My First Employee Lasted 3 Days

What are the odds? I was sitting in a Burger King on a military base with a family member and happened to run into the first person I ever hired at MGR 18 years ago. Although I didn't immediately remember his name, I recognized him after 18 years, and even more so after I heard his voice.

He was my first internal hire, and he lasted for an entire 3 days. Actually, that is a lie. He didn't even last 3 days... he resigned on the morning of his third day. I remember thinking, "How in the world did this happen?!?"

The crazy thing was that he was actually a tremendous find for me. He had the consulting background I wanted, the industry experience I wanted, and even the demeanor I wanted. He was perfect. The problem was that I was wrong. He fit what I thought I wanted in a new hire. The issue was that it wasn't what I needed. I needed something much different than I had rationalized. I had pictured building a grand consulting company, but the reality was that we (translated: "I") was a solopreneur in a 400 square foot office... and that was after I had upgraded space! I was not yet a grand consulting company, but I was trying to hire like I was. It was a flaw in strategy that affected us both.

When you hear that someone lasted 3 days in a job, we employers usually assume that there was something wrong with the employee. Many times though, as in this case, the fault is on the part of the employer. We rationalize why something will work, decide to skip steps, or don't do the pre-work to determine what we really need to hire. We just start looking for someone without taking the time to set our sights appropriately, and we end up with a costly mistake.

In case you are curious about the rest of the story, it ends well. I introduced myself to the gentleman, hoping he would remember me, and I joked that I was probably the worst employer he had ever had. He immediately said that no, I wasn't "terrible", and that yes, he did remember me. We talked long enough for me to find out that he had just retired from a prosperous career. Just like my own company had eventually got on the right track and succeeded, his career had also went very well after we parted ways. Neither of us was any worse off for the 3-day experience, and in fact, we had both ended up better off in the long run.

Mistakes in business are inevitable, but there is always something that we can learn from them. In fact, I would submit to you that the learning is actually the most important part.

If we can be of assistance, please reach out to us on our Contact page. As always, I wish you the best in all your endeavors.

Mark Goldman