6 Ways to Ruin a Career… Quickly

With the “Great Resignation” (numerous people choosing to leave their jobs, and employers unable to fully staff), you would think that no employer could afford to cut someone loose right now. In reality, pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and post-pandemic (is there such a thing??), there are still employees who get fired for cause. In our consulting work, we are often asked to help employers determine what to do with a team member who is not performing well, and we are also asked to coach team members that are being dismissed. While not every employee who gets fired is at fault (some leaders are jerks and can inappropriately and unfairly fire someone), the majority end up getting fired for some failure or shortcoming. Here are 6 of the quickest ways to enter the “Great Termination” pool.

1. Lie or steal.

This one is as easy to figure out as hitting the ball in t-ball. It’s so easy that it is amazing it still happens. The lying can be as simple as shading the truth, and the stealing may not involve money but rather stealing time by fudging work hours or expenses. It should be obvious, but lying and stealing are almost guaranteed to grant someone entry into the undesirable club of termination.

2. Get angry.

You have seen it before. The veins in the head start to rise. The eyebrows squeeze together. The voice gets elevated. Every part of their body says, “You better run!” Anger is a normal emotion and can be warranted especially when you have been mistreated or threatened. The Bible reveals a lot about anger and its damaging consequences. God does not say never get angry, but he does say, “Be slow to anger.” But if you get angry often and fail to manage your anger, it will ultimately get you labeled as “damaged goods.” People will avoid you. They will agree with you, telling you what you want to hear. They will even fear you. But in reality, they will not like you. And, you will likely end up unemployed.

3. Chronically complain.

While few people want to be terminated, many people do things that can get them there, including chronic complaining. Wanting a different office. Wanting to work from home. Wanting more pay. Not liking the culture. Not agreeing with decisions. You get the picture. Each one of these can be a legitimate request or concern, but constant dissatisfaction and residual complaining can wear down an employer and bring them to the point of saying, “Hasta la vista.”

4. Don’t listen to others.

What does a smart person do when someone is trying to tell them something? They listen. They may not always agree, but they show enough respect to hear the person out and do so without cynicism. But people who are aiming for termination commonly dismiss, get defensive, and make you feel like an idiot for your feedback or ideas. In other words, they always know better than others. When a leader does this enough, frustration and anger increase while trust and credibility decrease. And termination may soon follow.

5. Use the word “NO” a lot.

Here are some examples of leading with “no”: Can you take on some extra work during this crunch time? NO. Can we take a different approach to how we market? NO. Can I launch a new program? NO. Can I adjust my hours? NO. Can you finish this project by end of week? NO. Can I have perogies for lunch every day? NO! There are times when “no” is the correct answer. But when you regularly lead with it, you will frustrate people, become less desirable, and may become more of a target for termination.

6. Make stupid choices.

We are not supposed to call people stupid, but people make stupid choices, and stupid choices lead to termination. For example, take the transplant surgeon who recently lost his medical license for burning his initials into the liver he just transplanted! And it was not the first time he had practiced stupidity! There are mistakes, and then there are stupid choices. Both can get you fired, but the latter will get you to the front of the line of the “Great Termination.”

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Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.