#STS: Power Play in Leadership Aspirations

I was considering applying for a leadership job and wrote to members of the department I was considering, asking them to meet with me and discuss the needs of the group. One agreed to meet with me, and kept me waiting for about half an hour. Then, once we were in a room and the door shut, explained that they were also considering applying to the position. They then refused to answer any of the questions I had, and proceeded to turn the tables to grill me about my qualifications and consistently focused on my weaknesses relative to the demands of the positions. This was a person with considerable seniority, who treated someone interested in coming to work with them with absolute hostility. They eventually did apply to the position and get it. I see this as an everyday abuse of power because it was not only dishonest, they used their standing to extract competitive information from a colleague who could not afford to end the meeting abruptly.

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