06-21-2018
Why Our Brand New Ops Manager Resigned After One Month On the Job
FILED IN: Behind-the-Scenes, M&G Happenings
Posted By: Jamie Kutchman
Posted by: Jamie Kutchman , Founder
From a distance, business ownership can appear to be glamorous. You get to make your own hours. You get to make all the decisions. But if you peel back the onion, you'll realize that the hours are long and making all of the decisions feels like a pressure cooker. While I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for anything, I always strive to be open and transparent when something in small business doesn't go according to plan.
Image: Red October Photography
You may recall our new Operations Manager Jean coming on board last month to replace our longtime Director of Ops Kelly Rumpke. I'm sad to say that Jean has already decided to leave us (yikes!) and take a position out of state, closer to where her family lives. Initially when she resigned I was in complete shock. She had only been with us for a month yet already felt like family. Not only did she seem genuinely happy with us, she's also made huge, drastic, game-changing improvements to our operations in her short time here. As a team, we've been clicking and cooperating and communicating and making tough things happen that were admittedly long overdue!
With all of this said, the new corporate position she's accepted will pay for her MBA in full (a long-term goal of hers) along with tuition reimbursement for her family. As a small business, I simply can't compete. We were only recently able to begin offering healthcare benefits to our employees, which I was extremely proud of and considered it a huge milestone. But an MBA?! Not quite there yet! We are genuinely happy for Jean as it truly does sound like the opportunity of a lifetime. (Maybe not as fun as what we do at studio M&G, but you get the idea)
Then the fear set in and went like this... "Oh my God, what am I going to say on social media since we JUST got done introducing Jean on the blog, Instagram Stories and even on our new youtube channel?! What will people think? Will they think this is a terrible place to work? Will they worry that our service will suffer? Will they think I'm impossible to work for?" These thoughts went on and on and on. But since I'm a firm believer that the truth will always set you free, I'm choosing to be up-front about the situation that we're facing. This is the reality of small business and I refuse to hide the ugly parts and act like things are perfect just so our outward appearance can be perceived as perfect.
Image: Red October Photography
The good news is that we've found a solid replacement already. She has a strong background in project management with plenty of experience working under tight deadlines and demanding clients. While we also work under tight deadlines, most all of our clients are gracious and amazing to work with so I suspect she'll enjoy the change of scenery! We'll be introducing her more formally when she starts in July but I couldn't keep this to myself any longer.
Appearance isn't everything. Things go wrong behind the scenes when you least expect it. They REALLY do. It's how you handle them that counts the most. Wish us luck as we undergo another transition in this key role, hopefully the last one for a good. long. while.
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