I have seen all sorts of people working for us. There was this Professor once, quite junior to me actually, who had an ego about a hundred times mine. I would have liked to say I had no ego, but I am not sure that would be hundred per cent accurate. This Professor, whom we will call TP for convenience, resented me as head of department, though God knows why. TP was way junior, and could not have made it to the head's position even if I had not been there. TP's capabilities left much to be desired. I will give an example. The Resident Doctors went on strike once, when I was on vacation, and so were the people between me and TP position-wise. TP had to head the department and do my administrative work. TP got two more senior faculty to help TP do my job, leaving patient care to others. I heard of it, joined duty immediately, and sent all three of them to do their own work.
As head of the department I had to chair all clinical meetings conducted in the department, though the meetings were conducted by each unit head in rotation. Once there was one meeting that TP was to conduct. I left my office two minutes before the time of the meeting and started towards the seminar hall. Suddenly TP's Lecturer stopped me and started talking about something of minor importance. I answered civilly. After a few minutes this lecturer finished saying whatever he/she had to say, turned and went away. I wondered why he/she was not attending the meeting which was being conducted by his/her own unit. I reached the seminar hall, only to find that TP had already started the meeting. I realized later that TP had planted the Lecturer outside my office to delay me, so that TP could start the meeting in my absence. This Lecturer had worked with me in the past. He/she was a nice person. I could not understand why he/she would do something wrong, knowing it was wrong, only because the current unit head ordered him/her to do so. I never said a word about it to TP, the Lecturer, or anyone else, because I knew such petty behavior achieved nothing for anyone in the long run. In the long run, TP tired of us and left for greener pastures, which turned out to be not green at all. I have not kept a check on how many pastures TP has changed subsequently. That Lecturer left the institute after some time. That time he/she just said "I am sorry" to me and left, without explaining why he/she was sorry. I think both of us knew why he/she was sorry.
As head of the department I had to chair all clinical meetings conducted in the department, though the meetings were conducted by each unit head in rotation. Once there was one meeting that TP was to conduct. I left my office two minutes before the time of the meeting and started towards the seminar hall. Suddenly TP's Lecturer stopped me and started talking about something of minor importance. I answered civilly. After a few minutes this lecturer finished saying whatever he/she had to say, turned and went away. I wondered why he/she was not attending the meeting which was being conducted by his/her own unit. I reached the seminar hall, only to find that TP had already started the meeting. I realized later that TP had planted the Lecturer outside my office to delay me, so that TP could start the meeting in my absence. This Lecturer had worked with me in the past. He/she was a nice person. I could not understand why he/she would do something wrong, knowing it was wrong, only because the current unit head ordered him/her to do so. I never said a word about it to TP, the Lecturer, or anyone else, because I knew such petty behavior achieved nothing for anyone in the long run. In the long run, TP tired of us and left for greener pastures, which turned out to be not green at all. I have not kept a check on how many pastures TP has changed subsequently. That Lecturer left the institute after some time. That time he/she just said "I am sorry" to me and left, without explaining why he/she was sorry. I think both of us knew why he/she was sorry.
