ABOUT THIS EPISODE
A manager hires a young, inexperienced salesperson hoping to train him up just enough to help grow the team. It works. Too well. Now senior leadership feels threatened, the manager admits he can't stand the guy's energy, and the whole post reads like a confession that success became the actual problem.
In this Reacting to Reddit at Work episode of Why Does It Feel So Wrong to Be Human at Work?, Pinaki Kathiari and Bree Bartos are joined by Bill Kuehler, co-founder of Resource Hero, and Sam Knight, fractional CMO at Resource Hero, to react to one of the more infuriating Reddit posts they've covered. Bree admits upfront: this one made her mad.
Bill does something unexpected: he steel-mans the manager's argument, genuinely trying to find the most charitable read before calling it out. Sam draws a sharp parallel to AI adoption and the current wave of layoffs. And by the end, even the manager's own line, 'I don't hate him,' gets called out for what it actually sounds like.
In this episode, they discuss:
• A manager who built a whole program around growing talent, then turned on the employee who did exactly that
• Steel-manning the worst argument you've heard: giving it the most charitable read before you tear it down
• Why 'we've been trying to push him down and it's not working' is not a management strategy
• The disruptor parallel: how this employee's reception mirrors how companies react to AI adoption
• Whether the layoffs happening across the industry are really about efficiency, or about clearing out comfort
• A possible ageism thread running underneath the whole post
• Nice guy is not a profession, and neither is being liked instead of being good at the job
• Why asking one simple question could have avoided this entire situation
This one pairs well with our conversation with Dr. Matt Zakreski on being curious instead of furious. Listen to them together.
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Connect with Us
Pinaki Kathiari – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom
Chris Lee – LinkedIn | Gallagher Communication
Bree Bartos – LinkedIn | Local Wisdom
Special thanks to digital communication agency Local Wisdom (www.localwisdom.com) for really believing in our mission and making this podcast possible.
If this episode made you think differently, laugh, or even yell out loud, we want to hear about it! Connect with us on LinkedIn, and don’t forget to rate, review, and share – maybe with your work bestie… or even your boss if you're feeling bold.
We also bring these important conversations to conferences and private workshops, creating space for real, meaningful change. Take the first step at www.whydoesitfeelsowrong.com.
