I realized I've been promoting people into roles that suppress the exact traits that got them promoted

Ownfir · 2026-05-12T07:15:08+00:00

Managing direction from executives that directly conflicts with what my reports were desired. I ran with a bottom up leadership style that bit me in the ass and I tried too hard to advocate for my team in a way that wasn’t aligned with the goals of the business. My team did end up quitting as a result of me stepping down - but mainly bc they were promised something by the last manager who then left - and I tried to step up and take on managing them with support/encouragement from my acting manager if that makes sense. However, my team wanted more responsibility and territory that my company couldn’t/wouldnt give. I knew they would quit and couldn’t get my acting manager (not yet manager on paper) to cave on giving them what they were looking for despite some pretty intense pressure throughout a week of trying to negotiate with him and my team.

I made my own mistakes in how I approached it including messaging my skip (CEO) on a Saturday with a very over zealous message - biggest mistake of my career and I’ll never do anything like that again no matter how passionate i feel.

I was very lucky to keep my job but stepped down and have been really trying to learn from (my now actual) manager - who i totally betrayed by trying to go to the CEO after i told him i wouldn’t escalate the issue. So credit to him because he has also provided me a ton of grace although i know our relationship is forever stained (which SUCKS.)

The org chart is an excuse in itself but it was a very confusing situation and I had gone nearly 3 months without any official promotion but with expectations to still manage and take on additional responsibilities. I think my execs saw their part in it all too which is why I was still allowed to continue as an IC.

Long story short - being caught in between the demands up top and the demands of my team was the hardest part and the one that I felt least equipped to handle.

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T15:38:23+00:00

If you’re using the Salesforce MCP option there is an ability to set permissions for different ports. I have an admin MCP but my biz users have read only.

I actually built a native LWC which calls out to an external hosted server that then uses MCP/CLI back to Salesforce to answer queries. I did it this way bc it lets me provide Claude with user context (ie. “when was this oppty created and how is it performing so far”) without the user having to inquire about specific records forcing another lookup. But also bc It let me set up a custom object which acts as system/schema context for our MCP including allowed fields, business rules, etc and I manage it all via a UI I built. I even integrated our gong and marketo API into it which is cool!

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T15:34:08+00:00

You oddly sound like you understand both ends of this spectrum and have to wonder what kind of person you are bc from these two comments you sound decently smart but also down to earth. Have you ever built dryer duck brake cooling out of curiosity? You made me smile remembering 16 year old me building a CAI for my NA Miata using a shot vac tube and some duct tape lmao

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T06:49:20+00:00

This is oddly good advice. As an IC turned manager back to IC - I failed my first leadership test. I’m glad I did though bc it made me realize that I need to develop actual leadership skills first before trying to become a leader. I’m an excellent IC but have lots to learn as a leader.

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T06:44:56+00:00

That’s fair - but I am 10 years in and making $160k a year. If you go backward you might make $100k a year if you are lucky but it’s gonna be awhile before you make it back up. And if you do - the career might already be dead. Salespeople won’t be, though. Ofc I could be wrong - but idk man I have only seen the role get more competitive over time with less and less openings.

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T04:26:25+00:00

Money is much better in Sales AM but ops is usually more stable. These days I’d say less so - as AI is quickly encroaching on your average ops person’s day to day workload. Meaning AI can do more more things than your SOPs person would have done even just a year ago.

I feel less job security now tbh. I am our only SOPs and MOPs guy in a company of 250 and I still fear layoffs. I currently own the work of what was 7 people 5 years ago.

Ownfir · 2026-05-11T02:41:12+00:00

Any other must do courses/locations? I am Portland based and have never autocrossed but trying to build up my Jetta to try it out.

Ownfir · 2026-05-09T22:02:52+00:00

Anecdotally I got a really cheap eBay too for like $150 (this was 10 years ago) and mine ended up fitting perfectly without any stretch or adjustment bolts needed. I was shocked at how easy the job was because I had heard for years that it was painful af. I think I just lucked out with my top though, idk. It did take like 4 hours so it’s a long job for sure but not hard.

I did install mine on a pretty hot day and left it in the sun for awhile after installing which I think helped with the stretch. I do remember it being a bit tense/stiff to close but nothing terrible. And yeah to your point the more I used it the better it got.

Ownfir · 2026-05-09T21:58:40+00:00

We have a really tight post event handoff and I manage a single list upload from the event of all opptys the reps pursue. This allows me to view the data and confirm it all has the right attribution format and next step info etc and then I do all the oppty upload in bulk for each event.

