I feel that my colleague, Y, (yea, the love declaration guy) is trying to sneakily upstage me and another colleague, who we'll call Triple M. We all hold the same position even though Triple M is the head of one unit and I am the main liaison for the other unit while Y is like my second-in-command. Again, these are our unofficial roles and it was not established by us but by the bosses themselves.
So there have been a coupla incidences where things that have happened at my unit during the times I was not around that Y was aware of were not discussed with me and then when the bosses ask me about it I'm baffled cos I have no clue what they're speaking of. It's not like I don't ask, I do. When I come back on the job I always ask what has been going on. I don't consider this as an official update as I am not his boss but it's just a courtesy I expect you to extend because I extend it to you. For a person who keeps calling me the boss, he sure doesn't understand how to update people.
Also, we are always encouraged to pursue certifications and attend seminars and the bosses leave it up to us to determine what kind of courses we should take up but occasionally they will encourage us to pursue one of their choosing. So, last year I did mention I was supposed to take this exam along with Triple M and Y. During our discussions, we had thought for one of us to take the exam first as this certification is not accredited by the organization related to our industry. We had mutually agreed that Triple M would go ahead and be the first to take it but when the bosses were asking us for an update, Y replied without consulting us that he had already registered and the study material was already on its way. I was a bit pissed that he just went ahead without telling us after we had all agreed but okay, nvm.
The reason I decided to vent is because on Monday as we were having breakfast in a cafe near the office, I saw him looking at an ad for an IT seminar and I told him that that looked like something I wanted to attend as well. I told him if he was going, I wanted to go as well. First of all, if I had been reading that paper and saw that ad, I would have showed it to him and said that we should go. I wouldn't have kept quiet about it but not be sneaky enough to hide what I'm looking at. Then after my whole I-wanna-go-with-you speech, he barely acknowledges me then just simply takes down the details. I just keep quiet cos I was suffering through some crazy ear pressure balance thing and it was taking up my concentration.
However, today I saw an email in my inbox, addressed to the bosses but cc-ed to me and Triple M, announcing that he wants to attend this seminar and if the bosses agree then he will go ahead with registration. Then, at the bottom of the email before he signs off I see this:
"Note to Zlena and Triple M: If the two of you would like to attend, I will RSVP our names once I get the go-ahead."
First off, in my mind, is it not unprofessional to be asking your colleagues in the same email you are seeking approval to go for the seminar? That just shows a lack of communication between your team members for such a simple thing! We live in the same complex for goodness sake - he lives with Triple M! Second of all, which I'm sure was his motive, he thinks it makes him look good as now he looks as if he showed intiative and Triple M and I look like lackadaisical slackers. Fine, it's ok, I can deal with that but is that really a way to build good rapport with your colleagues. Third, I don't care if you want to be point man but you don't make yourself look good when you leave your teammates behind like that! If you wanted to make sure you had credit for suggesting the seminar, just reword it to say, "I saw the ad and approached both Zlena and Triple M about attending said event and they agreed it would be a good learning opportunity." would have covered the fact that he took the initiative!
I dunno, maybe I am reading too much into it but it sure does feel as if I need to watch my back a lot. Sigh. First I had to deal with Crazy-In-Love Y in 2010 but now 2011 I have Scheming-Backstabber-Ambitious Y. Gimme a break, dude!
So there have been a coupla incidences where things that have happened at my unit during the times I was not around that Y was aware of were not discussed with me and then when the bosses ask me about it I'm baffled cos I have no clue what they're speaking of. It's not like I don't ask, I do. When I come back on the job I always ask what has been going on. I don't consider this as an official update as I am not his boss but it's just a courtesy I expect you to extend because I extend it to you. For a person who keeps calling me the boss, he sure doesn't understand how to update people.
Also, we are always encouraged to pursue certifications and attend seminars and the bosses leave it up to us to determine what kind of courses we should take up but occasionally they will encourage us to pursue one of their choosing. So, last year I did mention I was supposed to take this exam along with Triple M and Y. During our discussions, we had thought for one of us to take the exam first as this certification is not accredited by the organization related to our industry. We had mutually agreed that Triple M would go ahead and be the first to take it but when the bosses were asking us for an update, Y replied without consulting us that he had already registered and the study material was already on its way. I was a bit pissed that he just went ahead without telling us after we had all agreed but okay, nvm.
The reason I decided to vent is because on Monday as we were having breakfast in a cafe near the office, I saw him looking at an ad for an IT seminar and I told him that that looked like something I wanted to attend as well. I told him if he was going, I wanted to go as well. First of all, if I had been reading that paper and saw that ad, I would have showed it to him and said that we should go. I wouldn't have kept quiet about it but not be sneaky enough to hide what I'm looking at. Then after my whole I-wanna-go-with-you speech, he barely acknowledges me then just simply takes down the details. I just keep quiet cos I was suffering through some crazy ear pressure balance thing and it was taking up my concentration.
However, today I saw an email in my inbox, addressed to the bosses but cc-ed to me and Triple M, announcing that he wants to attend this seminar and if the bosses agree then he will go ahead with registration. Then, at the bottom of the email before he signs off I see this:
"Note to Zlena and Triple M: If the two of you would like to attend, I will RSVP our names once I get the go-ahead."
First off, in my mind, is it not unprofessional to be asking your colleagues in the same email you are seeking approval to go for the seminar? That just shows a lack of communication between your team members for such a simple thing! We live in the same complex for goodness sake - he lives with Triple M! Second of all, which I'm sure was his motive, he thinks it makes him look good as now he looks as if he showed intiative and Triple M and I look like lackadaisical slackers. Fine, it's ok, I can deal with that but is that really a way to build good rapport with your colleagues. Third, I don't care if you want to be point man but you don't make yourself look good when you leave your teammates behind like that! If you wanted to make sure you had credit for suggesting the seminar, just reword it to say, "I saw the ad and approached both Zlena and Triple M about attending said event and they agreed it would be a good learning opportunity." would have covered the fact that he took the initiative!
I dunno, maybe I am reading too much into it but it sure does feel as if I need to watch my back a lot. Sigh. First I had to deal with Crazy-In-Love Y in 2010 but now 2011 I have Scheming-Backstabber-Ambitious Y. Gimme a break, dude!
