Green grass and piles of shit...

Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence?

As a kid growing up, I was told it wasn't always greener. Now, obviously, we all understand the meaning of this phrase. However, what if it's not the color of the grass so much as the fact that it IS grass??

Let me explain......


Now, I don't believe there are such things as "perfect" jobs as each position we work in throughout our lives has its ups, it's downs and even; at times, it's sideways.
I started my career path in the Pest Prevention biz some fifteen to sixteen years ago. I never thought going into it I would still be doing it or that it was so complicated and legal at times. It was merely a way to pay the bills.

The company I started with really seemed to care about their employees. I found, a year later, that our division in the company was very small compared to their other divisions but, we were growing at phenomenal speeds. With this growth came great rewards. Not only in monetary compensation, but also with family outings, Christmas parties and mini vacations. As we grew within the company and became the second largest division of the twelve divisions the lifestyle of the division changed....

Drastically!!

A new Regional Vice President from outside of our division was hired. Our annual training was cut into a third, Christmas parties were no more, company picnics were obsolete. We grew to a point that everyone within the company took notice and now were trying to find ways to get more...

We became a number...

Our families were no longer as important as they were and morale quickly disintegrated. The only thing that mattered now was how much money I could turn in on a daily basis.
Regardless of how many hours it took, how many consecutive days worked or how long it was since I actually had dinner with the family.
It was extremely stressful and it was time to go.
I kept my license and started my own biz doing just enough to keep the license active and keeping motivated enough to keep wanting to learn the new strategies of the industry.
Everyone told me that what happened to me happens to everyone that works in a large corporation. That I needed to work for a small "mom and pop" type of company. That those types of companies CARE about their employees..

I don't know.. I just wanted to step away for awhile and spent time in the restaurant industry at different levels of management.

Which I'm good at by the way!!

I loved managing people. I enjoyed training individuals and watching them evolve right in front of me. I respect every one of my employees, past and present, and take it personal if they fail. Even today, I keep up with employees from several years back and watch as they have grown in their own lives.
After a few years I saw that I was ready to go back into the Pest industry. This time for a smaller company that valued people as people, not as numbers.

Maybe the grass was greener on that side of the fence?

So, I take a position with a medium sized local company. The interview was great. My resume was awesome and they wanted my knowledge. They wanted to go "a different direction" and my skill set was one they didn't possess and needed to further them along that path.

Or so I was told..

For three years I worked to try and make things better. I saw how they looked at their employees as expendable commodities and not valuable assets. At the drop of a hat they would screw over a technician if it meant a dollar could be saved. All the while, trying to explain to me how it was best for the company.
Now, had I had zero managerial skills, less than zero intelligence and not used the "happy employees are better employees" philosophy my entire life; that may have worked.
But no.. I argued. I fought. I BITCHED.
In doing so, my job was threatened, my stress level increased and my give a shit went to zero.
It was during all this time I started hearing things. From vendors. From former employees. From our very competition.....
Things about how they treated all previous managers.
Vendors telling me how this company had many quality people that cared but were treated like crap and either quit or got fired for not being a "yes" man.

Well, I figured my days were numbered. I'm not a yes man and I've been arguing way too much!

