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16: Leadership Lessons from a Firing Gone Wrong
This week on Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Matt Haney, a seasoned fractional integrator who helps visionary-led teams cut through chaos and get traction. Matt shares the story of a firing he regrets to this day: an ungraceful exit of a 20-year employee during a pandemic downturn. Despite having let go of 15 others with care, this one moment turned combative, cold, and ultimately changed the way he leads forever.
Matt unpacks the emotional aftermath, the gut-punch feedback he received, and how it led to a complete shift in his leadership mindset. From learning the power of intentional feedback to never letting someone be “surprised” by a termination, this is a raw, real story about what it means to mess up… and grow.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome & Introducing Matt Haney
01:52 Journey to Fractional Integrator
05:46 A Bungled Termination Story
10:14 Reflecting on a Bad Decision
13:46 Improving Termination Practices
17:46 The Power of Intentional Feedback
21:44 Integrators & Visionary Challenges
27:42 Visionary Transition and Guilt
30:36 Strength as a Weakness: Multitasking
33:15 Be Present, Stay in the Question
39:53 Closing Thoughts
About:
Beth Fahey is a leadership coach, Expert EOS Implementer, and co-creator of the How to Be a Great Boss Workshops. With nearly 40 years of hands-on leadership experience, Beth has worn many hats: from working in film and owning a bakery to leading a national trade association.
Now, as the host of The Bad Boss Confessional, she shares candid stories about the challenges of leadership, mistakes made, lessons learned, and the path to becoming the kind of boss your team actually wants to follow. Through humor, honesty, and heart, Beth is on a mission to help leaders grow, one confession at a time.
Show Links
For more information about Beth Fahey follow the links below.
Website: www.eosworldwide.com/beth-fahey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BethFaheyEOS
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethfaheyeos/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@bethfaheyeos
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bethfahey/
Bad Boss Confessional YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional
Beth's Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@bethfaheyeos
Guest Links
Matt is a hands-on business operator, serving as a Fractional Integrator, with over 15 years of experience working with visionary founded businesses who have reached a ceiling. What does this mean? Matt helps teams get out of the shit show !
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlhaney/
Sponsor Links
Thanks to our Sponsors
A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible:
Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies.
Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.
View all episodes
By Speakeasy Podcast NetworkThis week on Bad Boss Confessional, Beth Fahey sits down with Matt Haney, a seasoned fractional integrator who helps visionary-led teams cut through chaos and get traction. Matt shares the story of a firing he regrets to this day: an ungraceful exit of a 20-year employee during a pandemic downturn. Despite having let go of 15 others with care, this one moment turned combative, cold, and ultimately changed the way he leads forever.
Matt unpacks the emotional aftermath, the gut-punch feedback he received, and how it led to a complete shift in his leadership mindset. From learning the power of intentional feedback to never letting someone be “surprised” by a termination, this is a raw, real story about what it means to mess up… and grow.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome & Introducing Matt Haney
01:52 Journey to Fractional Integrator
05:46 A Bungled Termination Story
10:14 Reflecting on a Bad Decision
13:46 Improving Termination Practices
17:46 The Power of Intentional Feedback
21:44 Integrators & Visionary Challenges
27:42 Visionary Transition and Guilt
30:36 Strength as a Weakness: Multitasking
33:15 Be Present, Stay in the Question
39:53 Closing Thoughts
About:
Beth Fahey is a leadership coach, Expert EOS Implementer, and co-creator of the How to Be a Great Boss Workshops. With nearly 40 years of hands-on leadership experience, Beth has worn many hats: from working in film and owning a bakery to leading a national trade association.
Now, as the host of The Bad Boss Confessional, she shares candid stories about the challenges of leadership, mistakes made, lessons learned, and the path to becoming the kind of boss your team actually wants to follow. Through humor, honesty, and heart, Beth is on a mission to help leaders grow, one confession at a time.
Show Links
For more information about Beth Fahey follow the links below.
Website: www.eosworldwide.com/beth-fahey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BethFaheyEOS
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bethfaheyeos/
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@bethfaheyeos
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bethfahey/
Bad Boss Confessional YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@badbossconfessional
Beth's Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@bethfaheyeos
Guest Links
Matt is a hands-on business operator, serving as a Fractional Integrator, with over 15 years of experience working with visionary founded businesses who have reached a ceiling. What does this mean? Matt helps teams get out of the shit show !
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlhaney/
Sponsor Links
Thanks to our Sponsors
A big thank you to our amazing sponsors for making this episode possible:
Titus Talent – Helping organizations make the best hiring decisions with performance-based talent strategies.
Strety – Empowering teams through strategic planning and performance management tools built for modern workforces.