‘You’re next': Clumsy C-level executive steamrolls their all-star employee, motivating them to quit, leaving a desperate manager to ‘save a sinking ship’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Oct 19, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

After working closely with the CEO, this manager quickly learned why the company was falling apart… And it wasn't because of casual Fridays, company culture, or mismanagement of assets. It was because this C-level executive, like many nepo-baby self-proclaimed 'leaders', was a complete and total dingus. 

If you have ever had a CEO who quotes leadership books like a broken record yet awards themselves the credit of their entire company's hard work, you've likely met someone exactly like u/kip263's boss. Childish, incompetent, and keen on destroying the company, this CEO hired a middle manager to come and fix their deeply ingrained problems at the source. While the company floundered and employees picked up the extra slack, this CEO went stomping around, scaring off every shred of talent left in the company–including their all-star employee.

Keep scrolling to read how a corpo-buffoon squandered the last shred of hope in saving their company after bullying a top-tier worker for questioning their tactics. Because apparently, asking questions in a meeting is now a pink-slippable offense…

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    Cheezburger Image 10417571072
    via simonkr - Getty Images Signature via Canva

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    How do you navigate your boss disliking your star employee? New Manager I was hired to save a sinking ship. It's a new role, specifically for me to come in and fix everything that broke in the last 5 or 6 years.
    via kip263
  • 03
    They fired the old boss (relating to everything breaking) and hired a new one, B, who started the same time as me. As I start uncovering the messes, the hidden secrets, the chaos happening in the organization, B has decided that my direct report, F, is to blame.
    via kip263
  • 04
    Now I'm not going to pretend like F is innocent. However, her previous manager has already accepted fault for the mess. In my eyes, that's why the old boss was fired, so why are we requiring anyone else to take blame? F also holds the same title as my other employee, so I don't understand why she is getting all the blame.
    via kip263
  • 05
    B revealed to me that she wanted to fire F for the mess. I can't even wrap my head around that - F is an integral person on the team, she holds all the knowledge, and she is greatly efficient. Does she make mistakes? Yes, but no more than anyone else on the team. It's also my philosophy that people
    via kip263
  • 06
    don't just make mistakes because they're careless - are they overwhelmed with other tasks, is there something taking their attention, is the system not supporting the work? B doesn't seem to have the same mindset. Now B is forcing me to discipline F for asking a question. When I
    via kip263
  • 07
    said I would speak to F and come up with a plan for the future, B rehashed every item F has "messed up" in the past and said she needs to improve immediately. I don't know what to do here. I'm a new manager, and definitely struggling to find my place. I'm
    via kip263
  • 08
    on F's side on this, I don't think she did anything wrong and if she did, she should have the opportunity to learn from the past rather than be forced to live in it. But I don't feel like me pushing back on B is bearing any fruit. She's very set on living in the past.
    via kip263
  • 09
    Edit to clarify a few recurring items: B actually started a week after me. I consider us as starting at the same time. B is my direct boss. B reports to the CEO.
    via kip263
  • 10
    I was hired by F's previous manager, and reported to that manager until about a month ago when B restructured. Previous manager is still with the company, has the same title, but is focusing on a different area of the company (as they always should have been). I am in the HR department, but am not an HR employee, if that helps clarify at all.
    via kip263
  • 11
    Soft_Detective5107 • 15d ago People who often get fired are the ones who are threats to people higher up. I am not joking, I saw more than once a star, smart employee is getting fired because they are too smart and with their ideas to improve, they are an actual threat to incompetence of their superiors. Asking wrong question at the wrong time can get you fired.
    via Soft_Detective5107
  • 12
    ljustwanttoloo... • 16d ago • There need to be a come to jesus understanding. "You brought me in to fix this, you need to give me 6 months to do it my way, then we can reevaluate. Holding an IC responsible when there was a complete lack of competent leadership is not productive. "
    via ljustwanttoloo
  • 13
    Two weeks later...
    via kip263
  • 14
    You called it. Star employee quit today. New Manager I made a post 2 weeks ago asking what to do when my boss has it out for my star employee. Today my employee let me know she's taken another job. In our
    via kip263
  • 15
    conversation, she said it was because this job isn't her passion anymore (she was hired for a role and it slowly shifted into a completely different one). And while I know that's partly true, I think my boss also managed to accomplish her goal of pushing her out.
    via kip263
  • 16
    I'm... I don't know how I feel. Sad, anxious, defeated? I had an hour long conversation with my boss this morning where I fought for this employee, where I had her back and insisted that she right for the position. And then get slapped with this 3 hours later lol. Now to learn the art of recruiting and hiring...
    via kip263
  • 17
    Dr_Beeper 23h ago • You do realize that you're next in line to leave, right? I think you need to focus on job hunting, not job recruiting.
    via Dr___Beeper
  • 18
    jcorye1 23h ago Losing a star employee is always rough. Losing a star employee because she was pushed out would make me nervous.
    via jcorye1
  • 19
    RedArcueid 23h ago • Sometimes you can do everything right and still end up losing overall. That's just life unfortunately. Your small victory here is that your star employee didn't get blindsided and left out of a job. They are going to be okay.
    via RedArcueid
  • 20
    fpsfiend_ny 23h ago • Once trust is broken. Disrespect is acted upon, and harsh words spoken....there is no turning back. So many great companies out there! Why waste time with egos that will hold back your career, and ultimately, your paycheck size and happiness.
    via fpsfiend_ny

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