These same vendors, former employees and competitors also told me other things.
They told me how they had heard changes were being made. That employees were happier now with some of my changes, that my manager had talked about the turn around in numbers (though not due to anything I've done of course).
I started receiving job offers from numerous companies. Some couldn't come close to paying me enough while others seemed way to good to be true. Reality was, I was in Jackson. My family and future were three hours away. If change were to be made, it would have to involve a relocation.
Even if a change were to take place, did I even want to try this path yet again? I mean, the grass not only wasn't greener, but it turned to piles of shit! Piles that I now stood in. There was no doubt in my mind that my manager was dumb as a cucumber. He made up words and even made a comment that I "was too smart". ( to this day I don't know what the hell that means)
However, aside from that, I had a damn good group of guys working for me. Sure they were comical at times and everyone enjoyed stories of the New Guys in training; but, my guys were awesome and I believed they were more intelligent, better trained and harder working than any others in the entire company.
It took a very long time to even contemplate leaving. I was going to get fired rather than leave my guys stranded.
This thought is what kept me there for my last year.
Then, while talking with my former manager from my first pest employer I bump into a guy from a large corporate pest company. We briefly chatted and I headed off to work.
Later I find that my previous manager talked very highly of me. Wanted me to come back but told this other guy I would never come back. That I left for being a "number" not a person.
I get a call a week or so later asking if I would consider coming to this new corporate company. I'm told of the conversations he had with my previous employer. I'm told this company has a "People First" mentality.
Yeah, this guy is trying to sell me...

So, I blow it off..

Realistically, I could reopen my own and after a couple stressful years I'd be fine.

Three weeks later I receive another call.
This damn guy is still trying to sell me on this damn company!! He makes me an offer and tells me I just need to fill out an application and do a couple of formalities with the interview process.

Whatever dude! I now know the grass ISN'T always greener!!

Over the next several weeks I watch the online ad he has posted. I talk to several people about the company.
To my surprise, one of the vendors had mentioned my name to this new company as a manager that could instill the changes they wanted to do.

Another week goes by and I look at this ad again.. And again.. And again..


And again....


Then another phone call. Now the compensation has raised a little but he needs me to fill out the app and do the interviews to be able to give me a written offer. I tell him if I decide to do this the app it will be filled out by Monday. If not, the don't call again as I have decided against it. BUT, since we are talking about it, where would I work from? What city?

"WHEREVER YOU WANT" was his answer.... Now that's a plus..

The weekend comes and Sarah and I discuss it.. Reality is I'm not happy anymore when I'm actually down on weekends.. The stress is killing me and she sees I hate my job. Even if this other job sucks, I'll at least be home.. Not just on weekends...

This job really sucks on Monday's .. I leave my house around 2 am and depending on where I'm working may drive 3-6 hours to work... Now it's Sunday night and I've got a 6hr drive in front of me.. This sucks... But, I can't sleep. At 1130pm Sarah walks thru and sees me sitting and staring at the computer..
She asks what I'm doing up since I have to leave in just a couple hours. I tell her I'm still trying to decide.

"do whatever you think is best" is all she says as she goes back to bed..

So I go ahead with the application.

Wether the grass is greener or not is no longer the question. The fact that it's grass and not piles of shit IS what matters!!

By mid morning my phone rings and the guy is ecstatic that I filled it out. He drives down to meet me after work and take me to dinner... He does this three times to get thru the interview process. Always taking my schedule into consideration and meeting me after hours to get it done.

He talks a good game and what the hell, I buy it..

Now I've taken the position and so far it seems great! I'm sure it's the manager I have that is the reason. I'm sure a lot of what he does for me would be frowned upon by the corporation but he does what he feels he needs to do to make his people happy. I'm sure there will be downsides and I'll work thru them. But at least I'm home. I have office days each week that require me to commute from my bed to my office fifty feet away. Several benefits have already been extended to Sarah and myself to help us "get away" if we want to and he seems to genuinely care about my family.

My former employer now seems to enjoy talking about how bad a manager I was. How I didn't take care of my guys and blah blah blah.
I got pissy about it at first, but then, It's just them being the douchebags they are. They treat you like you're expendable until you fire them, the they want to try and ruin your reputation.

However, it didn't work!

Their customers are calling me and telling me all the shit they keep talking and are all wondering how they can call themselves a "Christian" company. I feel bad leaving my guys, and I hope they understand why I left, but I had to check the grass on this side of the fence.

To each and everyone, I say to do what you love and don't be afraid to chance it.

The grass may not always be greener on the other side of the fence; but, if your standing in piles of shit, the color of the grass isn't really what matters...


Take chances and be happy!