The Jerk Part 2

So my ever so jerky co worker is up to his same old tricks. Last week as you know I was in Williamsburg for some much needed retail therapy. While waiting for my mom as she shopped I was checking my email messages via my blackberry. I felt I was being very efficient responded to things I could, so I would not be behind when I returned to work on Thursday. At one point I saw several emails from "The Jerk" as I opened them I realized some of them were meeting requests in addition to our 2 other meetings. See once a week I have a status meeting with the team to discuss issues and update status from the various areas. Unfortunately the CEO called a 2009 budget meeting which trumped my standing meeting so not only did I decline a meeting that "The Jerk" requested because my day was booked already I also canceled the standing meeting due to the CEO budget meeting. Are you following me so far???? I was not the only one to decline his proposed meetings it seems because about 10 minutes after I declined I received the email below:

All
OK - I continue to get push back about meetings when I am only trying to set up one meeting a week.
Steve, I'm still not sure when you are available since I don't have your calendar. Is that something I need to ask you about every time I want to set up a meeting?
Stephanie, your calendar dictates when I can get a group together because you are in and out of the office and meetings tend to pile up on days you are here.

We scheduled weekly update meetings but haven't actually held them. The latest one was for tomorrow and was quickly pulled when a conflict came up and not rescheduled (and that conflict got moved 5 minutes later). Those aren't my meetings and I don’t control the agenda so I'm not sure what the standing format is because we haven't actually had them… I see this entire week passing by with no meetings to resolve open issue on the life products at a time when that is one of the critical issues on the timeline. I can continue to throw things out via e-mail and try to get a consensus but that doesn't seem like the best way to do things. I could stand in doorways every day and gather each team member's opinions on things and majority wins but that seems like a lot of running around.

Please enlighten me on how things get done around here so I can get on board and move things along effectively. I am open to suggestions but we need to get this stuff taken care of. Thank you for your valuable input.

I was irritated to say the least! So I not being in the office did the best I could with the situation that was presented ...I sent an email back which I copied to his boss as well as mine Oh and if you are still with me his boss reports to my boss so essentially his boss and I are equals.

Jerk,

I would prefer to have this conversation in person however since I am out today this will have to do. You are correct that tomorrows meeting was canceled then the meeting that trumped it was rescheduled. Quite honestly I forgot to put it back on the calendar after the reschedule. However since then it has come to my attention that the budget documents for that meeting have not yet been finalized therefore that time may be needed in order to make final revisions. In light of your email I assume there are pressing matters that must be addressed therefore I will forgo that time to have the standing meeting as scheduled. We have the 16th meeting as planned and the 23rd will need to be made up maybe on the 24th since I and Steve are at a TPA off site. Tomorrow I would like to have some face to face time with you prior to our meeting to further discuss this email. I will be in the office by 8 am or earlier. SBW

This spineless jerk not only didn't come at his usually break of dawn time so we could talk, he came minutes before a meeting that was called by my boss to address his email. My boss informed him that if he continued to send snippy emails there would be repercussions and then further went on to say that I and I alone would be presenting to the CEO in the budget meeting later that afternoon and he should speak only when spoken to and from now on direction was to come from me not him! It was all I could do not to pee my pants from internal laughter. Needless to say I have not seen anymore snippy emails.