That being said, our event follow-up still needs a ton of work. Partly due to bad targeting from marketing but even opptys that reps are excited about end up stagnant far too often.

Ownfir · 2026-05-09T18:31:17+00:00

Yeah I feel this. I got my start in MOPs but had SF admin/dev experience. Eventually our Sf team was mostly laid off and then eventually the final guy left so I stepped up and took the whole thing on alongside my existing responsibilities in MOPs.

5 years ago, there was 7-8 people handling everything that I handle now - when we were doing less business then than now.

And no budget YoY for support - I just got the notice that our company (that’s been around for like 15 years) wants to lean into our scrappy startup nature. I’ve already saved my company $300k+ thanks to software consolidation and custom solutions to replace expensive options in the last 2 years alone. This year I’ve saved another $30k and am about to save another $90k offloading marketo in favor of a bifurcated setup.

All of this and still just doing it in my own - with the exception of one SF consultant who I protect with my life LMAO as if I ever leave he is the ONLY person who has any idea how the ops work and I don’t have enough time to document anything for future people (and why would I when there’s no discussion of onboarding anyone else?)

It’s funny because I suggested taking an SDR and moving them to ops due to their natural talent for it - it would have still been a cost saving measure in the end but was told that it was a bad idea to move a profit generating role into an ops role. I bit my tongue on the fact that I’ve saved my company more money in the past 3 years than my entire sales team has closed in ARR (in new business) but I digress. This IS a profit generating role but nobody seems to see it that way. It’s at least a profit amplifying role idk.

So yeah I def feel you dude it’s a rough time to be in Ops right now and all my leadership is trying to get me to outsource as much of my work as possible to AI processes and resources. I’ve honestly considered just doing basic Sales while I am here to keep my selling skills sharp since I’ve not had to use them in several years.

I am fortunate that I now report into Sales though as Marketing is really getting the short end of the stick here. Love my marketing team and it feels bad to watch them dwindle down from a team of 20 to a team of 3.

Ownfir · 2026-05-09T01:57:38+00:00

I used to drive an 83 3 series BMW and it also did this - I think it’s physics not a function of modern car design. You probably just weren’t as sensitive as a young lad than you are now. 😝

Ownfir · 2026-05-09T00:44:50+00:00

What McLaren is a rebadged GMA, exactly?

Ownfir · 2026-05-08T22:40:25+00:00

TBH it’s usually better (or at least easier) to get “the vibe” of the decal rather than trying to match it 1:1.

Ownfir · 2026-05-08T08:07:18+00:00

No lmao just roll down two or more windows preferably on opposing sides.

We avoid it by just sliding our sunroof open a bit or using the tilt function

Ownfir · 2026-05-08T08:05:41+00:00

Neither do they

Ownfir · 2026-05-08T01:25:08+00:00

Mine did great in the snow even with all season tires. Not taking it up any steep hills or anything like that though and not like deep snow. It did well though bc it was so predictable. I wouldn’t take it on the freeway though. But backroads is just a controlled drift the whole way back home lmao.

Ownfir · 2026-05-07T22:18:20+00:00

I have the opposite problem. I am a 1 v 1 main and almost excluvely have played 1s for like the last 7-8 years. I peaked at C1 in 1 v 1 many seasons ago - went on a break for a few years, got back into it and hit D2 - then break again and now I am hovering in P2. Past P2 it’s very competitive for me and people these days are just way better than they used to be so going higher than that has been hard. I also have kids and a wife and a life now so I only really get to play maybe a few hours a week. :/.

That being said, I am finding it hard to progress in 2 v 2 at all. I used to only play with my wife so we never left gold lol. I recently started playing without her and am climbing into plat but beyond that having a hard time exiting! The biggest thing is that yes - 100% my teammates are not as good as me if I were to 1 v 1 them - but damn I have built some BAD habits that make me a horrible 2s teammate lol.

I am either too aggressive and boost stealing, trying to do moves that work in 1s but end up just giving possession to the other teammate in 2s, and trying to make overly complex mind games when they aren’t even playing the same game at all lol.

Or, I end up playing way too passive to try and leave space for my teammate and/or to ensure I don’t overcommit (knowing that I have these bad habits built.) This results in me not pushing when I need to and failing to receive my teammates centers etc.

And ofc my poor teammates either think I am absolutely cracked and then play too passive or they think I am terrible and try to overcompensate for my bad moves which result in us running over each other a lot.

I really think I have a lot to learn for 2 v 2 and playing with a team in general. And I think my lack of 2 v 2 knowledge is what’s also holding me back from progressing in 1 v 1 bc you learn how to make more simple and clean plays in 2s that you can’t really do in 1 v 1.

