Napoleon Complex
 

I have a coworker who is a complete A55. He is a producer so management let’s him run rampant. Right now he’s on a tear to get someone fired and is trying to use me to help him. Makes my job unbearable and completely wipes me out at the end of the day. He stands about 5’5” but he tells everyone he’s 5’9”. I’m only 5’8” but he says he’s taller than me.

That is not something I'd want to be in the middle of. In a perfect world, those people would get themselves fired. In the real world, they end up being your boss.

I'd personally use whatever plausible, non-verifiable excuse you can muster to stay the hell out of the situation. I'd also discreetly warn the target if it is not justified.

A few years ago, I was on loan to another manager when my workload slowed a bit. This other manager tried to lure me to work for him. He flat out told me that he wanted to bring me in to push someone out. I apparently was supposed to learn the job from this person while making them so uncomfortable they would leave. It seemed like a plan that was doomed to failure and I'd be left holding the bag. Now, the person this manager was after was a legitimately poor performer. I decided I'd play the manager and I set up a meeting with her and told her that her boss was after her job and what things she needed to do to improve her performance. This manager was very lazy and didn't want to actually have to fill out the paperwork to fire her, nor did he want to have to try to work with her to improve. After that, my old work "magically" picked up and I could no longer help this other team out.

Music

Exercise

Booze

Cigars

Pick your pleasure and relax.

Most bugs eventually fly away, just try not to get stung in the meantime.

Worry gets nothing done.

Call him a yellow bellied liar and if he was any kind of man he would meet you in the parking lot to duke it out.

Mark your height on the wall somewhere very obvious and ask other people in the office to mark their height as well. Make sure everyone puts their name next to their height. It can be an office “team building” exercise.

The worse college professor I had was this Russian who was about 5 foot nothing. Later in my studies we were talking to one of the departments’ best professors, who happened to be about 6’6”, about how the Russian guy got hired. He said only one professor pushed for him to be hired: 5’2” professor Huissain who wanted there to be a professor shorter than him.

As bad as the Russian was, he taught me perhaps the most valuable thing I learned in engineering school: that an engineer is not someone who remembers everything they were taught in engineering school but rather someone who knows where to look for the answer.

My BIL is about 5'6" and has little man syndrome. He is a 30 yr cop, and likes to swing his weight around, and try to intimidate. At 5'11", I ignore him.

I think being short would be far tougher mentally than being tall, so this manifests an aggresive demeanor in which to get themselves noticed.

The height thing is more a hang up for taller folks than shorter ones. What the heck does height have to do with anything? Silly stereotype.

So just how short are you?

I'm 5'5" and shrinking. Whenever a remark was made about tall vs short my standard comeback was....big man big dick, little man ALL dick.

Did he used to admire you for being so tall but now uses that as a knock against you?

If so a shrink would have a heyday diagnosing him.

About average...which gives me perspective on tall and short.

When standing close, go up on your tippy toes and look down on him like Snoopy doing his vulture imitation.

The Japanese and many Asians are of much shorter stature, but none here could claim to hold their own against a ninja or trained warrior.

The Vietnamese held their own against several 1st world armies. (in general and by numerical sacrifice.)

The Mongols rode miniature horses and they did not fair poorly in their conquests.

The ancient Romans were usually of stouter nature vs. the Kelts/Gauls/Germanics, and using shorter swords as well, but in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Watling_Street the numbers were said to have been 80k vs 400 and a decisive victory.

Average male height is 5’10” so I’m not tall at all. My coworker has a 10’ tall ego and I do believe that if he wasn’t such a high producer, he’d have been canned years ago. Very few people like working with him and those who do, keep him very close. If he talks crap about others, you can bet he talks crap about you behind your back.

I don't know where the line is between tendencies/attitudes/behaviors, and undiagnosed conditions such as psychopathy and sociopaths etc. , but having had a crash course recently, I am very wary of anyone showing unusual tendencies.

my counterpart on the Contractor's side of things is a tiny man. maybe 4'11"..he has the biggest chip on his shoulder. he is a total A-hole and he wears that like a badge of honor.

they were putting down rebar for a decks slab. they embed vertical rebar for the future barrier rail. i walk up and it there is rebar sticking up where our future traffic lane is. (it is 3' off) i state, "i dont think the barrier layout is correct"
contractor, "what the EFF!, i am correct..do you have the plans?"
Me, "i always have the plans"
contractor, "well, pull them out, i am ABOUT to make you feel stupid".
i hand them to him..he looks and starts mumbling, "i saw a note here somewhere..."

he keeps looking. i know the note..it is about the architectural treatment limits. the little man goes silent. the rebar foreman breaks the silence, "so..who's right, you or Napolean?"

the contractor guys storms off. i felt bad for him. i broke protocol and did the layout. honestly, now i get along with that guy. i never brought i up again, and he comes to me like a human being asking questions..i go to him for his opinion as well.

i do know; i better know my plans when i talk to him. he is always looking for the upper hand.