Observing from a Distance
It's been an interesting few weeks seeing how the Rock Star interacts with the other people at the Shop. Interesting in that he's dealing with them in a very similar manner to how he was dealing with me. This observation from a distance has been really educational for me.
First, it shows me that I'm not that different than the other people here in the Shop. We're all trying to meet deadlines with less than perfect tools and support, but we have to get the job done. This means that we all need to recognize that there is a time to ask for assistance from a third-party vendor, and there's a time to take what they have given you and run with it. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, and you have to take what you can get most times.
Second, it shows me that I didn't handle Rock Star all that poorly. I never insulted him. I never treated him like a non-person. While I didn't go out of my way to talk to him, he (and I) had plenty to do and it was just very easy to not talk to him. I certainly could have handled our interactions a lot worse.
Finally, it shows me that in the end, it really is a delicate combination of skills and personality that comes together to make a great team. You can't have people that all get along - without skills they can't really get anything done. You can't ignore the 'human element' either, because you'll end up with people that can do the work individually, but don't really interact well.
I've learned a lot about how I deal with people, and how others do as well. I'm happy to say that I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm not perfect, no one is, but I'm really happy that I've had this chance to see that I'm not as bad as some folks might like to paint me out to be.