'Did you leave your brain at home?': Brand manager hires exec on Monday, fires Friday for humiliating junior

Jatin Saini, a personal branding expert for CEOs, VCs, and founders, took to LinkedIn to share a difficult yet important decision he had to make at work: firing a newly hired senior team member just five days into the role.

“I hired someone on Monday and fired them on Friday. Not my proudest moment. Not the easiest conversation either,” Jatin wrote.

He explained that during an assignment review at 6 PM on Friday, the senior executive made a harsh, personal comment to a junior team member in his presence:


“Did you leave your brain at home? If this is the best you can do, you should look for a new job. Bring your brain tomorrow or don’t bother coming.”

Disturbed by the tone, Jatin immediately asked the senior executive to stay back after the call. He attempted to address the issue directly, emphasizing the importance of respectful communication and separating feedback on work from personal attacks.

“I clarified that no one should end their day feeling humiliated—especially not on a Friday. It spoils the weekend. We give feedback on assignments, not on people.”

However, instead of acknowledging the mistake, the executive defended the behavior, saying, “That’s how you build strong teams.”

That response, according to Jatin, was the final red flag.

“I knew we had made a huge hiring mistake.”

Now, Jatin says his company is hiring again for the same role—Senior Personal Brand Executive—but this time, they’re prioritizing not just skills, but humility and emotional intelligence.

“We only need someone skilled, open to learn, and above all, respectful. Because we want to build personal brands without breaking people.”

He also shared a link to apply.

The post quickly gained traction, sparking conversations about workplace culture and leadership.

One commenter wrote: “Not sure who said it but ‘be slow to hire and fast to fire.’ A bad fit doesn’t mean the person isn’t good—it just means they’re not right for you.”

Another user reflected: “I learned something new from you. I accept that I have a short temper and get angry easily. This post made me reflect—I will improve myself for sure.”

A third added: “So nice of you to acknowledge something was wrong and act on it immediately.”