How Her Mistake Almost Got Her Fired for Being "Dead Right" | Ashley Stryker, Professional Confessional

08/22/21 • 20 min

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Content marketer Ashley Stryker remembers the "feedback" meeting that nearly got her fired through her own self-righteous arrogance.

Ashley's biggest mistake was her (my!) insistence that just because I was correct on a given strategy -- and the strategist presenting was incorrect -- did not mean that I presented it in the correct time or place, or even in the most respectful way possible. My accusations and arrogance resulted in serious harm to my teammates and my boss, which took months to restore to something approaching functionality.
On realizing her mistake, I resolved to learn how to navigate office politics better, even if I felt it was stupid. I needed to acknowledge that we were all working towards the same goal, so I should approach conflicts from a place of confusion and clarification, rather than accusation.
Today, Ashley Stryker offers content marketing strategy to clients and employers alike while enjoying implementing her professional skills for her personal projects -- like this podcast! I'm easily reachable through the Professional Confessional podcast website or over on LinkedIn.

You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com or on your preferred podcasting platform of choice.
Do you want to come on and share your biggest professional mistake? Head to PC-Podcast.com/BeOurGuest to schedule your professional confessional.
In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today -- and share what you needed to hear in a review! The more often we rate and review our favorite podcasts, the more people will find out about our community and the more episodes I can make.
That's all for this Professional Confessional. I'm Ashley Stryker. Thanks again for tuning in, and I hope you'll join us next time. Talk soon!

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Content marketer Ashley Stryker remembers the "feedback" meeting that nearly got her fired through her own self-righteous arrogance.

Ashley's biggest mistake was her (my!) insistence that just because I was correct on a given strategy -- and the strategist presenting was incorrect -- did not mean that I presented it in the correct time or place, or even in the most respectful way possible. My accusations and arrogance resulted in serious harm to my teammates and my boss, which took months to restore to something approaching functionality.
On realizing her mistake, I resolved to learn how to navigate office politics better, even if I felt it was stupid. I needed to acknowledge that we were all working towards the same goal, so I should approach conflicts from a place of confusion and clarification, rather than accusation.
Today, Ashley Stryker offers content marketing strategy to clients and employers alike while enjoying implementing her professional skills for her personal projects -- like this podcast! I'm easily reachable through the Professional Confessional podcast website or over on LinkedIn.

Support the show

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How His Mistake Bankrupted a Viral Video Company | Scott Stratten, Unmarketing

Today's guest is entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and unapologetic Canadian, Scott Stratten, who explains how his biggest mistake drove a mind-bogglingly successful viral video production company into bankruptcy--and how he pivoted back into success.

Scott's biggest mistake was his lack of professional curiosity and overconfidence in his approach and product that left him blind to industry updates and progress. Ultimately, his loss of curiosity led to the bankruptcy of his previously successful video business in 2008 and the complete erasure of his speaking gigs during the Covid pandemic a decade later.
On realizing his mistake, Scott eliminated distractions that only reinforced his error of self-admitted arrogance and proactively sought out opportunities which forced him to learn new things and make time for what really mattered -- personally and professionally. Professional enthusiasm was key.
Today, Scott Stratten is resuming his keynote speaking engagements -- though on a greatly reduced schedule by design -- and experimenting with new platforms, including video-on-demand courses and live LinkedIn webcasts under his Unmarketing brand. You can find out more about Scott on Unmarketing.com, through any of his six business books coauthored with his wife Allison, and on Twitter @Unmarketing.

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The Professional Confessional - How Her Mistake Almost Got Her Fired for Being "Dead Right" | Ashley Stryker, Professional Confessional

Transcript

[00:00:00] Ashley Stryker: Hi, and welcome to the Professional Confessional: how the biggest professional mistakes we've ever made fundamentally changed our work, our careers, and our approach forever. Gain wisdom and perspective through these audio absolutions.

[00:00:17] Ashley Stryker: Hi, I'm Ashley Stryker. I'm a content marketer. By now, I've interviewed a ton of really incredible people. It occurred to me that I couldn't publish these personal a