We'd like to help you learn to help yourself

Karen came into work early yesterday morning and, because she hardly ever comes in on a Saturday, I was a bit surprised to see her. About fifteen minutes later, she asked me to come out back and shut the door behind me. Kim had brought her daughter to work for a couple of hours, and I wondered if Karen was going to address me about that. Instead, she fired me.

She started the process by telling me how upset she'd been all week about an incident that took place the day before Thanksgiving. A woman had called right before closing to ask if we'd stick around while until her husband got there. He was stuck in traffic. A while could have meant twenty minutes or an hour and a half. I had no idea. I told her we closed at five, but I'd stick around for a few minutes, but not much longer than that. To make a long story short, she ended up coming by and canceling her order. Kim had dealt with her on that score; I was out back at the time.

Karen got wind of this---apparently this woman was a friend of hers-- and she'd been stewing over it for a week. She told me she didn't run her business like that and felt I was a "7:30 to 5" guy, that it wasn't in my makeup to go the extra mile. Which is fine, she said, but not as far as her business is concerned. So, that incident coupled with feedback from some customers that I turned away their business by claiming we were too busy to make deliveries, was enough for Karen to decide to let me go.

When the bottom dropped from under me-- when she said "I'm letting you go"-- I immediately felt a cold surge of dread. My life was now fucked. I had no prospects, bills to pay, Christmas presents to buy, rent, the works. I was in a mild state of shock. I had not expected this.

She told me that, as a manager, she held me to a higher standard than everyone else, that she wanted me to share her mindset about how the business should be run. And when she heard this negative feedback concerning me, she felt that it was a mentality I had that couldn't be altered.

I wasn't sure if I would be able to salvage my job, but I didn't want to leave with my tail between my legs in sullen defeat. At the least, I wanted to correct her on a few points. I told her that the job meant a lot to me, that as frustrating as it could make me at times, I enjoyed the challenge of it. And, aside from that incident before Thanksgiving, I've stayed late plenty of times for people, and turning away business is not something I generally do. And as far as telling people we were too busy to deliver their rentals, the only reason I would ever do that is because I didn't want to make promises we couldn't keep. If someone wanted us to deliver twenty tables to Brookline at 8:00 and I've already got four orders slated for that time and only one driver, well, yes, I'd say we couldn't do it. But it wouldn't be because I didn't want to be bothered. There was a big difference.

Karen heard me out, and as I talked, her expression warmed up. I told her that if she gave me another chance, I promised I would never turn away business again, that I would stay late when necessary. But I couldn't promise that I wouldn't make more mistakes, because I most certainly would.

She responded by saying she expected me to mistakes and she was fine with that. She told me she believed what I told her, that I made a good case for myself. It was evident to her that I deserved another chance. She told me she'd think about it over the weekend but couldn't promise me anything.

I thanked her and went on to tell her that I've never held anything back from her, even when the stuff that would incriminate me. I took the job seriously and while owning up to my screw ups, I would not accept the notion that I was just there to collect a check.

She knew all, that she said. That was why she hired me. And she felt that personally, there was no problem. We talked a bit longer, and the mood was lightened even more. We joked about aspects of the business we found befuddling and then she told me she liked the way this worked out. We then talked about possible methods to make the ship run smoother. At some point she said we'd meet back in a month and see where we stand.

She left soon after that, and I felt strange the rest of the day. I told Kim what happened and she was struck dumb by the news. I was the last person who should be fired, she told me. She said that if I was let go, she would give Karen an earful. I appreciated the support; it meant a lot. I spoke with Karen a few more times and at one point, she told me that she felt good about our talk. That was good to hear.

It was a strange day. I still felt the dread of losing my job, even though I still had it. My ego was bruised, to be sure. And I was reminded of how quickly things can take a dramatic turn. Losing my job was not high on my list of concerns. I thought it was secure, but is anything really?

I'm grateful for the second chance. I dodged a bullet and hope to learn from the experience. I would have preferred a written warning or a sit down with Karen before she made the decision to let me go. But then it occurred to me, that perhaps the reason she didn't do that was because this way she could gauge how much I wanted the job. If I left without a fight, she'd know that I didn't have too much invested in the work. But, hearing me make my case the way I did, she saw that it was evident that I wanted to stay.

I don't know. Part of me is pissed, but I also understand where she was coming from. This is her business and reputation is important. If she hears that her manager is turning away customers, she has to take measures to correct the situation. I understand that, but I wonder if she needed to go to such dramatic lengths.

Ironically, I had to stay late to wait for a customer who had left some linens behind. Karen had called and told me not to wait around too long, that if I needed to, I could leave them at the restaurant next door. Good idea, I thought. I ended up doing that very thing.

I should point out that Karen, during our initial discussion, told me that if there was ever a time when I couldn't stay late, I should let her know and she would make accommodations. I'll have to take her up on that some time.

What a day it turned out to be. I have a lot to think about: where I'm at , where I'd like to be headed, all that good stuff. It sucks to go through stuff like this, but I'm going to do my best to treat the experience as a gift, albeit one I'd never put on my wish list. Ah, life.