How do you do it? I've been a safety manager for a GC for a year now. I get along with just about everyone I work with. On one of my projects, there is an egotistical, self-serving, immature Superintendent with an extreme sense of entitlement. We go back and forth from getting along to not even talking to each other.
Every time this dude has said dumb shit or pulled some shady crap, my boss has always told me to just "say ok and move on." Obviously that mindset has gotten him to where he is and he is respected in the company.
But I'm not built like that. I'm older and expect to be treated as an adult. I'm having a difficult time setting my pride aside because if I feel like I'm right about something, I don't want to back down. To me, that's essentially just taking it up the ass.
I'm also mature enough to be able to admit when I'm wrong, and I have on a few occasions.
So, for y'all that have been doing safety for a long time, how have you gotten by? Because I know there's others out there just like this Superintendent.
It's actually affecting mental health and lowering my self-esteem.
Edit: Hey, I appreciate all the responses. A few things that I want to clarify. Yes my job is to observe, document, mitigate, etc. but we are tasked with so much more. Training, hosting events, participating in committees, coaching and mentoring, and building relationships with the guys in the field.
He is not my boss. He is not in my chain of command, he does not sit in on my reviews, he doesn't approve my vacations, if I have to go take care of something, personal or job related, I ok it with my actual supervisor and give the superintendent ✌🏾.
If I was able to go into all the stupid shit this superintendent has done to me and others, and really describe the toxic environment he creates, I can almost guarantee the people in here talking about swallowing pride and controlling my ego, and pride doesn't feed my kids, would change your tone. But I stand the chance of revealing myself and I don't know who's in this sub. This guy definitely has a track record of treating employees badly and bullying safety managers.
The good things are that I don't work with him everyday. I have other projects I go to that have great teams. Plus, my supervisor truly has my back and constantly reiterates the fact that I do not work for the superintendents or PMs and the only opinions that matter are his and the director of our department.
I am not leaving the company either. Besides a few assholes, this company is great and I consider myself lucky to have gotten a job here.