Just like being a chef in a kitchen, wearing a suit is not for everyone. I personally have a very flattering lady blazer, but not every bird can claim that. The job is stressful, you play politics, and make decisions that aren't always popular. People can flourish and fail within a matter of weeks. It's kinda like being a celebrity. When you're successful, people want to help and do things for you, but with six fails, you get voicemail. And if all those perks weren't enough, they shove a piece of paper in your face with numbers they call salary and you're like ok, where do I sign. So should you make the leap, be prepared to stumble along in the dark while you hold your breath during a presentation, and still somehow make everything work.
But in all honesty, you do it because you're going to make a difference!! You're going to improvise righteous quote after quote to inspire your team! You shine in front of golden rays as your bosses sit back with smiled approval in how they made the right decision! It's not a perfect system, but in the end a good supervisor LEARNS, LEARNS, LEARNS. But this dance takes two..
This is a story about a person who doesn't deserve one.
I've had a supervisor who was threatened by others succeeding past them, at the same time, been a supervisor to someone who always felt I was an inferior product. The department boss at the time said I was getting it at both ends. Fucking swell...
Person X and I were never going to be friends, but it was civil enough until the moment I turned into a person of authority. We struggled the entire 6+ years of our supervisor/employee cohabitation, but I wasn't going to let anyone pin this on me. 6 long years I had to be the bigger person because that's what having a business card affords you; 6 long years walking on eggshells because of the accusations; 6 long years of anxiety attacks telling myself I MUST do everything exactly on point so I don't put myself or the company at risk, otherwise it's all my fault and person X wins. All without much more than a "ya it sucks, but you can get through it" pat on the back. Not gonna lie. that blows. hard. that's what I said.
I went through round after round with HR defending my words, my tone, my request, my method, my email, my relationships, my advice, my experience, my education, and anything else that could be spit-wadded against the wall. Nothing was ever founded in reality and thus, nothing stuck. But it doesn't matter. You still feel utterly nauseous someone could be slinging such filth and yet still have a job and still be able to sleep at night. This was 6 years of my life and there was nothing I could do.
Through the lowest point of this experience, I decided the only way to get through it was to find positivity in the experience I'd gain dealing with a difficult employee. You know what I found? I have learned just about everything there is to know about it and it will never stop sucking.
TRUMPETS BLARE!!!!!!!!!
After 6, long, years of my life, I found out last week person X would no longer be under my management as they are no longer employed with the company. With one phone call, and not even directly to me, it's over. The swiftness with which it ended isn't fitting for the dirty, dragged out, emotional fist fight that lead up to this point, but it's over. The entire time I was never allowed to directly confront my feelings to person X. I had to tell HR, which they listened, but couldn't help me for squat. Being a person who only wants to do right and sometimes naively expects the same of others, it's not fucking right. They got away with so much, simply because they knew how to work the system. But it's over.
You can't argue with an irrational mind, but you can find satisfaction in the fact they will forever be miserable.
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