"Gajah bertarung lawan gajah, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah."

Translation: Elephant wages war against elephant, deer dies in the
midst.

Meaning: When prominent persons fight, the commoner
would suffer.

In this case, when your superiors don't get along, the subordinate gets into a difficult situation. And what a situation it is.


Initially it was a case of 'The Right Person not getting the Right Job,' but that was resolved by the time I arrived on the scene. (BTW, the person in question isn't me but one of my bosses).

But somehow matters have not yet been laid to rest. It's an ongoing saga, one in which I am unwillingly drawn into, because one of them is someone I've shared quite a productive working and unofficial coaching relationship with for 7 years, and the other, although a slightly more recent acquaintance, has been officially appointed to provide technical guidance in my career. It's even more difficult when the former and I are currently doing some projects together, and he doesn't want the latter to know the details of what we're up to.

Personally, I don't have a problem with either of them, although I don't really know the latter that well, so I can't tell whether the accusations and conspiracy theories against him are true. So far I believe his comments about me have been fair, albeit not entirely glowing, but I admit I've still got a long way to go. As for the former, he's not entirely without faults, and sometimes I suspect that he'll champion something or someone, me included, knowing that some of the glory will reflect off him, that it's got more to do with personal ego rather than a 'fight for a just cause'.

Like one his previous proteges said to me (and that protege is now in quite a venerable position in his own right), it makes for a 'very unhealthy environment to work in.'

The irony of it all, is that these elephants used to get along quite well. Of course this was before the whole reorganisation thing ended up putting us all into the same department. Now they hardly even talk to each other, and even if they both come up with a similar idea, there's no way of getting them to cooperate as each believes he has the ear of the big boss, and each person wants to claim credit for it (at least that's the perception I get).
This deer is in for a very tough ride.