Oh...yes... Your coworker could be the evil twin of Ms. Poly Urethane (an admin who I work with). Ms. P.U. has a degree in journalism and claims that she has been working on her MBA in communications (however, it's ironic because she is a HORRIBLE communicator and she doesn't share information with any of the other admins here!!!) She likes to brag about her
almost having an MBA - she puts a lot of emphasis on it... But you know what? Regardless of whether someone has an AA, a BA, an MBA or a PhD, that doesn't mean that they are smarter or more intelligent or a better person than someone who does not have a degree. Having a degree might be an achievement, but it's not the only achievement one can have to prove they have a brain. We all have brains. We are all intelligent humans. Period. End of story.
With that said, I agree with Bethalize's excellent advice. So, use your brain to be proactive with this person. You already know the kind of person she is. I posted a message earlier this week about some advice I recieved from my boss regarding how to deal with Ms. P.U. and it's basically to take the high road, always remain professional, expect there to be some undermining (that's just how she is) and rise above it by removing any "personal" feelings - always stay professional with the teamwork mentality and the project completion goal in mind. You say she wants to be "in charge" of something? OK, good! Give her as much rope as she wants and needs (she just might end up hanging herself with it), keep your professional relationship with her boss on good terms. Be cautious though...Never give her anything that she could turn around and use against you. Use the "reverse psychology" approach in dealing with her. She will feed right off of that!!
If some day your boss or her boss or someone else asks you about how you are getting along with your difficult coworker, just tell them that things are going well, that sometimes you run into difficulties, but that you always work through them and that you are glad to have the responsibility and that you are learning a lot from the challenges of completing this project together.
Always take the high road.
Hang in there! You will be the better person in the end.
SNA in AK
Edited by superninjaadmin on 09/06/02 06:21 PM.
