I don’t love what I do....

Rick Teinert

Rick Teinert

New member
Location
Reno
Today I was basically told that I do not love what I do. This was quite funny to me. I have been climbing trees for over 13 years now. I am a certified arborist and plan to open my own legit tree care company soon. What do you think? Does anybody go to those lengths if they do not love what they do?
 
JD3000 said:
Sounds like you may have either a shitty boss or co-worker. Perhaps a malcontent customer?

Do you thing man, some people suck.
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It was a boss who fired me for what it seemed to be no reason actually. I had to hear from another employee that he had said those things. He would not give me any reason at all. I was his top climber. Yea some people definitely do suck.
 
He expressed disinterest in working with you. You don't want to work with someone who is disinterested in you. These changes in relationship are normal. You'll figure out what's best, next. Wish you success.
 
Treezybreez said:
Hi Rick, so you expect us to believe that your boss fired you for no good reason? We need a little more of an introduction than that.
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Actually, I’ve been around for a bit. I just don’t post much, and yes there was no good reason for me being terminated. He said word for word “you haven’t broken any rules or violated any company policies. This is hard to do but we are letting you go.” I seriously thought it was a joke. I did love working for them as I was provided with Good gear. Pretty much whatever I needed was there. I was paid well and I did my job well. Just over a week before Christmas and I’m let go without what I feel is a good reason. Nice present for the family. Thanks for the thoughts and positive comments guys.
 
One of my mentors was let go in similiar curcumstances and the explanation was something to the effect of "it's just not working out..."

Shit happens, have a beer and move on.
 
Well then try to provide some history and context and folks will let er rip.

Be prepared for "life sucks, wear a helmet" or "Quit whining Nancy" or something along those lines. More constructive info will come from those who own businesses and have a lot of experience in situations such as these. Perhaps thinking about why your former emplorer may have come to this conclusion for some reason.
Perhaps the owner is having finacial problems as well. Idk.
 
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There has to be a reason. You say you were his top climber. What about the other aspects of being an employee?

i.e. showing up on time. Working well with others and having a good attitude with the crew. Treating customers and their property with respect (no cursing or throwing cigarette butts on their lawn). Wearing PPE and working safe. The list goes on. There are many reasons why a "top climber" is let go. The problem in this industry is some "top climbers" think they don't have to be a responsible and "top employee"

Not saying you are guilty of any of the above, but unless the man is downsizing, top employees are not let go without reason.
 
limbcontrol said:
There has to be a reason. You say you were his top climber. What about the other aspects of being an employee?

i.e. showing up on time. Working well with others and having a good attitude with the crew. Treating customers and their property with respect (no cursing or throwing cigarette butts on their lawn). Wearing PPE and working safe. The list goes on. There are many reasons why a "top climber" is let go. The problem in this industry is some "top climbers" think they don't have to be a responsible and "top employee"

Not saying you are guilty of any of the above, but unless the man is downsizing, top employees are not let go without reason.
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Well your response implies that I am irresponsible or that I don’t work well with others. Why would I honestly post this topic if there was a legit reason for them letting me go. If there was a legit reason I would not have went on to treebuzz to post this topic. I wasn’t aware that every single detail needed to be put out there. I was simply putting it out there for general discussion. I also like how guys are so critical and quick to jump to conclusions that “there has to be a reason.” It’s too bad this community nor any community of arborists seems to be very supportive these days. Everything is a pissing contest. I guess arborist comradery is a dying thing. The original question or topic was not “I’m not a good employee....” Anyway, thanks from the few guys that actually had something positive to say. People are not always fired because they were assholes or bad employees. Did you ever stop for one second to think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a possibility that there are not good employers out there that screw over employees for their own gain? Aren’t we all human? Whether employee or employer nobody is perfect. I was and always have strived to be “top employee” no matter where I am at. I have a wife and 4 kids so being irresponsible is not on my agenda sir. Again, had I obviously been negligent, disrespectful, dishonest, irresponsible, or had done anything else that would have been an OBVIOUS reason for my termination, this post would not exist. This was for simple discussion of being passionate about what you do. This was not a trial of whether I was a good employee or not. Please read original post carefully.
 
Rick Teinert said:
Yea I’m with that. Just wondering what others thought about it.
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There are at least two seperate things going on. 1) He let you go. 2) What you heard he said.

With regard to the first, if you are able to push forward with your own business now, one day you will feel this was by far the best thing.

With regard to the second, wondering about it is a zero sum game. At the least he is telling himself and another person a story to avoid the pain of facing his own scary issues. At the worst he is running a part of a cycle described well in a book called, The Verbally Abusive Relationship. Sad place for a man to be in my opinion.

CONGRATULATIONS - you're free!!! Zero possibility for feeling guilty as you build your business in a region he also works.
 
Rick Teinert said:
Actually, I’ve been around for a bit. I just don’t post much, and yes there was no good reason for me being terminated. He said word for word “you haven’t broken any rules or violated any company policies. This is hard to do but we are letting you go.” I seriously thought it was a joke. I did love working for them as I was provided with Good gear. Pretty much whatever I needed was there. I was paid well and I did my job well. Just over a week before Christmas and I’m let go without what I feel is a good reason. Nice present for the family. Thanks for the thoughts and positive comments guys.
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I understand your frustration as expressed by your response to limbcontrol's post. First let me tell you I was a facilitator in a job search program that taught people how to find work. I've heard your story hundreds of times over. I lived it when I was let go by an employer whom I had a friendship with and had helped him grow his business. That being said, I am going to give you some feedback from my professional experience.

That you were let go without a solid, clear reason is unfortunate and possibly litigious (you may have cause to sue). That is really a difficult one but it won't solve the immediate problems of regaining work in a timely fashion.
So, my list of actions:
  1. Accept the termination and mitigate any negative fallout from it
  2. Contact them, thank them for the opportunity to develop and grow as an arborist while in their employ.
  3. Ask for an exit interview to help you understand and overcome whatever issues they feel may impede your future employability with another company.
  4. Accept their feedback, if any. They may be vague, or if it's a question of loving your job then ask for them to elaborate on it so you may better see how you may be projecting that image. Again, ACCEPT THEIR FEEDBACK.
  5. Ask for a written recommendation or reference (If they provide one it will limit what they may say if contacted directly)
  6. Also ask if you can use them to provide a positive reference for any future employer.
  7. Review your own perception of your work. What did you accomplish there? What contributions did you make to the company's performance, e.g., increased productivity, profitability, customer service, etc..., include numbers that show by how much.
To the last point, when you work for someone it's about what you can do for them. In return they'll do for you. When you talk about having loved working for them your first focus is on what they did for you, good gear, anything you needed, paid well. Then you mention that you did the job well. This may be a subtle point but a point nonetheless that possibly goes to their feeling you don't love the work. Had you said I loved working there because of the opportunities to apply skills and knowledge to a range of challenges in a variety of new environments. That the company presented to the public a professional image that reflected well on the crew and maintained a high level of morale, etc..., that may leave a much different impression.

Time to reflect and work on how you'll present yourself in a positive light to other prospective employers.
The good news is the field is experiencing a shortage of skilled, competent, reliable workers willing to make the effort everyday.
 
Again, the subject or question was whether or not somebody would continue doing what they do for as long as they do it, and invest the time and money to learn and advance their skills if they do not love what they do. This was not an evaluation of my character, work ethic, or why I was terminated. Thanks guys.
 
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