F.I.R.E.D. 4 Times, Still Unshaken

How Paul McCarthy Turned Rejection into a Revolution

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You’ve been fired multiple times from leadership roles. What was going through your head the first time it happened? And the last?
The first time I was fired, I’d been recruited by Deloitte from the UK to help build their Human Capital practice in Western Canada. I knew I was there to disrupt, to challenge outdated ways of working, but I underestimated how deep the politics ran. I asked questions that made people uncomfortable, like “What’s your strategy for hitting $50 million this year?” and got answers like, “We’re Deloitte. We don’t need one.” When my manager (my only real shield from the office politics) left, the protection disappeared. I was dismissed soon after.

The shock was visceral, the pit-in-your-stomach kind. I was alone in a new country on a work permit tied to that job. Yet even then, I didn’t feel shame. I felt vindicated for doing the work I was hired to do. Within hours, I was back at my desk at home, emailing 350 people in my network. 

By the last time (with KPMG), I wasn’t shocked anymore. I was angry. I knew the pattern: disrupt the status quo, threaten someone’s ego, get shown the door. This time, I fought back — legally — and won. The irony? I was always fired for leading exactly as I’d been hired to.

Did you ever doubt yourself during that stretch? What helped you hold onto your sense of identity and purpose?
I never doubted myself. I doubted the systems, the leaders, and the colleagues who claimed to want change, but recoiled the moment it arrived. The first time I was fired, yes, I was emotionally shaken. It’s disorienting to be cut loose from something you helped build. Even then, I never questioned my capability. I knew I was doing the work I was hired to do: disrupting, challenging, asking the questions no one else would.

What wavered wasn’t my confidence, it was my faith in organizations that talk about leadership but punish it in practice. The firings didn’t fracture my identity; they clarified it. They taught me that integrity often looks like defiance to those protecting the status quo.

Of course, others (friends, partners, even family) asked, “Why does this keep happening?” They were viewing it through a traditional lens: keep your head down, play the game, be grateful for a job. That’s never been me. My sense of purpose comes from honesty, transparency, and doing work that matters — even when it costs me. Losing those roles didn’t erode who I am. It proved it.

You took your lived experience and turned it into research. What questions were you hoping to answer, and what did you uncover?
After being fired four times, curiosity took over. I began asking one question that would shape the next eight years of my work: Are we firing or marginalizing the very leaders we need to navigate disruption?

That became the foundation of my research. I analyzed programs, hiring practices, and global data from sources like DDI, Korn Ferry, and Brandon Hall Group. What I uncovered was startlingly consistent: we reward conformity and sideline those with the courage to challenge it. “Disruptive” leaders, the ones who ask hard questions, expose flaws, and push for change, are often branded as “troublemakers.”

Yet the evidence showed the opposite. Organizations, and even economies, that cultivate disruptive leadership see greater innovation, agility, and prosperity. The link between GDP growth and openness to disruptive talent is real.

So my work became less about my own story and more about exposing a systemic flaw.

Was there a turning point where you realized I'm not the problem, the system is? What did you do next?
I started analyzing why I was hired versus why I was fired, grouping those experiences into themes: fresh thinking, honesty, accountability, and directness. The traits supposedly celebrated, but in practice, were penalized. From that came my F.I.R.E.D. framework: Fresh thinking, Inquisitive nature, Real and Accountable, Expressive and Challenging, Direct and Transparent. Underneath it all was a web of systemic dysfunction: ego-based leadership, politics, and hypocrisy between words and actions.

That realization became the foundation for my work - turning those experiences into a hypothesis, a book, and eventually, a movement to raise awareness. I chose not to play the political game because the game itself is the problem. True leadership evolution begins when we stop blaming individuals and start redesigning the systems that keep punishing those who think differently.

How has your own definition of leadership changed with all of this?
My definition of leadership hasn’t so much changed as it’s been reinforced. Throughout my consulting career, I’ve studied leadership trends and coached leaders on capability and capacity, but living through my own experiences confirmed what the research only hinted at. The best leaders aren’t the ones with the perfect strategy or model. They’re the ones who are real.

Real leadership means being vulnerable, open to not having all the answers, and courageous enough to think differently. Sometimes you need to blow up the box entirely, not just think outside of it. It’s about building honest relationships, leading with empathy, and creating the conditions for others to do the same.

What was it like to go from being let go by organizations to now advising them?
There’s a sense of privilege and responsibility here. My grit and determination, combined with a few collaborators, have built a platform, assets, and programs that are tangible and actionable. Vindication exists but is secondary; my goal has never been ego. It’s about creating a legacy where organizations and leaders embody these ideas and continue the work themselves. It’s overwhelming at times, but deeply fulfilling.

You’re clearly building from a place of passion and integrity. Has that come with any unexpected costs?
The personal costs have been real. I’ve lost friends, romantic partners, and faced ridicule from family who didn’t understand or couldn’t think outside the linear mindset. Many have asked, “When will you make money from this?”—missing the point entirely. Some conversations are simply impossible with people who aren’t ready to wake up to the changes happening in leadership and work.

This road is lonely, but it’s also empowering. I get to choose how I scale my practice, who I interact with, and how I unfold my work. The costs are bearable because they come alongside the privilege of making a tangible impact, questioning a $400 billion industry, and creating solutions where few existed.

What gave you the courage to keep using your voice, even when you were seemingly punished for it?
I wanted to pioneer a space where using your voice is safe, expected, and encouraged. Even when others doubted or resisted, I connected the dots, gathered data, and told stories that made my vision tangible. Courage, for me, has always been about purpose, curiosity, and belief in a better, more open way of working, and knowing that those resisting today will be irrelevant in tomorrow’s world.

What part of this journey has felt most healing or affirming?
Perhaps the most cathartic aspect has been using this platform to help others. One listener shared that my book saved him five years of therapy, and now he gifts it to others in similar situations. Helping others recognize the value in their own F.I.R.E.D. leadership qualities and creating systems and frameworks that support future leaders has been deeply affirming. For me, this isn’t about vindication or ego—it’s about leveraging my experiences to evolve organizations and cultivate the leaders the future demands.

What do you wish companies understood about the kinds of leaders they need?
I wish companies could see leaders who seem like misfits or troublemakers through a different lens. These leaders are altruistic and purpose-driven; they don’t play politics, chase titles, or seek glory. Their motivation is contribution; they want to make a difference, take a stand, and help the organization succeed. They care deeply about the organization’s goals and the vision, and they don’t get distracted by ego, silos, or office politics. They operate from courage and conviction, not the need to jockey for power or fit in. These are the leaders who will help organizations thrive in the future, not despite being different, but because of it.

What would be your advice for someone who feels like a misfit in a system that doesn’t seem ready for them?
I love this question! Let’s celebrate misfits. My advice for anyone feeling like a misfit is: don’t slow down. Keep moving, stay authentic, operate from integrity, and lead with certainty. When you don’t have all the answers, include others in the conversation. Rather than leaving a system, ask: How can this organization get the best out of me? How can it adapt to support misfits? Focus on creating an environment where old and new ways of thinking can coexist. Once that coexistence exists, co-creation and co-innovation naturally follow.

Don’t compromise your vision. Stay true to your approach. Meet others where they are, and include them in your journey. Lead in a way that shows the system what’s possible. That’s how misfits transform not only themselves but the organizations they touch.

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