Yes, I have your job. Jealous?
11-22-06, 6:57 PM

Professionally, I viewed my competition as myself, not my co-workers. Simplifying, if I perform well, then awards should follow. With that said, one of my new co-workers applied for the same position for which I was hired. He even wrote the job description which should have given him a leg-up, yet he failed during the first round of interviews. So, I�m the new guy. I�m the new guy with �his position�.

Until late last week, I wasn�t aware of this awkward situation when my boss revealed this dynamic. My boss wasn�t quite sure how my envious co-worker would react and was curious as to how this unfolds.

Well, during my first weeks, I thought to sense hostility towards me but brushed it aside as his personality being gruff, over-bearing and socially un-savy. I thought to be professional by backing my claims and assertions whereas he provided sideways glances and audible dismissive �hmmm� were meant to belittle.

Prior to my boss�s vacation, he emailed other Directors stating I was in charge but did not forward the same email to either my co-worker or I. Instead, he briefly told both of us to manage our department. With this order, my co-worker sense an opening to insert himself to call meetings and direct a few others � no problem until he called a meeting �to resolve issues regarding the new process.�

Solving �The new process� was my duty which required taking two years of organizational meetings, analyzing their intentionsand coming to a solution to streamline a cumbersome process where all departments are resistant to change.

With my envious co-worker, I sensed this coming -- a set-up. The co-worker took a prominent position where the general public could observe and began to rant how �the new process� doesn�t work and some of the information just mentioned was new to him. Why wasn�t he consulted?! My back broke with this insertion as I held three meetings within our department one of which he decided to leave because it was running into his lunch hour.

�I�m going to the lunch.�
�Don�t you want to be involved? Don�t you want to know how this affects you? Contribute to make your job easier?�
�No. This is work and my lunch is my time.�

Recalling this unprofessional, abrupt exit from the office, I called him out in front of another Director presiding over the meeting. �You had three times to contribute and one of which you left to go lunch. The other times you said nothing.�

�Well, I had an appointment.�

He tried to reconcile after lunch.

Professionally, I don�t want to be dragged down to this level of tit-for-tat. Nor can I continued to be undermined. I need to find a solution as to how to handle this situation.

Yesterday - Tomorrow