Sometimes it pays to research......

[roblewis]

While working at Sunbelt Rentals, I had a manager who I had been at odds with for a while. Specifically, he told me I was making a mistake in moving from management into sales and that I was a moron for taking the area I took on. He referred to it as a dead area, I referred to it as my backyard that he never took a serious look at. Our tension grew over the years as I continually proved that there can be no assumptions if you don't look at all the facts.

One day, we had the "you are a punk kid, and I know everything" conversation that became a weekly conversation between us. Don't get me wrong, he had tons of experience and I probably did my part to puff my chest out and prove that my experience was not something to scoff at. This one however took place on Valentine's Day and he was particularly upset about something. He proceeded to rip me from my chair and shove me out the door. At the time we were the same size and I was closing in on 245 pounds (I like to think all muscle, but then again that's why I am in sales?) I had been looking for a reason to transfer to a much more profitable division, so this gave me the chance to try and make my move. After a show of "genuine" concern about the situation, I made the "let's talk about this like men" speach in front of my peers and then left. Thinking that this is unacceptable practice in management, I called our regional manager and made my case. He said to meet him in our office at 7am and we will get to the bottom of it.

This is the mistake category, so you are wondering what my mistake is? I am sure you have seen a few in this so far, but the biggest one is not sizing up their relationship before making that call. Not only was my attempt at transfer denied, but my manager received nothing more than a "now, that wasn't nice"and I got a "you need to respect your manager" scolding. The next year was pretty interesting but I learned a great deal from him, and to this day my respect for him grows as my understanding of his management style does. i have to admit, I am surprised that in a company of nearly 5000 people, this can not only take place but be swept under the rug. As it turns out, that position ended up being much less in the long run, so that potentially could have been a far more tragic mistake.