Hey Boss: You Are Setting Me Up for Failure

A terrible first day at a new job. You show up only to find your wonderful new boss is not ready for you. Nobody greets you. I would like to say I am making this up — but it happened to me. I once sat in the lobby for over an hour waiting to get going at a new job after graduate school.

A bad first day is a sign — it points to a company that is operating under chaos and does not seem to mind it.

The chaos continues well past day one. Usually, second and third bad days follow, as the firehose...