Over six months ago I experienced something that I haven't been through since my very first job renting prom tuxedos; I was fired. Don't get any gossipy ideas, I wasn't let go because of anything immoral, illegal, or unethical. My employment was terminated for "not achieving the goals of my position". This is a very nebulous statement, and one that is very common when you are in upper management or on the upper end of middle management. There is a strata in middle management where as long as you are doing your job, and business conditions aren't disastrous, you are pretty secure in your position. You will notice that your manager or boss doesn't enjoy the same flavor of stability. In my 25 years in heavy industry, I have seen countless regime changes that have resulted in a purging of the upper management. Are these managers incompetent? Not always. Are they insolent and stubborn? Sometimes. Most often, they don't have the trust of th
Most of us will spend a majority of our career in Middle Management. Instead of dreading it, embrace it for what you can glean from living in the ultimate squeeze play.