the task driven versus the people oriented

my supervisor appeared cross with me. her words were snappy and she seemed ready to pounce on the slightest weakness. she challenged the content of a recent letter. apparently feeling that i was not coddling enough with my subordinates. she accused, "well that should have been a clue to you...".

a clue to me? why would i look for clues. a person looks for clues if they do not know the answer, which i did. my way, perfectly acceptable. my approach in the letter, unassailable. go to hell.

i did not cower or apologize. i did not defend myself. i didn't nod my head to affirm her evaluation. i no longer had reason to fear. i am now a colleague and not a neophyte. she no longer the expert on all matters, especially social matters.

i just looked at her. an angry look. surprisingly, one of my subordinates shot back at her, "look, we know what we are doing!" my leader was floored. she had had over-stepped. loyalties had shifted. -jk leopold