I got through 7 rounds of interviews to get my job and I was super excited to start. On my first day of work, I was introduced to my team and a couple of others from top management. They were rearranging cubicles so I was sitting away from my team.
My company is very much a startup culture and most people they hire are converted from co-ops to full time so they all know each other. I was already feeling a little out of place. Throughout the day, I tried to introduce myself to everyone I met. Maintaining good rapport with everybody is important in startups.
In the afternoon, I saw this man walking around the office talking to people. He comes to my cubicle asks me my name and what I’m working on. I answer his questions and say “you are?” He told me his name and walked away. Two days later one of my teammates told me he is our CEO.
I lost it 🤯 I am so stupid. I didn’t look up what my CEO looks like. I was soo embarrassed. My colleagues still use it as ammunition to make fun of me!!! In a weird way it brought us closer together. I felt part of the team.
CEO now seems to like me and we talk often but I’ll never forget my first day. Even if I want to forget, my team won’t let me!
Is it just me or does everyone screw up on their first day?
Edit: My teammates are the best. Everybody is super young so we’re all goofy and silly with each other which is why I said it brought us closer together. Made me feel included!
TLDR: On my first day of work, I asked my CEO who he was and my colleagues will not let me live it down!!
Comments
Its not a big TIFU he would have understood that your new.
“I’m so sorry, but we haven’t met yet” and then extend your hand. They’ll say their name.
And you should know the names of your management team.
Just lean into the messy nature of it. Start asking, “you are?” anytime someone in your orbit does something silly. Turn that L into a company trope. Smile and laugh with everyone else. That’s how company legends are born.
A good leader will not give a shit in the least that this thing happened. The good bigwigs (CEOs, celebrities, whoever) are humble enough to introduce themselves even when they know everyone knows who they are. I used to lead training classes in a call center for an internationally beloved cartoon rodent. One of my trainees happened to share an elevator with our GM/SVP (top position in our division) and decided to be friendly and ask “so what do you do here?”
The kid was mortified but our GM was a genuinely nice guy and had a long convo with him. Later on when the GM came to visit the training class (which he did for every single class, God love him), he recognized the kid and said it was good to see him again. It’s not hard to avoid being a self-absorbed dick, yet it seems to be a rare skill nonetheless in leadership.
The saving grace is that a start-up has only a fraction of the public information that an established firm has.
I think your team just wants to have you in a non-existent vulnerable position.
I suggest being good natured about the teasing, but ignore it. The one that carries on with it the longest will not be your friend.
I do contract work in a number of cities for the city government. On occasions the mayors will introduce themselves by name and no title, and I have no idea, but when I catch on I’m always polite to them. What else are you gonna do?
Dont worry about it. Unless the CEO is full of himself, he probably doesnt care.
Next time try : “ oh by the way, I don’t get your name. I’m kinda new here. Heh..”
It would only matter if you were rude to him. No CEO expects you know what they look like
When I interviewed for my current company, in my final interview an older guy came in, sat down and started blasting me with questions. No introduction, no greeting, just right to it. At the end of the interview he asked if I had any questions for him. I asked this man I’d never seen before why he decided to join this company. He said, “well, as CEO, I didn’t join, I started it.” Fucking, oops! Apparently he didn’t mind my gaff, cuz I’ve been working here for 5 years now. Haha
It’s normal, don’t overthinking.
I don’t think of it as a negative thing but mostly positive. You’ve shown you are open to meet everyone, this is a really good trait to have in a company.
If it were me, I’d start explaining to them what is r/prosopagnosia lol
But I’m face blind
I told a company CEO the following after he asked “do you know who I am?” “I don’t give a fuck who you are, if you’re not wearing the proper PPE, you can’t be on my job site”. I was working in construction in downtown Seattle so we had Looky Lous always trying to come on site and his question sat wrong with me. When my boss asked me if I in fact said that and told me who he was, I replied “Well, he should have known better”.
It isn’t the first time it’s happened to him, and if the company grows, won’t be the last. Not even a mild fuckup.
CEO of a startup? If you are pretentious as the CEO of a startup, you probably won’t be in business very long. If the guy is going to make it, he definitely didn’t think anything of it
Maybe you could bring it up sorta lowkey that you still feel bad to this day about not being able to recognize him? I think he’ll laugh it off.
I worked retail at an office supply store. One day a guy came in, wearing a white shirt with the HP logo on it, and says to me “hi, I’m Dave.” I greet him, and get on the walkie to tell my managers “the HP rep is here.” He says “oh, I’m not the rep, im in charge of the district.” So I correct myself over the walkie, “the HP district manager is here.” He walks off to go talk to my boss.
