Part XI: Inside Out, Outside In

"A blocked path also offers guidance."

-Mason Cooley

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Being able to look around himself, watching the comings and goings, of the office.
He noticed many things that he had not noticed before.

His head was no longer in the sand. His mind kept tapping him on the shoulder.
His brain was noticing the patterns of the people around him. The useless meanderings. The time wasting. The idleness. The pretentiousness. The posturing of people. Every email that some people received, became the talking point for, potentially, hours. The wasting away of time to preoccupy themselves with pettiness.

He was feeling scornful towards a number of people who undertook this behaviour. None more than towards his boss.
What a lazy oaf!
He initially felt bad, but then, lots of previous conversations with his boss, entered his head. The deceitful, devious conversations, just to keep the relationship sweet - to entice the status quo. The fake pats on the back, with no real acknowledgement.
Talking with the HR department, he got wind of previous "reviews" that had been undertaken by his boss. Reviews, that he didn't know were occurring, but actually determined his pay rises. The HR department were unaware that he had not seen these reviews.

"His attitude seems to be improving." Says one comment from his boss.
Another said "He needs constant reassurance and guidance. In Development"

"IN DEVELOPMENT"

The words stung right above his stomach.
He was seething. But he maintained his cool.

One things about HR departments, they like to extinguish any aggressive actions.

The motto he had heard before was "He who cares first, loses"

So, he just read the review, updated the HR department on his medical reviews, updated them about his training of the new people, and for his idle time, he volunteered himself to assist with the debt collection department - just to keep administratively fit.

His boss couldn't hide that he was upset at him for volunteering himself to the Collections Department.
He could see the hateful/hurtful glances coming his way.

In the afternoon, his boss approached him. Asked some rudimentary questions and then, put his hands on his hips, said,
"I've decided that you probably have some time available. So, I've arranged for you to help out the Credit Control Department."

He made eye contact with his boss. It was an eyeball stand off. Was this eye ball wrestling?
He was wanting a bridge to be built between each others eye balls. A bridge wide enough to drive trucks across to dump all of the hateful feelings into the other's eyeball.

He could see his boss had drawn battle lines.
"Get back into line!" He could feel his boss's eyes trying to tell him.

"Yeah no problem." He said, "I organised with HR to help out there."
His boss nodded as he heard it.
"Yeah, I know." His boss replied.

So, was this madness in communication? His boss ensuring he was in the loop. Ego was on the line.

And then his boss walked off, back into his office. To kill time?

He followed him into the office, shut the door, and calmly, sat down.