Real Woman = Saboteur

Really, I am starting to feel mean. This is where I always go wrong. I am not, in fact, the poisonous bitch which Spiteful Colleague and Attention Seeker constantly portray me as to others. Shattering though this is to report, I am actually a perfectly decent person. So now I am starting to feel guilty that I am thinking about New Boss in any negative terms whatsoever....

Because he seems a decent person too. He is Northern (a plus, generally speaking); he is obviously "quite bright" (his description of me), and he is barely six weeks into a complicated and onerous job. If I met him at a friend's house, I think I would instinctively like him. He is earthy and blunt, and occasionally moderately funny.

However, I haven't met him at a friend's house. He is the person who has taken over the helm of a ship which for some time has been veering alarmingly off course, and heading for the rocks. He has already told me he isn't going to do anything about my particular concern, and as a result I've lost faith in him rather significantly since the start of the week. So I must curb my wavering spirit; the one which urges me to soften, be receptive to his friendly overtures, and then recklessly start chatting to him about how we are both feeling.

Hmm. I am starting to realise that Real Woman can sabotage the Stepford strategy in two ways - by being too aggressive, but also by being too NICE.

Stand firm, Employees of Stepford! Stand firm!!

New Boss is one of the myriad middle aged men working in the public sector environment. He is under pressure to make financial savings, and at the same time he has an ego which wants to make its mark. So I must remember to bite my tongue and bide my time...