At work, I was in an area that I don’t normally work in to obtain some readings off of a tool. Another employee happens by, sees me, and then abruptly stops me from what I’m trying to do. Her then proceeds to “teach” me the proper way to operate the tool (Not what I was trying to do). As he’s “teaching” me, it became very apparent to me, whoever trained this guy, must have been trained by me. As he was doing all the things exactly the way I used to train my trainees.
So I started asking him questions like I didn’t know what I was doing. I did this mainly to see how much of my training methods have been passed on over the years. (A lot. Which is awesome.)
Anyway, later on that day, he told another guy he had to stop some dude from screwing up a tool. When he told him who it was he had to stop, the guy basically laughed in his face. Explaining to him Grrr knows that tool like the back of his hand.
So now the guy is all upset and he let me know he doesn’t appreciate the “head games” I was apparently playing with him.
Sounds like the guy was a bit of a tool himself, so - yeah, maybe you were a bit jerky for not explaining after, but is there any reason you should really care? I’m making some assumptions, but I’m guessing that however he presented the incident wouldn’t change the opinions of anyone whose opinion you really cared about. And if he ever made a big deal about it, I’d seriously consider saying something like, “If you are going to get bent out of shape by such things, maybe you should check whether your input is desired/necessary before offering it.”
But a lot of people think me a critical asshole, so take anything I say with several pounds of salt.
I think we all do it to some extent - I let someone talk even if I know what their question is early on, I ask questions I’m pretty sure I know the answer to just to engage the other person. But that’s when people know who I am. Pretending like that seems more manipulative the longer it goes on and the less you know each other to begin with. You could have explained who you were and still asked about how the person was trained.
Depends on the hierarchy. If you were my (seldom-seen) cow-orker I’d hope we could laugh about it. If you were that prick manager from 2 buildings away, I’d probably take it as you being sorta jerky.
Ultimately, I think you did nothing wrong. You have a valid reason other than, “just to mess with him”.
Realistically, what would have been your alternatives?
Interrupt his schpiel? With what? “I’m not attempting to actually use <tool X>, I’m just taking a measurement.” “Thanks, I already know how to use <tool X>.” Or some combination of the two? I’m not sure someone so vehemently mansplaining the job would have listened, or believed.
Sit through the schpiel, and then tell him the truth? I imagine he’d resent that just the same.
This entire episode was his fault. I don’t see anything you could have done that didn’t end up with him looking the mansplaining fool, because that’s exactly what he was.
I can understand why he would be upset. He thought he was superior to you, and found out that he was not. That alway bothers people for some reason.
He would have been just as upset about it if you had stopped him from explaining, because then you would be the asshole that thinks he knows more than anyone else.
From a training/management perspective, I think you did right, and he’s just a bit self-absorbed.
I’m the opposite. If it’s just a coworker, then I think that it’s kinda jerky (in a pranky way). If you’re above them, then I think “He was testing to see if I knew how to use it.”
To either one, I’d add “Maybe I shouldn’t go up to people and assume they don’t know what they are doing.”
I’ll agree if you had entered the situation with the intent of it being a training scenario for someone, then you approached it wrong. But being ambushed by another employee who feels that they know more than you do has no really good options. They have already decided to create a confrontation, and defusing it depends on their attitude more than it does of yours.
He made assumptions about you, your intentions, and your knowledge, that’s a bit of a jerk move on his part. There really was no way of ending that situation without him getting miffed at your when he finds out that his assumptions were wrong.
I’m going to go with “not jerky.”
While you don’t say whether you have a management or supervisory position, you clearly at least have some seniority if you’re the guy who trained the guy who trained this guy.
You took an opportunity to have a little secret-shopper type interaction to ensure the tool is being used properly. Good for you!
And if the dude’s feelings were hurt, it’s his own fault since he made the situation confrontational to begin with.
I don’t think it was a jerkish thing to do at all. It was just a combination of a benign joke and a lesson about assumptions. As a matter of fact, the rather dangerous facility that I work in uses a version of this as official policy to ensure quality, consistency and keeping everyone safe. Anyone can check anyone else for a particular skill on demand no matter where they are in the hierachy. It could be a forklift or a simple tool and the goal is education for any gaps or deviations in procedures rather than trying to be arrogant or punitive. If you know it as well as you think, there is no harm in demonstrating that to someone again.
Sounds jerky to me - the appropriate response would have been to immediately say that’s not what you are trying to do and to identify yourself if title would have made it plain you knew what you were doing. It was even more jerky not to tell him in the end and to leave him with the misimpression. You definitely don’t sound like the kind of person I’d want to work with or for.
Not jerky–totally cool, in fact. You were patient and civil and later the “helpful” person got his comeuppance AND got laughed in the face. What’s not to llove?
If you know he’s upset, why not explain it to him, as you’ve easily done with us. Just tell him you took it as flattery that he was so well trained, and impressed he was so forthcoming with assistance.
I mean, that’s all it would take to turn this around really.
I can understand why he thought it was jerky. But if he came to me complaining about it, I’d remind him that he wouldn’t have even known the truth if he hadn’t been talking shit about someone he didn’t know.