I was hired to lead a team that had no idea I was coming. On my first day, I flew to Seattle, and on my second day, I received my equipment and met my team—without any prior context or introductions. They were simply names on my calendar. Despite the awkward start, I did my best to make the most of being brand new. Unfortunately, both of my direct reports made it clear they didn’t want me there.
Within a few months, I was labeled as incompetent before I even had a real chance to develop my team or build meaningful relationships. After my first week, I was sent home with a full workload and no opportunity to meet my team in person until the holiday party. Every time I turned around, I found myself stepping into chaos.
The work environment was toxic—an overworked team with insufficient resources and little support. I genuinely felt for those I left behind. Whenever I consulted my team to discuss reprioritizing work or finding additional resources to improve collaboration, I was met with resistance. I had left a great company for what turned out to be a disorganized, often hostile workplace.
In hindsight, I’m grateful I moved on. I’m finally starting to feel more at ease and optimistic about what’s next.
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