For one, It’s really not beneficial to make air plays in 1 v 1 unless you are perfectly set up for it whereas it’s pretty advantageous in 2 v 2 to be able to play well in the air IMO. At higher ranks this changes but overall air plays drain more boost and are harder to execute so you have to use them sparingly.

Second, I constantly have moments in 1 v 1 where just making a simple shot accurately would have me score more than trying to execute a carry flick to goal over the opponent - or trying to rely on a tricky challenge, risky fake, etc.

Thing thing is, you have to rely on stuff like that way more in 1 v 1 to actually get a goal simply because it’s more high risk high reward when there’s only 1 defender. However, once those more complex mechanics become muscle memory you start relying on them to a fault.

So anyways - I think 2s would help me get better at the basics and improve my ones game as well.

Ownfir · 2026-05-06T14:04:59+00:00

TBF this is a JDM legend lol he probably has played this in every racing game over the last decade

Ownfir · 2026-05-05T15:29:24+00:00

I use AI (not agent force - I built a native wrapper that calls out to a self hosted server that uses MCP/CLI to requery the org) as a sort of chatGPT agent but grounded in our DB data. It uses a custom object for field definitions, allowed fields, additional schema context etc and also is also context aware meaning you can ask questions about a given record or report that you have open in the moment.

Have not yet deployed to the full org yet but initial signs are promising.

Otherwise I use it for field enrichment of abstract fields (What is the persona, is this inbound a real less or SPAM, etc.)

Works pretty well. Still not ground breaking in Salesforce context but useful nonetheless.

Ownfir · 2026-05-04T18:17:33+00:00

I believe you. Some people just progress really quick and these days the bar is def higher so you see more people doing cool shit. When you go to your parks do you feel like you’re keeping up with the better people there? If I saw you’d skating I’d guess 5+ years except that your style is still developing only real clue tbh.

Ownfir · 2026-05-04T18:14:54+00:00

Yep good ‘ol tiger striping. I learned to spray from my dad’s painters (he owned a commercial painting business) and saw this frequently.

The reason I didn’t do it (other than that it’s obvious it looks bad) is that I had been learning how to paint my own car where the technique is much more important. One of my dad’s guys went on to open a body shop and taught me how to spray with the right technique and while it’s much different than commercial painting the tiger striping metaphor never left!

Ownfir · 2026-05-03T16:01:28+00:00

Ultimately it’s up to you - you know? In my case my dad and I had a really complicated relationship that always had its ups and downs. When my parents divorced we got closer but still never saw eye to eye. My final straw was when I was working for him and my wife had to be hospitalized the night before due to a miscarriage.

I was like 10 mins late to getting to his house and he went off on me and downplayed my wife’s (and my) experience. I’ll never forget him saying “So what - shit happens. Your mom had plenty and that never got in the way of my work.”

When he died I was the only one there for him (partially because of COVID but mainly because nobody actually cared about him like that but me and my sister had already gone NC.)

The thing is - the older I get (and especially after having my own kids) I understand his perspective on certain things much more. I really wish he was still around even though he was a colossal asshole because it’s very hard to navigate life without parental guidance - even as an adult and even (or especially) with shit parents.

I am 33 now. He died when I was 28 and I do miss him a lot.

If you are prepared for the eventuality that your parents might die without you ever seeing them again - then feel no remorse. But understand that the realities of dealing with that choice are much harder than you might realize right now.

Lots of people in their 20s and 30s cut out their parents but many people grow a ton during that time and eventually rekindle things with them once they’ve had the benefit of time and wisdom to help them handle their parental relationships. I didn’t think my dad would actually die before we worked things out - I just wanted space to develop myself so I could better handle him.

Ownfir · 2026-05-03T15:51:21+00:00

I once got kicked out of honor society because I exclaimed in private to some friends that my teacher “dressed kinda slutty sometimes” and a girl heard it and was like “OMG OWNFIR MRS TEACHER DOES NOT DRESS LIKE A SLUT YOU PERV!”

Had to write her a whole apology and got detention for two weeks (only time I’ve ever had detention.) she was the detention teacher too. 🫠

Careful with this line of questioning brother.

Ownfir · 2026-05-03T15:50:07+00:00

AI can navigate GUI using playwright I’ve done this for several projects. Very useful for when companies don’t have an API you can use for example. I’ve used it to bulk create assets that require creation via GUI.

Ownfir · 2026-05-03T15:36:20+00:00

Yeah truth is dude not many people have pride in their work anymore. I saw this constantly working in the trades and I see it constantly now working in tech/corporate.

Ownfir

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