The Reign of Bob is Over

I have a new People Manager. The reign of Bob is over. Not that he did much reigning anyway. He was usually too busy to have significant meetings with me. And I don't particularly like him, so I never went out of my way to make those meetings any more pleasant or frequent. It's somewhat unfair of me not to like Bob. He's a nice guy, and I don't have any serious professional complaints about him. Most of my complaints go away after an afternoon of grumbling and perhaps a beer. I just don't like him. Personally. So, I can't complain about him, or even request a new manager, because I don't have a particularly rational reason for him not to be my boss. I just don't like him.

My new People Manager, on the other hand, is Jason, someone I consider to be a good friend of mine at work. He is only a couple of years older than I am and was recently promoted to "consultant". We work together all the time, but we're usually goofing off. One of our current projects is to perfect the "walk and talk" a la Aaron Sorkin as we go down the hall to pick up our print jobs. (Yes, this is the pinnacle of excitement for an actuary.) We gossip about our coworkers, and often share information that few other people know. I was going to tell him that I am looking for another job, but now I don't know if I can do that. He's my manager now, and that has thrown our whole relationship out of whack.

I sort of mentioned this concern to him by asking him if we can still go to baseball games together. (Because I would certainly not have gone with Bob. Poor Bob used to offer to take me out for lunch for my "review" and I would suggest we stay in the office instead.) Jason had a good response, though. He said, "Of course, we can. But now we get to bill it to a code."

I am being selfish in my concern over the change in my relationship with a friend. This is a good opportunity for Jason, who needs the chance to try various roles in the office. This is also great for the junior associates, who now have a manager closer to their level and easier to approach. I should look forward to the changes.