Stress lowering client epiphany
Intentionally vague. If you read this and see yourself in this post, you're reading too much into it. There is only one person this describes, and I'm 100% sure that person won't read this.
I have finally realized why I cannot stand interacting with a particular employee of a client of mine. It's been years in the realization, and annoying that I took so long to figure this out. As in, quite annoying in several ways, the least of which is the unbridled stress this particular person has caused in my life over the last few years.
What I finally realized is that this person is completely passive aggressive, but in a subtle way. I've always questioned this person's professionalism and management style (particularly in the way this person decides not to like someone, whether this someone is an employee or a client or a customer, then does everything possible to make the target's life miserable before firing said target), but never quite understood why I disliked the person so much.
Today, however, I had an epiphany, and feel much better for it. Instead of letting the behaviour stress me out, as it has in past years, I've decided to take each of the digs, backhanded compliments and insults at direct face value and counter with irrefutable information and facts. That, and call this person on her passive aggressive behaviour.
Today's exchange had this person telling me that a third person (whom I don't interact with, who doesn't know the client's server setup and hasn't had any experience with the particular software installed on the server) said all I "had to do was turn it on." I responded, suggesting that since the passive-aggressive person believed the third person knew more about the setup, perhaps this third person should be asked to setup the neccessary software, I'd happily take a step back.
My response was met with much back-pedalling on parts of the suggestion, and silence on the other parts.
Honestly, I derived much pleasure from the back-pedalling.