The Tapping Solution

"I joined this team with great passion and enthusiasm and was let go within seven days, just one day after the head of marketing admitted to me that quote "You've jumped into the action when there is a LOT going on so not only did you have to jump right into the thick of it all in week 1, but I was also distracted by a number of things, making it tough to onboard you and support you." You can imagine my shock. I was absolutely in the midst of the learning process when it came to management's preferred communication and copywriting styles. This process most certainly included mistakes, but I owned those mistakes immediately and was actively learning from them. They were obvious new-person errors that were easy to remedy and I was taking responsibility for doing that in real time. It's fair for leadership to want autonomous employees who can work independently and not be coddled, without a shadow of a doubt. It is *not* however, reasonable just, logical, or productive, to expect perfection in the midst of a high pressure environment within just a few days. Taking on ownership of a company's voice is an honor and a critical responsibility. You need time and in-depth communication with leadership to adequately develop that voice in a way that rings true to their intentions, values, and goals. I was not given time to even ask the questions I needed to ask. I was not given the time to execute other marketing skills I excel at outside of this one process-- most of the skills I was seemingly hired for. Before being hired, I was asked to submit a writing portfolio. I poured myself into that task and sent it. I was told as part of the hiring process the team very much liked my writing. Once I was on the team, my direct report, who had requested that portfolio in the first place, told me he hadn't even read it, but had outsourced it to another member of the team. It's my belief that had he actually engaged with my content creation ability and style, he would have naturally been able to allow me an execution error or two, confidant that my writing abilities are strong once I have been adequately immersed in culture and expectations. I said multiple times during my interview process that I strongly believe that "Clear is kind." I have been the leader of marketing teams myself. Successful, tight knit teams. And it's my view that good leaders bring people with them. And that if obvious communication errors are popping up, it's up to leadership to first question their methodology and give an opportunity for communication and repair before treating a human being who is obviously actively trying and engaging, as though they are disposable. This head of marketing seems to want to create a dynamic environment of superstar employees. That's a great goal! His own erratic behavior, sporadic communication, and obvious sense of overwhelm and irritation at engaging with trainees, are bound to continue to impede that goal if not changed. That would be unfortunate, as the mental health support the company seems to offer society could be of real value to a great many. I would advise that if you're applying for a marketing role with this company, you request your training be done by an alternate member of the marketing team, rather than the Chief Marketing Officer. I would advise you to ensure you're communicating regularly with HR about that process with timely feedback. The majority of my time here, HR was on vacation, and HR had been the only place had felt palpable, sustained support for the first couple of days. It was all very confusing. There are other members of the marketing time who seem competent, kind, and supportive. Really great folks, who I was excited to work with. I'm unsure that the CMO has the patience for the training process. Being decisively dismissive without adequate data is not a positive leadership style. It's one that costs companies talent that deserves a growth period. Leaders need the ability to constantly self reflect, ask good questions of themselves and their team, and help cultivate their talent, not just batter it with ambiguous requests. I've never in my life heard of a leader that doesn't give *at least* month or more of an employee trial. It's often 90 days. At many organizations, it's six months. This is a *mental health company*. Yet their onboarding process is cutthroat and cruel. It's also shortsighted. Tread carefully as a marketer with this organization. Demand a specific trial period agreed to in writing, so that you have time to establish a pattern of strong performance before being discarded. Request a style guide out of the gate that clearly defines the companies content style. Request a pre-agreed-to period of time where it's normative for you to receive a list of daily or weekly expectations so that you can get your footing before you're blissfully off on your own, doing your thing confidently. The internal intention there is to find bright talent, which is a worthy and awesome goal. Even talented folks need time to truly understand the scope and breadth of their assignments. Words matter. And so do actions. And the way I was treated at this organization was the worst professional training and treatment I've ever received in my decade plus of digital marketing. The salary is solid but there is no health insurance. Which is ironic, given that it's a health company. I was willing to forgo that very important benefit because I loved the idea of the culture and the creative potential to help expand their overall strategy. I was treated with neglect followed up by casual cruelty. I deserve better. So do you. So if you pursue a career here, ensure your expectations for treatment are agreed to up front. Hold yourself accountable for being great, absolutely. But hold them accountable too. We all deserve space to breathe into new things. Best of luck."