You’re Fired!
My family had just returned from our annual trip, a ski vacation in Whitefish, Montana. The Monday morning after we returned, my boss put a meeting invite on my calendar for that morning, and I knew something was up. After a brief conversation, I heard the words that still ring in my head today: “You’re fired. Today is your last day.” No notice, no warning, but they did wait until I got back from vacation, lol! So many feelings immediately rushed in at first anger, then fear, but the main thought and concern was how was I going to pay my mortgage and provide for my family? So you might be wondering why I was fired? A big deal I had been working on for months didn’t come in. Because I had recommended a competing solution to my potential client, my company found out about it. The truth is my competitors’ solution was a better fit. It wasn’t as if I didn’t believe in the solution I was offering. I did, but I had developed a rapport with my potential Customer over 2 months of working together in the trenches, and there was a mutual trust between us.
My almost Customer, who I now call a friend, had called me late one night. He was on the fence about my solution versus my competitor’s. The more we talked through it late into the night (over a video meeting and a Bourbon), the clearer it became that the other solution was a better fit for his company. I could not allow him to make a wrong decision, which would impact him and his family. So I advised him late that night to sign with my competitor, and my employer ultimately fired me because of it.
In my 26 years in Technology, I had never been fired. The last time I was fired was by Pepperidge Farms for eating Godiva chocolates on the job, more than 30-years ago (for those of you who don’t know Godiva they are very hard to pass up, especially when your job is to stock freezers full of chocolates 24×7) over the holidays.
I didn’t love being a sales rep for top Unified Communications providers in the industry. I remember a day not long ago working for CDW Corporation, a $20B VAR where I could genuinely advocate for my clients. I was a subject matter expert in the cloud communications industry, 100% agnostic, and not biased towards one vendor or solution. At CDW, we had our customers’ best interests in mind and not our commission check. The two years at CDW were the most fulfilling of my career. After 15-years in one industry, I have developed the tools, processes, and experience based on hundreds of engagements, helping our Customers quickly navigate the Cloud solutions to identify the best fit. We helped hundreds of IT Professionals migrate from legacy hardware to cloud-based solutions. We took the risk out of the equation for our customers, we were their most trusted advisors, and we had their best interests in mind.
I wanted to wake up and feel that way again, to help Technology Leaders without bias, without a plan, to provide them with tremendous value. Like a fiduciary in the financial services industry, but for Technology. The stakes are just as high in technology decision-making in financial services…..big decisions impact everyone’s careers and promotions.
I didn’t go right home to give my family the bad news. I went for a walk on the DuPage River in Naperville, to clear my head, to plan my next move, and I decided right then I would never let anyone else or any company no matter how big the paycheck, control my destiny, or my integrity. I would work with the clients I wanted to work with, IT professionals considering a Cloud offering where my 26-years of experience would add value. If I had to leave the comfort of a steady paycheck and exchange that for freedom, entrepreneurship, and a commitment to put my Customer’s interests first. That is good enough for me, and I would sleep better at night.