My reality TV

I like to watch reality shows. Last week I realized that my life at work is a reality show.

I have to use strategy in what I say and who I say it to. Certain people you can count on to spread things you say. You can use this type of person to get a message to the intended target without actually saying it to your target. I also know who will talk to me because I sit quietly and listen. I can get a lot of inside information this way. Then there is the person who I can attack. These are the people that I can say anything to and have no fear. They generally have no influence on others.

A lot of things I say at work are very calculated. It's my opinion that this really helps me get information and use information to my benefit. I can also influence decisions without actually being named as a decision maker. This is a good thing sometimes.

The other day I learned that someone, Mr. X, would be losing his job. I don't like Mr. X at all. We are polite to each other, but really limit our contact together. He would be losing his job the next day, and he didn't know it. That night, I went up to Mr. X and had this conversation:

me: How's it going tonight?
X : what?
me: I said how's it going.
X : (laughing) I thought you asked if I was working tonight.
me: (oh, did it show in my expression? Does he know something?) No. Of course you are working. You are here.
X: Sorry I haven't done that paper work lately. I'm going to get myself focused on doing it. By next week, I should have it down pat.
me: (heh. next week, you'll be filling out a different kind of paper... like applications). That's great.

When I approached him that night, I had the intention of being overly nice because I thought it would be my last time talking to Mr. X. I was enjoying it.
A little voice in my head was saying, "The tribe has spoken!", "You have been evicted from this place of work!", and of course, "Mr. X, YOUR FIRED!"

Maybe I watch too much television. Even if I do, I feel that I have learned about dealing with different personalities after the past few years of reality TV.

(Yesterday, I learned that Mr. X did not lose his job as expected.)