When is an Asshair not an asshair? (Asshair#5) the latest in a 20+ year saga...
Can you continue to work, please? These are great stories and I think you need more content to entertain us.
TIA
Not likely, but I *DO* have a follow-up on
Asshair#5 which is karmicly interesting... funny(?)... you tell me.
Around August 14th, I rode my bike back to my last contract job site to treat myself to a free fancy coffee. Even without a badge, I walked right in. In fact, someone who knew me arrived at the same minute I did, and
HELD THE DOOR FOR ME(!)
I had rolled off the contract work on July 31st after training my back-fill person, and saying my goodbyes. I found my former project co-workers exactly where I expected - 'camping' in the plush kitchen area in one of the more artistic buildings on campus. We were discouraged from 'camping', but we had been promised a regular place to sit & work since APRIL, so... we did what we had to do to continue to perform good work.
They were both happy to see me - my friendly co-worker AND my 'backfill'. BUT... Asshair#5 wasn't scowling in his corner apart from the other two. But while they seemed glad to see me, they also seemed... nervous.
ME: So? What's up? Where's AH5, and why so nervous?
THEM: He was released from the project yesterday. (!!!???!!!) After you left, he had no one to talk him down from the ledge and he continued to muddle in 'corporate politics' (note: a BIG NO-NO when you're a contractor - just 'do-the-job'). The John let him go. Today, we're meeting with the director to learn OUR fate this morning at 10am.
WHOA! Apparently the guy that caused me to pull the "FI" card [admittedly that was a bit passive aggressive, but I could afford to be that way... I certainly wasn't going to get into playing office politics the way Asshair#5 was doing] was 'released' (fired) from the project because he was overreaching his position, and trying to dictate how the development resources should get THEIR jobs done. There was a massive butting of heads, and it was a fight he wasn't going to win.
I briefly thought... S#!T, I could slip back in and project manage this thing in his place - I know how *I* would run it, and it would be much more to the client's liking! But then, I realized I had already starting selling off all my stuff, donating stuff to Goodwill & other thriftstores, etc to prepare to sell the house and move to a LCOL area. I'd rented the truck for 8/20 - and it wasn't worth postponing FI again just to butter my ego. Ces't la vie!
Instead, I went into 'calm these guys down' mode. "You're the two who are actually doing the WORK on the product / Project planning side, and they'd be crazy to let you go. Just let them know you're still doing the work, and look forward to be able to give direct feedback instead of funneling everything through the 'Asshair#5 Filter'. It was a bittersweet reunion, but I smiled all the way home after using their 'barista machine' to make myself two fancy coffee's.