overbearing and disrespectful colleague shortly after joining the team. His behavior, which included attempting to delegate menial tasks to junior staff and questioning the manager's authority, caused significant friction, particularly with a younger team member named Dora. Despite efforts to address the issues and integrate Joe into the company's culture of autonomy and mutual support, his inability to adapt led to his probation and eventual departure. The manager reflects on the experience with a mix of bemusement and resolve to maintain a positive team dynamic.

Opinions

  • The author initially respects Joe's experience but becomes critical of his attitude and behavior in the workplace.
  • Joe's behavior is seen as disruptive and out of touch with the company's collaborative culture.
  • The manager values team cohesion, autonomy, and mutual respect, which Joe's actions directly opposed.
  • Dora's frustration with Joe's unreasonable demands indicates a broader team sentiment against his approach to work.
  • The manager believes in the importance of every team member, regardless of experience, contributing equally to tasks like creating presentations.
  • Joe's threat to "steal all your customers" is perceived as arrogant and delusional, reinforcing the decision not to endorse his probation.
  • The manager maintains a sense of humor and perspective in the face of Joe's aggressive behavior, which helps in navigating the situation.
  • The departure of Joe is seen as a positive outcome for the team's morale and productivity.

A Gen X’er I Hired Tried Bossing Me Around at Work. He Got So Annoying, I Laughed.

Well, well, well…

A team member trying to boss their bosses around. Well. Photo by UK Black Tech on Unsplash

Sometimes, I get confused.

People come from all walks of life. I get that. But surely, there must be an understanding of the pecking order of the environment we operate in?

Decentralized mode of working? Sure. I welcome that.

Disrespectful way of working? Trying to edge colleagues and peers with your elbows to progress? I have no issues with that for a rugby game. At work? Think twice.

Not when you are trying to throw your colleagues under a bus [just] because you have 10 more years of working experience.

I Hired Joe, a Mid-Career Experienced Consultant.

The mistake is mine.

I will take all the hits.

The funny thing is… Joe isn’t the same person he was during interviews. I mean, yes, we put on a different persona during interviews. We respect the mechanics of a blind date, so we put up our best performance.

Then we let our hair down when the blind date was behind us, and we scored a partner.

This is not foreign to me. I do this, too.

But Joe is [really] an extreme case.

  • He was a humble, experienced bumble bee during interviews.
  • He became a testosterone-driven alpha male 1 week after starting work.

It was a 180.

And then some.

“Oh My Goodness, What a F**king Bulldozer!”

Dora is usually quiet.

She is not a loud analyst.

She wants to attend to her clients, get her work done, complete the status reports, and then go home for a long snooze. Yes, she needs at least 10 hours of sleep. Otherwise, she will cease to function.

I paired the 48-year-old Joe with 25-year-young Dora for his orientation.

We have a buddy system to bring newcomers up to speed. I thought Dora would be a good fit. She is young, eager, and knows a lot about a lot.

I worked with Dora for 5 years. I’ve only heard her whine once. It was a completely helpless client who encroached on her sleeping time. I empathize.

This time is slightly different.

“You won’t believe this, Aldric. In the beginning, Joe asked me for help with his presentation slides. He said he is unclear on how to create the corporate template. I helped. But he kept coming back!”

Dora was so, so mad.

“You know what? He would take a sheet of paper, draw boxes, and then scribble notes on what he wanted for each slide. I am not his assistant! Why is he not doing his guy? Please tell him clearly to own his work!”

Her voice got louder towards the end. It felt like she was banging on my table.

I assured her that I would do something.

Of course, I must.

This is not about Dora.

This is about Joe.

I’m surprised.

“Hey Joe, What Happened? I Wasn’t Expecting This.”

He shot me with a look of annoyance.

It was a face I had never seen.

And then, he said this.

“Look, young man. You are managing a team and busy securing clients. You must focus on that. Why are you wasting time on this issue? Besides, I am an experienced consultant. I know what to do.”

Oh, okay.

I get it.

This must be the know-it-all attitude that Dora warned me about. I worked to disarm his hostility first, to ensure that my message could go through.

“Joe, take a chill pill. I am not disputing your experience. We know you have 15 years in this industry. But we have a lean setup. Everyone is stretched. We must do our own PPTs.”

I used ‘we’ instead of ‘you’.

I tried not to make it sound personal.

The point is, I tried. I think Joe got my message. But he tried to spin my topic at a different angle and throw it back to me.

“Aldric, you are my boss. I must accept what you say. But I say this. How would we ever perform at the next level when we are all stuck working on our PPTs? Experienced guys like us need to focus on what matters.”

Right here, right then — I was bemused.

My real boss, 15 years older, with 24 years of consulting experience, has never bossed me around with his stellar credentials.

This guy I hired tried to put himself at the same level as me. And teach me how to manage my team. Wow. What a management ecosystem sea change.

I was a little pissed, a bit annoyed, and slightly bemused.

And I thought he was done with his platitudes.

Far from it.

“The juniors must do the legwork. That is the way. You should learn from me. Don’t worry, I’ll mentor you for free.”

I burst out laughing when he was done.

I laughed so hard… I teared. And my gut belly hurt.

Joe thought I had lost my marbles. I swear I did not. I already knew what I needed to do next.

The Close

(Fast forward 2 months later)

Joe walked towards me and barked.

“What’s this, Aldric? You are not endorsing my probation? Why? Are you worried that I will steal your thunder? Or you don’t want to compete with someone more outstanding than you?”

I laughed again. But this time for something different.

  • I was poking fun at my initial hiring decision. I must right my wrong.
  • And I was bemused [just] how clueless Joe was.

I tried to explain to him how the team has had difficulties coping with his presumptuous tyrannical ways. I also shared how others didn’t appreciate how he openly bossed others around because he knew better.

“Joe. No one likes that. We are all trying to do good work. We support each other. We don’t throw our own team members under the bus. And I expect my team to be autonomous. I don’t need babies in the office.”

You should see his face.

It was exploding in bright, tomato, flash red.

Joe gave me a death threat.

“You will regret this. I am a star player. I know what I am doing. I am going to steal all your customers. Watch out.”

I smiled. This time, I had no tears.

“All the best to you, Joe.”

He stormed out of the office in a huff, cursing the entire team along the hallway.

I heard Dora’s voice in the background.

“Good riddance!”

I agree.

Indeed.

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Workplace
Economics
Life Lessons
Psychology
Business
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