A reader writes:
I’m in a quandary and actually second-guessing a choice I made concerning a proposal that was made to me a few weeks in the past.
I work for an organization that makes, let’s say, teapots. I lately discovered that Cersei, the director of a unique teapot-making firm, needs to fireplace her total design group and rent me to move a model new one. I might not solely be liable for main the brand new group, however for hiring everybody in it. The complication: the present head of the to-be-fired group is my mentor of 20 years, Jaime.
I discovered about this when Cersei invited me to lunch and instructed me she want to rent me. My preliminary response was that whereas I used to be flattered, I used to be nervous concerning the turmoil it might create if I swooped in and took my mentor’s function with out a lot as a phrase to him. Cersei then instructed me that if it wasn’t me, it might be another person, as a result of she discovered Jaime troublesome to work with and was simply carried out. She additionally had issues with one other particular person on his group, however favored a 3rd. However she was ready to scrub home and begin contemporary with me.
A bit of useful background: Jaime mainly paved the way in which for my profession, and I owe him lots. Nonetheless, I’m not stunned that Cersei is pissed off. He (and his colleague) have a repute of being troublesome and even poisonous. I’ve seen them blackball folks for minor perceived slights, and it’s fairly terrible. In consequence I’ve considerably distanced myself from them. I retain a pleasant, if surface-level, relationship with Jaime, however his colleague and I’ve had no contact for years.
Easy? Possibly, however Cersei additionally has a repute — for precisely what she is making an attempt to do proper now. She is notorious for working with folks after which dropping them with no phrase of discover, with new hires already in place. She even has a nickname in our business: “Cersei Fires Everybody” or “CFE.” (It’s not likely this, but when I instructed you the true one I’d out myself.)
After some critically agonized pondering I turned the function down, although I didn’t inform Cersei why. I gave a form of “sorry, I believed I may do that nevertheless it seems it’s not the suitable time” half-truth, which perhaps is a cowardly method out. The reality is there’s an excessive amount of potential drama for me to need to go close to this case with a 10-foot pole. I additionally don’t want the work. I’m fortunately employed, and I like my present firm.
However now I’m second-guessing myself. Cersei is a Huge Boss in my business, and it might profit my profession to work for her. I’m additionally asking myself if she actually is within the improper. I imply, individuals are inside their rights to fireplace workers who’re troublesome to work with. She must rent somebody. Am I silly for turning down a probably large profession increase? Do I want a thicker pores and skin? Although I’m not near Jaime anymore and won’t make excuses for his poisonous habits, I do nonetheless really feel like I owe him the respect of not taking his job out from below him. Alternatively, it’s nearly sure he wouldn’t give me the identical consideration. Am I overthinking all of this?
Lastly, I really feel actually upset concerning the third colleague, who Cersei supposedly likes however is ready to axe with the remainder of the group. I do know him personally and he is an excellent, beautiful human being. I’ve thought of coming to him with this info. The truth is, it’s crossed my thoughts that it might be truthful to let the whole group know what’s about to occur—however I hold stopping myself as a result of I’m nervous I’ll simply make issues worse, and I frankly don’t belief my mentor or his colleague to not create an enormous downside and/or take it out on me. I perceive that it’s Cersei’s accountability to warn them, not mine — but when she continues her ordinary M.O., she gained’t. I really feel horrible understanding about this and doing nothing.
What ought to I do?
Anybody who’s working for somebody who has the business nickname “Cersei Fires Everybody” already is aware of their job isn’t steady. So please relieve your self of the strain to one way or the other inform Jaime or his colleague that Cersei needs to fireplace their group. That may be true in any case, nevertheless it’s very true while you don’t belief them to not take it out on you.
This isn’t yours to repair for them.
As for second-guessing whether or not it’s best to have accepted Cersei’s supply … cease second-guessing! Possibly it might have benefited your profession to have labored for her, however there are all kinds of issues you are able to do to learn your profession that don’t include a aspect order of “and you can lose your job with out warning at any minute, and also you gained’t even get the courtesy of suggestions so you may see it coming.”
Cersei doesn’t sound like somebody it’s best to need to work for.
Given all that, the query of whether or not it might be improper to just accept Jaime’s job after he’s fired is moot, because you made the suitable name regardless.
If this had been a unique set of info the place Cersei was an amazing boss and also you weren’t positive when you ought to settle for the job {that a} mentor of 20 years who paved the way in which to your profession simply acquired fired from … properly, I’d be asking what you knew about Jaime and the way he was possible to reply to that information. Some mentors could be completely high-quality with a mentee stepping within the job they had been simply fired from (particularly in the event that they had been properly conscious of their boss’s behavior of biking by way of workers and figured their very own time there was restricted anyway) and could be horrified to be the explanation you turned it down, and others would take it as a major betrayal. So that you’d must understand how Jaime was more likely to see it. His reacting badly wouldn’t essentially imply you shouldn’t take the job, however you’d need to be reasonable about the way it was more likely to have an effect on that relationship and issue it into your pondering.
Nonetheless, you’ve critical moral points with how Jaime operates and also you’ve distanced your self from him, which modifications the calculus of how accepting the job may impression your relationship.
However once more, that’s a unique set of info. Within the precise set of info, none of this issues since you shouldn’t work for Cersei anyway.