After he leaves, my boss comes out to talk to me, and tease me. He was not, in fact, the HP district manager, but our company’s new district manager (we’d merged with a competitor, he was the DM for the competitor and they kept him, because the DM before they merged the two districts had been with the company for all of a month). He’d been the DM for the new swath of stores for maybe 3 days at that point. Definitely new enough that even if he’d given me his last name too, it wouldn’t have registered, even though I read all the store emails.
I have a similar story, maybe smaller magnitude.
In one of my previous research jobs, I worked in a pretty small department. Like, you could probably count the number of labs in that department on both hands type of small, so you’re going to run into eachother A LOT.
My lab took on a particularly stupid grad student (he did a lot of stupid things but I’ll just mention that he apparently regularly poured liquid nitrogen down the sink (until I caught him doing this fuckery) which I’m pretty sure is why the floor below us flooded at one point, just to give an example). His other defining personality trait is that he loved talking to anyone and everyone (whether you wanted him to or not, whether he was interrupting you mid-experiment or not).
So one day after he’d been there like a month and a half he meets a woman in the hallway and decides to chat her up. The convo came to a very abrupt close when the following exchange happened:
him: “So who’s lab are you in?”
her: “Have you heard of the [Name] lab?”
him: “Oh, yes! Yes, I have!”
her: “……… I’m Dr. [Name]”
and then she kinda gave him this 😑 look and turned around and walked away. 😂
The best part? That lab was literally the lab behind ours. We shared a wall with them, so we saw them aaaaaall the time~
Did the same thing to regional CEO. Literally walked up to him and said “Who are you?”. 50,000 employees in the region, I made sure I was one he’d remember…
Seems fine.
It’s not a big deal in a start up, it’s not like he expects you to salute or anything, but yes it would have been better if you knew who he was. But CEOs are usually pretty laid back in startups.
So I was in the military, working on a piece of equipment. Somebody behind me tries talking to me. I didn’t quite hear what he said so I reply with “hang on a sec”. I spend 10 seconds finishing up, turn around and see 2 guys facing me. The first guy is wearing body armor and a kevlar so he doesn’t have any rank displayed. I say “What?” as casually as if I was talking with me neighbor. i look to the 2nd guy who was not wearing body armor and very much displaying his rank. He’s a Command sSgt. Major! Oh shit! I immediately stand at ease. This is how you speak when talking with an NCO, especially a CSM! Stupid me casually said “what” to a CSM! Big trouble! But the fuck up wasn’t over there. The other guy, who’s rank I couldn’t see? A freaking 2 star general.
For those who don’t know, you stand at ease for NCO’s (sgt, ssg, etc) and you stand at attention for an officer (lieutenant, captain, freaking 2 star general). So here my casual ass is all jacked up (sleeves rolled up cause I was working on equipment and didn’t want to get the sleeves wet), standing at ease for an officer so far up the pay grade I get a nosebleed just trying to look that far up.
Eventually I get my shit together, roll down my sleeves, throw a salute, and yell a quick “yes sir!” Somehow I didn’t get in any trouble. In fact they were both super chill. Just going around the fob seeing what people were doing.
My story isn’t 100% relevant, but I think its close enough. CEO in my case being the general and the F U being me addressing him wrong like OP.
Well you can say it’s a memorable moment that he won’t forget either
Not a fuck up. I like when new employees ask others what their names are. It means they are taking interest and want to know.
CEO of my place if you grabbed his face and pulled there’s probably a robot underneath.
Google this and watch it: “David Spade SNL “and you are””
At 15 working at mcdonalds this old man walks back and starts getting himself stuff. Im like uhhhh wtf, but no one else was reacting so i just decided not to say anything but almost did. Turns out he own most of the mcdonalds in my city and came there every Sunday to hang out. I was so glad i just minded my own business.
When I was new in my office, I’d be closest to the front door. Meaning when someone rang the bell I’d be the one answering it and letting them in.
One day, this guy comes to the door. Rings the bell and I answer it. I get a “Thanks” and he goes to walk past me. Arm straight out in front of him, and I stop him to find out who he was and who he was here to see.
He gives me a funny look, and gives me his name and my boss’ name. I recall seeing something in my boss’ calendar that lines up, so I let him pass and more or less escort him down the office. My manager then calls me over and she quietly whispers “So that’s Boss’s husband”. Whoops.
A few weeks later when we’ve got an office event, I’m talking to my boss and their husband walks over and tells the story of how I almost body checked him for trying to enter the office without telling me who he was. My boss starts laughing their head off and goes “Good, means I know the office is secure”
The point being, you don’t know who you don’t know. Unless you were prepped on certain things a good boss won’t mind you not knowing who they (or in some cases, their husband) is.
This is more of a today when the waiter asked me “how’s the food?” I said “good, how about you?” rather than a fuck up.
I think you’re good homie don’t stress 🙂