We Got Fired!: . . . And It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us (Hardcover)

~ Harvey MacKay (Author) "How do you define a secret?..." (more)
Key Phrases: envelope company, back waiter, New York, Henry Ford, Red Cross (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Perhaps a more accurate title for this upbeat volume would be: "We Got Hired and You Can Too!" Every one of Mackay’s interviews with the now famously successful (Michael Bloomberg, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Jessie Ventura, Bernie Marcus, etc.) ends with the subject richer for the experience of having been fired—both literally and figuratively. Mackay—a syndicated business advice columnist and author of the 1988 bestseller Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive—seems to anticipate an audience of downsized managers for this book, but his advice is useful to anyone in the throes of work-related rejection, regardless of their corporate ranking. The combination of interviews and short essays could also serve to introduce workforce newbies to the realities of business life: one essay points out that "If You are Under Thirty, the Likelihood that You Will Be Fired in the Next Twenty Years is 90 Percent." Mackay concludes each chapter with collections of quotable life slogans, such as "Your company may give you the boot, but don’t boot the networks that company has opened for you." He also dishes out helpful suggestions for making the most of an exit, along with tips from Donald Trump on how not to get fired in the first place. And though Mackay’s glowing descriptions of his interviewees can border on pandering and his repeated references to his friendship with Larry King can grow trying, these tales of rejection and redemption form a neat package of inspiration for those in need of an encouraging word and the gentle reminder that terminations simply lead to new beginnings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Everyone loves a comeback, and sometimes failure is the best education. That is the theme of this collection of interviews with 28 successful and famous people from all walks of life who, at one time or another, have been fired. Career and business writer Mackay shows a remarkable ability to get highly visible people to open up and reveal their dark past. He begins with a conversation with Donald "You're Fired!" Trump, who never actually lost a job per se but came back from being billions in debt for perhaps the greatest personal rebound in financial history. Bernie Marcus was fired from a job as manager of the Handy Dan Home Improvement Center, a chain of 66 stores, but he ultimately extracted sweet revenge by founding Home Depot. Mackay gets an amazing interview with Muhammad Ali, who lost his title when he chose to become a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. It is surprising to learn the difficult beginnings of such notables as Robert Redford, Larry King, Billie Jean King, and Michael Bloomberg. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345471865
• ISBN-13: 978-0345471864
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #432,782 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and superficial -- don't waste your money!, November 14, 2004

By	jeffsdate "jeffsdate" (Boxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews

I can't believe there aren't better books on this subject out there. The chapter on each person is so short and superficial that it really doesn't tell you anything. Some of these people WEREN'T EVEN FIRED, so they don't even belong in the book. Others were fired, but the author doesn't tell you why. The section on Bernadine Healy of the Red Cross is particularly sloppy and confusing. She resigned one month after 9/11 and there is no explanation at all of WHY she did. And another thing that annoyed me -- purely stylistic -- is the fact that all the interviewees keep repeating the author's name again and again ("You know, Harvey..." "You're right, Harvey..."). At least, "Harvey" quotes them as having said that.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars IT DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU, November 12, 2004

By	Bob Ford (ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you think this book will apply to you, don't waste your money. It is about millionaires getting fired. If you are not one, you will have nothing in common with the people in this book. One person got 10 million severance pay. Another got 30 million. These people did not let it get them down. Can you relate to them. There is way too much about people in professional sports. If you are in professional sports, thie book might help you. If you are not, don't waste your money.

40 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And When One Door Closes, Another Opens...Simple But True, September 30, 2004

By	Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's not as if author Harvey Mackay has written anything all that earth-shattering in this book, as any effective outplacement consultant will give you the same advice he provides here. But what he does exceptionally well is highlight a problem over which people have the ridiculous notion that there is shame in being fired from a job. Even as unemployment statistics stabilize, there are many who have dropped off the surveys since they are not receiving unemployment compensation. In other words, there is a far greater audience for this book than those who were recently fired. Having been laid off myself from a large company for whom I worked devotedly for twelve years, I know the dark feelings that can overtake you when you are unilaterally eliminated. It can make you delusional about your economic worth and cause havoc with your self-esteem.

Mackay's angle is a good one - take a group of successful celebrities who have been fired at some point in their careers and have them talk about how they were able to turn things around and produce even better, more lucrative livelihoods. While much of the wisdom imparted by the likes of Donald Trump, Michael Bloomberg and Muhammad Ali is sound, their stories really provide a framework for Mackey's broader motivational treatise. I have to admit I do tire of people who tell me getting fired is the best thing that ever happened to them, as I always feel they are patronizing me to conceal their own conceit and insecurity. But Mackay does not make the mistake of relying on his cheerleading capabilities. I particularly appreciated his "cold truths" about being fired, two of which had particular sting - "The nicest, most loyal, and most submissive employees are often the easiest people to fire.", which of course runs counter to the values by which a lot of us were raised, and an even more resonant truism, "The time to start worrying about what you'll do when you're fired is the day you get hired." Perhaps these are not motivational statements in themselves, but they are honest assessments of how one needs to look at oneself in the workplace. Ultimately one has to be true to oneself, but the Bush economy has dramatically altered our perspectives on what we need to do to survive and remain gainfully employed. The best and most constructive sections of the book have to do with how to deal with being fired. Frankly, the survival tactics he espouses should be taught at new employee orientations, so people do not asphyxiate themselves in glass bubbles believing their employers will provide them lifelong security. Whether you have been fired, are worried about being fired, or just received the best performance evaluation of your career, be smart and pick this book up. Mackay puts your employment status in realistic context.