On Trust (or "Whither Trust?")

So, what happens whe you think that your two managers are lying to you? And when called them on it, it seems like they deflected...?

I could go into great depth, but I don't think that it's necessary. In short, it was said that a former coworker cited me (personality, communication style, etc.) as a major reason to find employ elsewhere.

Now, I fully admit that I'm not the easiest person to get along with. (My bride is a freaking saint!). I just don't have time or patience for bullshit, so I can come off as surly or brusque at times. My friends know and usually appreciate this, whether or not they got it when we first met. (As is typical, most of my friends are from work, and usually first get to know me for being good at what I do. After they get to know me professionally, they then then get to know me socially. By this point they're already attuned to me.) When it's time to bullshit, I'm all fun. When it's work, and I like you and have a cycle or two to spare, I'll joke while I work. But yes, otherwise I'm brusque.

Anyway, apparently my managers didn't know that he and I are still on good terms, and didn't figure that I would bother to check with him. They seemed stunned when I said that I had, but asked "why would he tell the truth when you called him on this?"

To me it seems simple:
-He has nothing to gain or lose by lying to me.
-My managers do stand to gain by this lie by keeping me on the defensive.

Well, we'll see what the future brings... (It just now occurs to me what a Bleeding obvious statement that is...).

I know that my work is held in high regard (having been told a few times recently that it is appreciated that my work comes in on-time and is of universally high quality, including today's meeting), but that I need to work on being "friendlier"...

Ah... I'll work on that...

One of the most frustrating parts of this whole thing is that being good at my job isn't enough. I'm catching flak for not playing some game.

-Waldo