Here's mine.

I'd been working as a Property Manager for several years when I decided to change management companies. I took a position as a Property Manager at a company that impressed me during the interview process: personable interviewers, dynamic leaders, stories of extensive training support.

Fast forward to Day 1. I arrive at the community where I am now "the boss." Because my boss, the Regional Manager, was located hundreds of miles away, my onboarding training fell to the community's Assistant Manager.

There are a few problems with this approach, the obvious one being the Assistant Manager wasn't fully competent in the role and responsibilities of the Property Manager so they could not be the perfect teacher.

The bigger problem, in this circumstance, was this: that Assistant Manager had raised her hand and asked to be considered for promotion to the role that I now held. Obviously, she was not selected. She was resentful and determined to see me fail.

Awkward to say the least.

Here's how it all turned out: I worked hard to win her over, with modest success. I learned my role as best I could with very little support from the Assistant Manager or the organization. She wound up giving her notice about a month after I started; she just couldn't get past the rejection. After an uncomfortable start, I eventually found my groove.

Since that awkward episode, every time I've hired someone into a new role, I've tried hard to make their arrival feel like something worthy of celebration and to ensure they have the resources they need to start off strong.

I know many have had it worse. Tell me what went wrong on your worst first day (or week, whatever) – and what you learned from it.