Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Things that make you go.....

Arg! I'm gonna pull my hair out! No, not things that make you go hmmm... The aforementioned phrase is far more representative of my current frustration/aggravation level with a certain aspect of my current job.
I've got a great job, don't get me wrong. I love the people in my office, the organization I work for, the mission we support, and so on and so forth. The negative aspects are few and far between. Recently, an issue has come up that is just completely incomprehensible to me - on several different levels. People, possible an entire organization of people, are apparently running a covert operation to try and undermine my program. On the flip side of that - constituents of mine, who, in an attempt to block this potential undermining scheme are WAY overstepping their boundaries with yet other organizations (with which my organization is partnered). I realize this is all pretty confusing since I'm not naming names, but stick with me here.
So, the overstepping organization thinks that I (and/or my organization as a whole) should be backing them in their overstepping. We blatantly disagree and have told the organizations that have been overstepped upon what our stance is - as well as the actual oversteppers. Unfortunately, it seems that the undermining organization is continuing to press their undermining agenda, thus forcing us to come across (at least in some situations) as agreeing with and joining with the overstepping organization. It's a very tough spot.
In my position, I'm between a rock and a hard place. While I want to support the overstepping organization because we are partners and have the same goals, I cannot stand by and allow this blatant misuse of assumed power (power that does not actually exist - AT ALL). It's just wrong, and it's not my place or their place to do so (hence the term "overstepping"). On the flip side, if the undermining organization is actually playing by the rules, and not undermining my program after all (which I would honestly find hard to believe considering the circumstances) then we've done them a HUGE disservice and frankly there could be legal action taken (which would be an extreme case, but don't put it past them).
The next couple of months will be quite interesting where this issue is concerned. I'll be doing alot of travelling and may run in to this precise quandary - right in my face where I may be called upon to act in some sort of "overstepping" capacity (or at least that's my perception of what my potential action could be). I'd rather not be grouped with the oversteppers, so the thought of this makes me pretty ill, but I'd also rather not have a situation where my program is being undermined.
Just thinking about all this nonsense gives me a headache. Makes me long for the days where all I had to deal with were mindless ADs, non-compliant kids, and the occasional raging coach. Sad, but true...

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