Prima donnas

So yesterday I had my second fight at work. No blood or guts, more like being treated to a tantrum; the throwing of dolls out of the cot; suitable expletives and the likes. The first fight was a war of words, two weeks ago, which gradually spun out of the realm of logical, civilised argument and onto the stage of insults levelled at me by the Group Leader of Software in front of colleagues. Yesterday's tantrum, from a different colleague, was sparked by a single sentence from me: "The changes in the build system are getting disruptive. " That was my opening remark and the only sentence of the whole conversation related to the subject matter. The response was a raging torrent of insults, mostly unsubstantiated. Today, further changes to the build system by the said prima donna left that system only partially usable where it used to work completely, if somewhat less efficiently than the prima donna would have liked.

It would appear as if I have worked myself up through the ranks in a hierarchy precariously perched amongst prima donnas of sorts. Now that I have earned some formal authority over certain areas and am exerting some of that authority in questioning the free reign of the prima donnas, the fat is in the fire. It would appear as if some regard themselves as untouchable and unquestionable.

Unfortunately for the general software community around here, I am rather to the point when it comes to matters that are out of line or obstructive to sane engineering. I am not in the business of polishing others' over-pampered egos for them, nurtured on flattering, adjusted school scores and over-accommodating parents. Neither do I subscribe to the unwritten software principle of free reign and boundless individualism. This is not the Wild West. It is 2006. California has a governor. Get over it. Move on. Go free reign in your own one-man show for some shareware site if you can't work in a team and abide by policies and standards that are devised to support system development of a professional, commercial product. But of course, I dare not say that aloud.

In discussing these two events with my line manager, it became clear that Prima Donna One and Two are notorious for their potential volatile personalities. It was not entirely news to me. I had witnessed the side shows of these two fellows before.

Today peace and calm have been restored. I have had good working sessions with Prima Donna One and Two, respectively, even respectably. There is hope for the future.