RollCNY

Just my opinion, but it seems that the higher you rank, the more likely you are to be dismissed by a curt phone call. It has little to do with respect, and more to do with "defense against a law suit". In face to face meetings, the firer often gets apologetic and whiny, and says things that get used against them later in court. If Mr. Serotta is surprised by the means, then he probably didn't comprehend the depth of the water in which he swims.

roadwarrior

The issue is that Ben Serotta is liked in the cycling community (from what I have seen). As a result, this treatment is now public information. This could impact that future plans of the chuckleheads that run the place, now. It's stupid. They could have hanlded it in a respectful professional manner.

I will give you that this is one side of the story. Who knows what else might be going on? But I have my doubts that the story is any different than as it is being portrayed.

Harvey McKay once said, if you are going to burn your bridges, you better be a damn good swimmer.

roadwarrior

He did not say he was surprised. Disappointed is a better term.

BTW...the higher you rank the less whiny and apologetic you become.

RollCNY

Yes and no. I have been involved in corporate manufacturing for many years, and have seen many very powerful people totally lose their heads in termination meetings, and say things that open up lawsuits. Many "powerful" people are excellent in business meetings, but come apart at the stress of termination.

Edit: stinking typo's. I think auto correct is somehow involved.

roadwarrior

This is why, when doing this you are accompanied by an attorney and someone from Human Resources (aka witnesses). And you are coached and you go through the process before doing it live.

JakiChan

I'm not saying I'm a fan. Just pointing out that yes, it's tacky, and it's not just a small company thing.

NWS Alpine

A lot of places hire firms to handle this now. What an awful job to fire people all day. Cleaner for the existing employees at the company though.

RollCNY

No offense meant, but your comments continue to show naivety. There is no such thing as a "respectful" or courteous termination, only a professional one. Termination is the ultimate disrespect, and discourtesy you can give someone. Any lawyer will tell you that the key to a termination is brevity. I have never met a lawyer willing to "be a witness" to a termination, as it compromises their ability to later be your lawyer in that case.

Coaching is wonderful, but a professional termination demands a specific dispassion that very few high level executives or HR people can maintain, and their coaching dissolves as soon as the terminee asks "why". In my experience, most of them want to argue the merit of the termination, and achieve "understanding". They become emotionally involved, and want satisfaction. Most terminations involve emotional attachment on the part of the firing manager, and they can't put it below the surface. They default to anger to carry them through. HR managers tend to move to empathetic responses too quickly, and come across as patronizing in a hurry.

I am telling you first hand that I have seen many, many very high level executives handle terminations very poorly, despite having coaching and handlers with them. I have given that coaching, and been the handler, and watched it crumble every time. This is why companies employ "ax men" or "hatchet men".

brons2

Most should have seen it coming. When your company is sucking wind and burning through cash and you don't have a viable business plan to turn it around, termination is inevitable. But people at top levels become too enamored of their own plans and ideas.

halfspeed

Shimagnolo

The classic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85DtKlEgayM

Shimagnolo

Wait! Are you implying Balmer actually has a plan???

roadwarrior

Before I owned my company, I was a VP, officer in a billion dollar company (my responsibilities were about 20% of the company). I know the game. I am not naive. I left to start my own company (which I subsequently sold) because I got tired of the bs and was about to go through my third acquisition in four years. Acquiring, not being acquired. Combining cultures and changing the culture of the acquired will kill you.

I was originally hired in from the outside, and since the organization (my part) was losing money like a rowboat with a huge hole, things had to change. And a few people had to go due to performance.

I did every single one face to face with dignity, and yeah it was difficult, but two of those people are friends of mine to this day. If you treat people like crap, you develop a reputation for that, then you can't hire the best people. And when that happens, you start the death spiral.

BTW....we were profitable in three years. Once that initial phase ended, we had zero turnover and people were thanking us for making the moves because they knew who was creating the problems and wondered why previous management had not done anything about it.


Ben Serotta is a respected person in the bike community, despite maybe hanging on to a business model that many of his dealers thought was not working anymore. To handle a termination of a person who is known and respected will come back to haunt the current owners.

Thanks for your thoughts, however.

MrCharlie

Jesus...I thought this was a bike forum.

RollCNY

Then why did you just bring religion into it?

MrCharlie

OK....ya got me, haha.

Garfield Cat

This reminds me of that cable TV show with the guy who comes in to clean up the place, a bar so as to revive it and show profits for the owners. He reminds me of a certain Mayor of a large city in California.

roadwarrior

And Serotta is a bike company.

Hope that helps.

MrCharlie

Oh good. We're talking about Serotta again.

kaliayev

Maybe a little Karma for Ben. From what I hear he did the same to his last CEO minus the phone call.

HigherGround

Thanks for posting that link. I was thinking of that episode as well!