I had been in the computer business a little over ten years, was having a ball and making money hand over fist {late 70s} and took a job with a computer company that was also big in the fed gummint contracting business.
Selling commercial and selling the federal gummit are two completely different approaches and the VP of sales with this company came out of the federal sales side.
Long story short, I quit after I met this guy, and hadn't been on board for two weeks.
There is more to it but I never regretted any business decision I ever made, even the ones that cost me big bucks.
You do it, you own it.
Yep. I’m happy with it.
In the meeting he tried to give me a Hobson’s Choice of sorts (two equally unpleasant choices that really constituted a single bad choice) to determine “what he was going to do with me” (since I was so unmanageable).
“So, what’s it going to be?” he pressed.
“Nope, I don’t think I care for either of those choices - at all” I replied.
“You have to choose one or the other” he sneered at me. He was hoping I would get mad and quit.
“There’s one option that we hadn’t considered - well two if we count your leaving the company”
That got a snort from him.
“I don’t know who you had to blow to get your job, but I’m sure that you’ll never get as good a position as this ever again. So I can’t see you leaving”
“And you’re too pinheaded too recognize that I’m the best employee you have. So I doubt that we’ll ever get along. So the alternative is that I leave. I hereby announce my intention to retire, effective two weeks from today”.
His bald little head turned a bright shade of red but he didn’t say anything, instead picked up his papers and left the room.
My two lead men (both of which I had initially hired) were like church mice - but with huge smiles.
That was a moment I’ll always treasure!