Sorry about my rant yesterday, but oh boy did it feel good afterwards!!! Yesterday morning we had a meeting to discuss next week’s plans with my colleagues and bosses, and I tried to put forward my feedback in a constructive manner. The one thing they know about me is that I will openly address issues I’ve got once it starts to affect me, but then once it’s been voiced I move on and it’s generally put behind me.
The male boss (“M”) I was referring to wasn’t too thrilled with it regardless, because I guess the feedback was directed at his handling of the situation – plus he feels that the rest of us put too much effort into testing and that he feels it’s not required in such detail – he feels that the test cases provided by our developers are sufficient to test from. My new (female) boss (“W”) stood up for me in some of my feedback in particular in regard to testing, but I know that she struggles with M and they often clash in meetings with differing opinions I’ve been told … W (the lady) is much too polite to discuss those things openly herself and doesn’t play politics, which I really admire about her. Anyway, I said I would review the developers’ test plans and see if I could flesh them out to suit our needs to save me some work … and had great pleasure in providing M feedback at the end of the day, that “BTW, M, there are no test plans whatsoever provided for X and Y parts of my project” – his response, “well, how have they been able to sign off for functional testing?” … well, that’s the million dollar question isn’t it? And yet again it has been proven that we can’t rely on those test cases (which has been my argument for over 12 months now) – but M likes to take the easy way out, and take shortcuts and not put the hard work in himself … and unfortunately the guys in the sites hate him for it. He’s got the worst reputation in the sites – he’s a lovely enough man outside work (still arrogant, but that’s easier to cope with outside work), but his work manner is arrogant and overbearing and I’ve learnt the hard way this year that he does take the credit for everything, and likes to dominate any meetings and/or decisions regardless of whether he is provided with data to prove that his solution is inaccurate or just plain wrong. Unfortunately many of his projects go out in a less-than-perfect state and the sites get angry.
The new guy who just joined the team last week has already made a comment to me that M really likes to take over meetings and is overly assertive. Personally I just think he’s stubborn and bloody-minded, egotistical and arrogant. I had to laugh inwardly the other week when he offered to be my work mentor … while I politely thanked him for his offer and changed the subject …
Funnily enough, we had a team training meeting yesterday afternoon (without the bosses) and my other colleagues all started talking about M and how arrogant and overbearing he is, and that they can’t stand him … especially how he sits in meetings leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, with a non-verbal display of arrogant dominance and aggression. I have to admit I was a bit surprised by the vehemence of their attitude towards him, though. I’ve heard other people call him incompetent and useless, but didn’t quite realise how far-reaching this antagonism towards him went … I can normally tune out my frustrations with him (until I lost the plot on here in my last post!), but now I’m realising his impact on others a lot more …
Unfortunately it’s all this sort of rubbish that is making me lose my enthusiasm for the job … I find I am ‘numbing myself’ every day to try not to be affected by all the environmental crap that goes on, but that is tiring in itself …
Anyway, enough of my gripes about work …
I’m about to do a Photo Hunt post with a piccie of my latest stitching finish … then it’s time to start putting my fingers to the keyboard in Excel and start writing up these test plans, I guess …
Feather Stitching 
Had to shriek with horror when I read that M feels developer’s test cases are OK to use for business testing – in my world, and probably yours too, that’s a recipe for disaster. Not surprised M is so unpopular, I bet everyone is secretly hoping for his chair to fall over when he leans back!
Amazing isn’t it to find out that someone you dislike is actually royally hated by others. He probably wanted to mentor you because you are the only person in the office that doesn’t openly despise him! So just go along as you have, making your points and keeping calm. Work is not worth letting your blood pressure rise (though it will do so anyway). Hugs!
Good luck Anne! This guy probably wanted to mentor you because you’re a hard worker and do well. No doubt he would say that he helped you with everything you did and try to take credit for it all if he was your mentor. Makes him look good in the long run. Good job for not allowing that to happen! It is difficult to work in an environment like that, but try not to let it get to you… it’s just not worth it!