Ugly Duckling or Beautiful Swan

Have you ever worked with someone who seemingly couldn’t do anything right but then when they left and joined another organization they did well??I think this can indicate being in the wrong position or the wrong company, but it can also indicate poor leadership.?Recently I have been coaching a twenty-something on their career.?Let’s call her Lexi. The story of the last 6 months has brought her on an amazing journey that I wanted to share because I think it is a perfect depiction of how the right position, the right company, and the right leader can help people become their best selves.?Let’s go back and set the stage.

Lexi graduated from college and accepted an entry-level position with a small firm in her field.?Recognizing she had a lot to learn, she was willing to take on all tasks asked of her even if it didn’t “fall” into her job description.?In addition, she took it upon herself to organize areas in the office and ask for more work when she found herself with free time.?While Lexi enjoyed her co-workers and the work, she soon discovered the owner of the company had less than ideal leadership traits – she yelled at team members in front of each other and called out mistakes in public.?Lexi felt uncomfortable when her teammates were scolded and would often leave the area to avoid being a witness to the situation.?She also noticed that the focus of the owner’s displeasure rotated and almost no one was safe.?Lexi learned the owner had a habit of bringing people to her office (and even her home) and belittled them for hours.??Lexi did her work and earned two annual bonuses over her tenure in recognition of her contributions to the team.?Lexi eventually found herself being yelled at by the owner.??She would follow the directions of the owner only to have the owner then tell her she was still not following directions even though Lexi and others heard the owner give the instructions Lexi followed. As a result, Lexi began to doubt herself and her abilities because it seemed she just couldn’t please the owner.?About 18 months after Lexi started, the owner called Lexi to her home and belittled her for 3 hours.?During this time, the owner made personal attacks on Lexi’s character and childhood. ??Interestingly during the same day, the owner had recognized Lexi for doing a good job working with a client.?I coached Lexi on ways to try to improve her interactions with the owner, but things did not improve. ?Lexi feared the owner had already written her off.?Lexi started looking for another job.?In that time, one of her co-workers resigned due to the poor treatment she was receiving from the owner.?About 3 weeks later, Lexi resigned as well.?In a small firm, two resignations in a month are devastating. During this time, the owner started to reflect on her behavior and how she might be causing the turnover.?However, we have learned that the person who replaced Lexi also resigned after less than 6 months.?I believe this is an indication, the owner has not changed her behavior.

Lexi started a position with another small firm tasked with slightly different responsibilities that combined her skills from her last position as well as an internship she had in college.?She immediately felt the positivity of this new position by the trust that was placed in her from the beginning from her manager.?She was the first in this position and she would basically be writing the job description as she went.?In addition, while at the previous firm she had no flexibility regarding work hours during the day, this new company trusts its employees to get the job done while managing their time by providing unlimited PTO and generous work from home guidelines.?They also immediately had her interacting with clients and within a week, Lexi was meeting clients on her own.?The culture was one of encouragement and she was praised regularly for her work and her new ideas to increase productivity.?After one month of starting with this new company, she was named Employee of the Month.?She continued to complete her tasks, learn new things, identify ways to improve and raise her hand for more.?After 5 months, Lexi received a substantial raise and was told she was on track for a promotion.?Lexi is thriving at this new company.?She has become the expert in her craft and has regained confidence in herself and her abilities.?In the words of Lexi herself “Best company + best co-workers = best job a girl can ask for”.

Isn’t it amazing how things can change in 6 months??As an employee, has this happened to you??If so, what of the three components (job, company, leader) was the wrong fit for you and what change did you make that allowed you to thrive??I would love to hear your stories.