Best steersman are ashore

One of my team members has moved to a different project some months ago. She is intelligent, autonomous, candid, very concerned with the interest of the company, incredibly efficient, and looking for team spirit. And yet, she is a master in opposing line management through subtle politics, influencing and instigating group opinions, expressing herself in a seemingly objective critical fashion in public situations, and undermine authority through disguised 'gossip'. There was very little I could do about it and she made my life as a new manager not easy. But, like I said, she was a top performer and incredibly efficient.

Well, she managed to repeat the exact same process with the project leader she is reporting to now (and the guy is more senior than me). She slowly 'orchestrated' an opposition from within the project team, and now managed to virtually strip the project leader from his responsibilities - without having to take it over herself. The funny part is that she talks openly about the situation. And yet I believe that it is her high internal professional standard, and collectivist belief -  and not blind ambition or bad karma - that drives her actions. But I find it very hard to bend to the will of such persons, and to accept this. Leadership is complex and tough business at our company.

Finally, the situation reminds me of Bart De Wever, long-time bright opposition leader who, a few days after winning charged elections last weekend and now in the midst of preparing the formation of the new government, forgets to prepare his press statement in French. Or, of Siegfried Bracke, long time Belgian TV's sharpest (and feared) political journalist and moderator, who (has the courage to) climb the political stage and now gives an overwhelmed and clumsy impression (today he critisized a 28-y old fellow party member on her Facebook page for wearing a too sexy skirt - I can think of other ways to deliver that message).

....The best steersman are ashore (and inevitably sick the first time out in the open sea)

It is time for my dear co-worker to head for open sea as well.