Why One Pushover Principal Slammed the Door on This Teacher | Marc Maxhimer, The Tilt

10/12/21 • 12 min

1 Listener

Marc Maxhimer, a former middle school teacher, talks about the time he tried to help his new principal -- only to get the door slammed in his face.

Marc's big mistake wasn't confronting problematic behaviors in his boss. Rather, it was not anticipating his principal's misinterpretation of intent as a personal attack or a complaint.
In future conversations with the powers that be, Marc would pre-emptively and succinctly frame the conversation to come with a matter-of-fact statement of the issue at hand, followed by possible solutions so that he wasn't just presenting problems.
Today, Marc Maxhimer is the Director of Education and Training at the Tilt, an online newsletter and community teaching content creators how to become successful content entrepreneurs. You can connect with Marc on LinkedIn at PC-Podcast.com/MarcM.

You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.
Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes.
In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. 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!

Support the show

Marc Maxhimer, a former middle school teacher, talks about the time he tried to help his new principal -- only to get the door slammed in his face.

Marc's big mistake wasn't confronting problematic behaviors in his boss. Rather, it was not anticipating his principal's misinterpretation of intent as a personal attack or a complaint.
In future conversations with the powers that be, Marc would pre-emptively and succinctly frame the conversation to come with a matter-of-fact statement of the issue at hand, followed by possible solutions so that he wasn't just presenting problems.
Today, Marc Maxhimer is the Director of Education and Training at the Tilt, an online newsletter and community teaching content creators how to become successful content entrepreneurs. You can connect with Marc on LinkedIn at PC-Podcast.com/MarcM.

Support the show

Previous Episode

How Her Mistake Led to 6 Months' Worth of Bad Projects | Charlotte McBride, Charlotte McBride Design

Graphic designer Charlotte McBride talks about how her greatest strength turned into a weakness so big, she delivered 6 months' worth of bad projects.

Charlotte's biggest professional mistake was rushing her projects to completion, prompting a career-defining confrontation with her direct supervisor. Her speed, combined with her inexperience and her manager's reluctance to speak up sooner, which was her own mistake, resulted in six months' worth of mediocre product that may have been avoided.
Now, Charlotte deliberately enforces timelines with both herself and her clients, particularly when wrestling with repetitive assignments. She recommends physically getting up from your workspace, maybe remembering to eat that meal that you may have missed, so you can return with fresh eyes and greater attention.
Today, Charlotte McBride is a PowerPoint and graphic designer to help corporate companies clarify their message, nail their pitches and close more deals. You can visit her website at PC-Podcast.com/CharlotteM. (As in McBride, because that's how we roll.)

You can find this and other episodes of the Professional Confessional podcast at PC-Podcast.com, or on your podcasting platform of choice.
Would you like to listen to the whole conversation? Go to PC-Podcast.com/Support and subscribe for full recordings and early episodes. That's PC-Podcast.com/Support.
In the meantime, please share this episode with someone you think needs to hear this today. 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!

Support the show

Next Episode

How Good Suggestions Accidentally Made This Non-Profit Director Toxic | Brooklin Nash, Nash Content Consulting

Today's guest is content marketer Brooklin Nash, whose early career in a Guatemalan non-profit led him to a "fight or flight" situation with a stubborn, insecure director who gaslit him.

Brooklin's mistake was the bad presentation of good ideas, compounded by youthful inexperience and the director's own insecurities. Basically, he didn't know when to quit! He pushed his organization for changes they were never going to implement, while simultaneously ignoring the writing on the wall that they were never going to promote him into leadership.
In similar situations now, Brooklin now practices upfront, transparent conversations with his employer and managers -- and believes working for a company that never invests in your own personal development is a red flag for toxic management. In a professional "fight or flight" situation, don't stay and fight for the organization that doesn't fight for you; instead, fly somewhere that will appreciate your pushback and support your growth. Otherwise, you risk being "dead right" and suffering complete burnout.
Today, Brooklin is an expert content marketer specializing in B2B SaaS platforms. He's worked with the likes of Outreach, Mixpanel, G2, Drift, and Marketing Profs. You can connect with Brooklin on LinkedIn at PC-Podcast.com/BrooklinN.

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The Professional Confessional - Why One Pushover Principal Slammed the Door on This Teacher | Marc Maxhimer, The Tilt

Transcript

Ashley Stryker [00:00:06] Welcome to the Professional Confessional: How the biggest mistakes we've ever made fundamentally changed our work, our careers and our approach forever. Gain wisdom and perspective through these audio absolutions.

Ashley Stryker [00:00:20] Today's guest is Marc Maxhimer: A former middle school teacher whose mistake made his assistant principal slam the door so hard, it literally almost hit him on the way out.

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