New boss

[Guest Gallant Pioneer]

Good morning ladies and gentlemen I have a bit of a strange one for you. 

Recently my work has seen the arrival of a new director ( my boss) who seems to be very erratic when it comes to making a decision. Forever changing her mind basically. 

We, thankfully get on quite well and she sees me as reliable. However there is one trait she has that confuses me so I need your help. 

Sometimes when I or others say something she reacts with this curious twitch. Where she pulls her head back, tucks her chin in then raises her eyebrows and ever so slightly shakes her head... Its like.... An eye roll but with the head? 

It always comes with an air of disapproval. 

So my question is, what is that? I've never seen this before in a 40 something year old. She's highly educated, driven, intelligent, does a load of work for charity but she seems emotionally immature. 

She's the type who will cut people's hours for the slightest thing against her personally (which I've seen and heard her do in person) 

So this neck twitch thing..... What is it? 

[Vort]

It's an unfortunate mannerism she adopted from Dad, or the biology teacher, or the drama coach, or her mother's best friend growing up. She thinks, or at some point thought, that it made her look sophisticated and lent her gravitas, or maybe that it's a clever and endearing way of signaling disapproval without actually calling anyone out. But at this point it's almost more of a behavioral tic that she doesn't really think about.

Or then again, maybe not. But that's what I'm going with for now.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Vort

[Guest Mores]

11 hours ago, Gallant Pioneer said:

So this neck twitch thing..... What is it? 

I'd second @Vort's assessment.  Little things like that are not really "explainable".  She got it from somewhere, or she developed it with some weird idea of what is "sophisticated" or "subtle-not subtle".  Whatever it is, if she's the boss, well... you're kinda stuck seeing that.  

Be WARNED:  If you spend too much time perseverating on it, you'll begin to display the same twitch.  So, try to ingore it as much as possible.

[Jane_Doe]

One of my past jobs was helping people with their public speaking skills.  I've seen a LOT of strange ticks out there, way stranger than what you describe.  They're all just facial/sound habits picked up from somewhere and don't really mean anything.  

[Sunday21]

I teach UNI students who are required to give a presentation in front of the class. I have seen waaaay worse than this! I often have to tell, especially female students to unwrap themselves. They can twist their legs around themselves and their arms around their torso and still remain upright! 

[Jane_Doe]

1 hour ago, Sunday21 said:

I teach UNI students who are required to give a presentation in front of the class. I have seen waaaay worse than this! I often have to tell, especially female students to unwrap themselves. They can twist their legs around themselves and their arms around their torso and still remain upright! 

Of the twirling is so common!

One of the students I taught would make fart-like noises with his mouth when he was nervous.  

[Guest Gallant Pioneer]

Thank you each and all, I will put this down to a twitch of sort. I've had others tell me they find it dismissive or aggressive but to me it's so random and disproportionate to what's being discussed it's hard to feel anything about it. 

Reading through some of the twitches you guys mention makes for some interesting scenarios I'm sure. 

 

Thanks for your help, hope you're well and good. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Gallant Pioneer

[Sunday21]

10 hours ago, Gallant Pioneer said:

Thank you each and all, I will put this down to a twitch of sort. I've had others tell me they find it dismissive or aggressive but to me it's so random and disproportionate to what's being discussed it's hard to feel anything about it. 

Reading through some of the twitches you guys mention makes for some interesting scenarios I'm sure. 

 

Thanks for your help, hope you're well and good. 

I wonder if she is a former stutterer? These people have many odd quirks.

 

17 hours ago, Jane_Doe said:

Of the twirling is so common!

One of the students I taught would make fart-like noises with his mouth when he was nervous.  

I have had students whose faces register a wide range of emotions in rapid succession. These emotions in no way reflect the material that they are presenting. I tried to explain to one woman what she was doing and she was most upset. She told me that, ‘I didn’t think you were going to be so personal!’. Well what did you think feedback on your presentation was going to consist of? 

[Anddenex]

I don't know why but your post reminds me of this video clip:

 

[Sunday21]

42 minutes ago, Anddenex said:

I don't know why but your post reminds me of this video clip:

 

As the woman who just graded an exam in which 20% failed...this is just how I feel!

Mind you 20% received a grade of B plus or higher. With about 10% getting A or higher. 

Mutter, mutter, mutter.

[Sunday21]

! 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Sunday21