Showboating...

In my book of ''How to be a half-decent manager'', asking people who've been in post for 6 weeks to do something unnecessary and complicated, using a system that they've had hands on for about 10 minutes BECAUSE USING IT IS NOT PART OF THEIR JOB, and literally two minutes before they are scheduled to leave for the day, is not acceptable.  It's especially not acceptable when what you're asking that person to do will stress them out completely BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, will cover YOUR arse in glory, and get you and your entire team out of a very sticky situation that's pretty much of your own making. Furthermore, it's not acceptable, when that person explains the ''lack of skills'' situation to you, to crowd into their personal space with your laptop and your deputy and throw back at them, ''Well, you DID say you could be flexible and adapt to the needs of the service, and that's what I'm expecting you to do now''.  You tossing your hair back and sticking your nose in the air whilst saying it doesn't exactly endear you to me, either, you fucking showboater.

Well, when I said I COULD be flexible, I meant for you, Cherub, you with your Big Important Manager's Hat and Salary to Match, to work shit like this ''need'' out and ask me to help you with it BEFORE you fuck off to yet another meeting - especially to a meeting where you know someone is going to kick YOUR arse for failing to meet YOUR targets and because you're ill-prepared.  Your failure.  Not mine. 

However (and breathe, Wilma.  You've got this), with a bit of assistance from another colleague who had been listening incredulously to the conversation, I came through.  The ''crisis'' turned out to be something that could easily have been dealt with tomorrow, but I dealt with it today, and will finish off dealing with it tomorrow.  Unfortunately, I dealt with it so well that I fear I may have landed myself yet another ''task'' for Cherub to add to my list of STUFF THAT'S NOT MENTIONED IN ANY WAY ON MY JOB DESCRIPTION.  We shall see.

I wouldn't have minded quite so much if I'd been sitting on my laurels all day - but I'd already, and off my own bat, spent a good deal of time preparing a document to take to the ''huddle'' tomorrow, to show off what I've achieved with the project (and no supervision) thus far - and how several of the teams have been achieving excellent stats as the result of the work we've been doing together.   I'd even sent it to Cherub to vet before sending it out to the team leaders - not that I have to, but I thought it would be both polite and politic.   Cherub basically then took my document to her meeting with the Big Cheeses - but didn't have the knowledge to explain any of the back-end stuff, nor any of the rationales covering how and why the project has been set up in the way it has.  Hence...Arse-kicking.  She should have taken me.  WAAAAAAAAY above my paygrade, though. I did ask.

Having to deal with all that last-minute shit, though, has given me a bank of 45 minutes, which I intend to take back by leaving at precisely 2:15 on Friday afternoon.  It has also made me some new chums - including, bizarrely, Butterball.  At the ''height'' of ''negotiations'' between me and Cherub, Butterball disappeared.  It was all getting a bit heated in the CTA team area, it's true.  However, when Cherub had gone back to her meeting and I was doing my ''thing'', Butterball reappeared with tea and biscuits for me from her own personal stash, because she ''thought I'd need them''.   This was A Good Thing. As was passing my final Medical Terminology Exam with perfect marks...I get a certificate and everything.