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Fired? No, it's a different direction
Posted by Fired Fred on November 29, 2007 1:21 PM
The land of rain and coffee has offered a virgin's opinion on the sports world invading corporate dictionaries.
Too much to think about, isn't it? I'll try again. A reporter named Virgin in Seattle thinks "We're going in a different direction" will be the sport's world's big contribution to what businesses say about the people they fire...
Consider how wonderfully weaselly that term is. Instead of having to actually provide an explanation for the firing (or retirement or non-renewal or separation) -- too old, not winning enough for the alumni, too many complaints from parents of pine-riding kids, not one of our minions -- its user can offer the sublimely vague justification of "moving in a different direction." One need not even specify what direction that is (other than to indicate the coach's direction is out the door).I think there's one problem with that. If you tell your stockholders you've booted out the CEO because you want to go in a different direction, somebody is going to ask where you thought you were going to begin with.
"So why did you hire the last guy, did you want to go into three straight quarters of net losses?"
"No we thought we would do a lot better."
"So why should we trust your judgment now?"
"SECURITY!"