Watch your step

I spent the week learning how the organization does what I was hired to do. Frankly it was fascinating to see how my degree translates to this industry, when in some ways my degree was created because of this industry.*

In short, I learned a lot but I'm not sure how to take what I learned to make my job more efficient at the moment. In long, I learned that there are people out there in the organization running amok. While that doesn't complete surprise me, it surprises me when I come face to face with one of those people. Many times when this particular person spoke I had to internally just shake my head. Truly an idiot.

When I learned that this person was currently being accused of the one thing you really don't want to be accused of in my industry...it again didn't really surprise me. What did surprise me was that he was personally selected to attend these meetings with me to provide feedback. This confused me because that seems like an opportunity of influence and that didn't really align with what perception I had of this person.

But since it seemed like he had the ear of those in power in my organization, I played nice.**

When I returned to my office this week, two things happened.

First, Idiot sent me job posting for PC that would be perfect for him. Just outside of Dream State, but doable. And, ironically, for an arm of the organization I just left.

This again confused my little perception of idiot. He's in the know, and yet an idiot. He does nice things, and yet I don't want to like him.

Second, my direct powers that be came by to let me know I should keep my distance from Idiot. That Idiot is being watched.

Um. Ok. Yet I was put directly into Idiot's path...and for those of you keeping count, this is the second person I've been told to keep my distance from. I'm beginning to think the key is to keep one's nose to the ground...and yet the social political network has never seemed stronger or more important in my career. I sense the next year will be full of mines.

Does someone have a mine detector they can share?

*I can imagine how that would be a confusing statement if you don't know what I do. And, I don't want to share too much.
**I need to learn to play nice even when I don't think the person has influence.