Man calls new hire an idiot for taking his old role — then watches the stock rise as his own plummets

A software engineer (u/mpanase) joined a company as a team lead, even though everyone thought it had no future. The guy they replaced also mocked them and bragged nonstop about how smart he was for leaving his position. However, a year later, the new hire had the last laugh when their company performed way better than the so-called "powerhouse" the other guy left for. The software engineer posted the story on February 4.

The guy they replaced left the company because he was confident it would fall apart very soon. In fact, he couldn't stop bragging about his new company and called his replacement an "idiot" for their decision. For the first few weeks, he reminded the team lead almost daily about how much their company's stock had fallen and how his new company had been flourishing. But after a year, the situation had changed unbelievably. When the software engineer joined, most employees were burnt out, and almost all clients were about to leave. However, they didn't lose hope. Instead of rushing into things, they helped colleagues fix unsolved issues and also tried to win back clients' trust. The team lead also gave all the senior executives a reality check on the company's position and a realistic plan for the future.

"Those same clients are now happy, stable, and renewing. Internal sentiment is way better. Fewer emergencies. Actual planning instead of panic," they wrote. The team lead also checked the stock and found a surprising change. Their company had gone up by 26% since they joined, whereas the other guy's company had gone down by 26% since he joined. "I haven’t said a word to him (yet). Still trying to figure out how to do the petty thing 'with class,'" they wrote. This story is a classic example of how good management can totally change an organization's fate. Improving employee engagement is, in fact, a shared responsibility within a company. While leaders or top executives design long-term goals, 70% of the actual difference is made by a good manager or a team lead, according to Gallup. But what exactly can highly-engaged employees do? Well, the report suggests they ensure 14% higher productivity, 23% higher profitability, and 10% higher customer loyalty/engagement. "Highly engaged workplaces have executive leaders who buy into, communicate, and model engagement, creating the conditions for managers and employees to adopt an engagement mindset," the report mentions.

Meanwhile, reacting to the Reddit story, u/mikeschwab63 commented, "Send him flowers congratulating him on one year with the new company, and a note comparing stock prices. u/amuschka wrote, "So maybe he’s the problem? He clearly tanked company A and is doing a good job of tanking company B now, too." Similarly, u/antonia_rothschild suggested, "It's better to become the person based on the wisdom and talent you have shown in getting the show back on the road — no need to say anything. If forced to comment, say, 'The team and management have stepped up, I have been lucky, and the markets have their own forces.' Such a wise, forceful, but modest person would become the leader of the market segment."

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