Matt Ryder describes confronting a senior military officer who repeatedly gave him the worst assignments, including sleeping under a toilet block. After five months of saved leave, Ryder gave notice he'd discharge himself in 30 days. He argues good managers must handle conflict directly without taking it personally.
Hey, motherfucker. Like I get it. You don't like me. If you just tell me, hey man, your shit jobs until I fucking die, I'll be like, whatever. It is what it is. Yeah. Bring it on. One of the bravos just hated my guts, so I would get the worst. Be like, hey, you guys are over there in the Hilton. Maddie, you're underneath the fucking toilet block in the rain. I did everything I was told. I was like, okay, I get what's happening. The only satisfaction that you want from this is for me to be bitch about it, and that's the one thing that's never gonna happen. I just hit a point where I had five months leave saved up. I had to give six months notice, and I said, hey guys, if you don't stop this, I'm gonna discharge. They were like, you can't leave. You're fucking. I was like, then. Here is the discharge paperwork prefilled out. I have 5 months leave. I'm outta here in 30 days. And they were like, oh, you can't do— I was like, I can and I will. Goodbye. The best managers have no problem with conflict and like the ability to hammer people and not hold a grudge, I think is so important.
