> This led to situations where he would need to do things that justified his existence, like phoning me every hour to ask 'how it was going', 'where was I, and

> This led to situations where he would need to do things that justified his existence, like phoning me every hour to ask 'how it was going', 'where was I, and so on... You missed a great opportunity to manage upwards. Surely you have some meaningless menial tasks in your job that you hate to perform? Excellent delegation material! You know what they say, many hands make for lighter work. They hired him an assistant? Looks like you just acquired a whole department!