I’ve been a supervisor and manager for over 20 years at this point, and I love where life has taken me. However, not too long ago, I remember being the boss that everyone hated and disrespected. So how did I get to the point where I’m the one coaching other supervisors and managers on how to be a great performer and the type of leader everyone wants to work for? Well, let’s go back 22 years… 

In 2000, I was working for a manufacturing company and worked my way up to Plant Supervisor in 2005. I oversaw the whole plant of over 75 employees on the swing shift. However, I wasn't trained, coached, or mentored on becoming a Plant Supervisor, so, as it turns out, I wasn’t a very good one. When things went wrong, I always yelled at my employees, reminding them on how badly they messed up. My end shift report sucked, and I was always trying to wing my way out when it came down to explain my performance every morning. I know. Horrible, isn't it? So stressed!

Then, life threw me a curveball… 

I was fired.

After only 6 months as a Plant Supervisor, they fired me even though I had worked for the company for five years. I will never forget how I felt leaving the company with no job and wondering how I was going to face my family. My first instinct was to blame the employees for not doing their job. It was obviously their fault… right? I knew now why people were always scared or hesitant to apply for any supervisor position. Fear of getting fired!

Fast forward 10 years and I finally realized that those few employees that had the courage to share with me how I can get better as a leader saved my career. I owe them everything. I decided to create a process where every employee that I supervised could share my wins and losses as a boss. That became my secret superpower # 1. It inspired me to create the rest of my secret superpowers. My career skyrocketed! I never got fired again and till this day I have employees still calling me to ask how I am doing. Imagine that!