So I quit my job today. Sort of. One of them anyway. You know, if everything gets sorted out. Soooo, not really "quitting" then. But it's a snappy opening.
I went to talk to The Boss yesterday about the staffing issue. I felt we had a deal that I would come over to Big Important Program in mid-March part-time then come over full-time in April. Then I heard, not from The Boss, that the plan was instead to draft me full-time starting next Monday. I figured it was worth a chat to find out what was going on and to voice my concern over the plan. He and I talked for maybe 10 minutes. What didn't dawn on me until 10 minutes after I left was that he and I were seeing things differently. Where I thought we had a deal in place and, barring any unusual circumstances, that's the way it would be he was acting more like I was making a request and he'd see what he could do to fulfill it.
This morning I had a regularly scheduled meeting with The Boss and we talked about the staffing thing again. No - I wasn't going to let it go. Anyway, I told him it occurred to me that I saw it as a deal and he saw it as a request. He said that didn't sound too far off. A bit more chatting and it came down to him saying that I was still going to get pulled to BIP on Monday. Probably. He hadn't really been involved too much but it was likely. I said I'd still like to stick to original deal and that I still did think of it as an agreement between us. I didn't get dramatic or anything.
I thought about it off and on all day. Then, of course, I started thinking about all the slights - real or imagined - over the last three years. I then reined it in and thought that I should get a handle on it. What it came down to is that The Boss and I have different personalities. I think I'm limited in how good a score I can get in my reviews because what he sees as a deficiency I see as a core piece of who I am and am not going to change. We have come to an impasse.
I went to talk to New Boss and said I was thinking of transferring to his group. More talking. He said he'd be glad to have me move over. Then we talked about how to break it to (he would become) Old Boss. I didn't want to cause a lot of drama or make my life harder in the long run so it was important to handle it right ... or at least well enough. When I went to talk to Old Boss I said that New Boss has a position open that I think would be better for my career given where I want to be in a few years. I did not start a fight or use it as an excuse to bring up every minor slight. I just said I was doing it to advance my career.
Old Boss and New Boss have to talk it out and they both have to go talk to their boss. There's plenty of chance for things to change. Not to mention the fact that there is plenty of opportunity for things to screwed up. But I think it'll all get sorted out.
