It was one year ago today that I was terminated from Quicken Loans for being outspoken about the stupidity of buying Christmas gifts for directors that earn well into the six figures, and for being part of the overtime lawsuit. On a side note, JP converted to Judaism. He's actually half Italian and was raised Catholic, but since Dan Gilbert is Jewish, many of the directors converted. Talk about selling your soul! I must admit that getting canned actually left me with a sense of satisfaction and relief. I was able to collect 6 months of unemployment and find a great outside sales career.
Excluding military service, I've spent the better part of my working life employed with insurance companies and banks as a sales professional. From schlepping life insurance in people's homes at 10:00PM to writing refinance loans to dissatisfied credit card clients, I've pretty much taken the monetary tour de services financiers over the past 18 years or so. Here are a few things I've picked up along the way:
People possess an infinite capacity to be disrupted by minutiae. If you complain long and loudly enough, you'll eventually get a discount. The customer is seldom right, though mostly tolerated. Pretension is encouraged, as long as you have the ability to pay for it. A little sadism can often go a long way. And so on. But these things are minor compared to the things I've learned from the corporate culture during my 28 weeks at Quicken Loans:
-Intelligence, for the most part, is threatening.
-Political awareness is more important than performance.
-Subservience opens more doors than knowledge.
-Loyalty is contingent on profitability.
-Motivation is primarily fueled by self-interest.
Apathy is rewarded as often as responsibility. Most importantly, I've gained a renewed respect for the resilience of humanity mostly from my underpaid, overworked and disrespected co-workers. Except for J-Mo. When the mortgage industry crashes down in the new year, I look forward to asking him for advice on an I-pod at Best Buy.
I've worked and trained alongside hard-working individuals who have been incessantly misinformed about their competition, condescended to by self-serving leaders (who constantly confuse status with soul) without retaliating. They have done so while retaining their sense of personal pride and professionalism along the way. It was a pleasure to have worked with you.
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