Years ago I made the mistake of attempting to save a company that had been mismanaged into the ground.
Turns out there was also some embezzlement, but that's another story.
After a cursory overview of the situation it became apparent that one of the key factors, if there was to be any chance of success, was to work with an inventor whose title, President, was third in the corporate hierarchy.
That's when I learned about passive-agressive personality disorder.
In its simplest terms PA is an indirect expression of hostility. Whether that has any connection to the afflicted's almost universal feelings of being unappreciated I'll leave to the psychiatrists. The fellow in this case also resented anyone in a position of authority and constantly complained.
Now, all of the above can come in a package that does not rise to the level of a mental illness but combined with a trait that really stood out, I think you can make a lay diagnosis.
When called on his behavior the PA would always feign innocence and claim to be misunderstood "that's not what I meant" and try to put any misunderstanding onto the recipient. Every time he was called on it. Sometimes there would also be an "I'm just kidding".
And why make a "lay diagnosis"?
So you can stay the hell away from these toxic twits. Life is too short. That's a key takeaway.
And don't try to fix broken businesses. That's the other key takeaway.
If it's a good idea start from a fresh tabula.
Now, on a much lighter note, watch a diligent researcher explore, apparently almost every minute of the day, the theory and practice of Keynes and the Leisure Society.
UPDATE: Just so we're clear, this post was an attempt to communicate in the passive-agressive style. If I hadn't endeavored to try this approach I would probably have used words like 'dickwad' and terms like 'second-rate intellect'. In so many areas of life discretion really is a virtue.
