I had a VERY interesting day today, with a most unexpected outcome.
The purpose of the meeting with my boss this morning was getting things squared away for the meeting with Pushy PI and The Minion. I provided my boss with all of my data and went to get a quick bite of lunch. Was sitting in the break room, finishing said lunch, when Pushy PI walked through without The Minion. I went back to the lab and discovered that my boss and Pushy PI were having a closed door meeting (that's a Do Not Disturb sign in my boss's world), and they were going through my data analysis.
Now, here's where things get interesting. An hour or so later, my boss left for the airport; he has an out-of-town meeting for a few days. Pushy PI came in a couple of hours or so later to chat with me about the manuscript and clear the air. We actually had a very reasonable, constructive conversation about the manuscript and made peace. Neither my boss nor Pushy PI would ever openly admit it, because that's not kosher, but I think they FINALLY realized that The Minion was fudging. I also think that, after discussing my analysis for an hour or so, Pushy PI finally understands what I actually did. He has some ideas that are a bit off, but I think we're in a better spot than we were. In terms of the manuscript, at least, I think all's well that ends well. (breathing huge sigh of relief)
The big question I have, though, is this: why the heck did I have this conversation with Pushy PI rather than my boss? Was this Pushy PI's way of admitting I was right without actually admitting I was right, was it just another by-product of my boss's managerial style (or lack thereof), or was it some combination of the two?
So, two months of torture, and it appears that the manuscript is going to be good. I will potentially have my name on a manuscript in a very prestigious journal and will not be ashamed my name is on said paper. As far as I know, though, I'm still looking for a job. It will be interesting to see if my boss ever apologizes. My $$ is on no.
Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.
-- Albert Einstein