I work for a Board of Directors.
I have not had a good experience with a new member of the Board. Ever.
I think he's a jerk.
He thinks I'm "resistant."
I requested a lunch meeting with him in an effort to appear "open" and to mend bridges.
I emailed him earlier today to confirm our meeting. He replied.
"Yes, and Board Chair will be coming with us."
That's fine. I'm cool with the Board Chair.
But he requested that my Outlook send him notification upon my receipt of the email.
Does that mean nothing? Or something? Because I feel like I'm not trusted or something. None of his other emails have come with that request. Am I crazy? Being defensive? Or is something up?
Re: Help me understand what this means (if anything)
sounds like he wants to keep a paper trail for some reason. do you think he wants to make a complaint about you?
EDIT: keep it nice on paper and throw him some elbows in the halls.
I've done the same but because I work with someone who is constantly claiming she doesn't receive emails. (Even emails she had relplied to!) I think he has some trust issues and is coming from a place of defensiveness - hence the 3rd wheel at your lunch. Sorry he's being such a ***.
ETA: Geez bump - last word was d!ck. *** and Jane. *** and Harry. See, it's not so bad.
LOL @ your edit!
He joined while I was on mat leave and complained about how "DoubleDiamond isn't doing much." Another Board member was like, "Um, she's not WORKING you fool" and told me about it. Then, when I got back, we all had a meeting together to catch up and regroup. He had a bunch of hairbrained ideas and I smile and nodded, but I did say when I thought something wouldn't work or hadn't worked in the past (all in the most polite and kind way possible). It was after that meeting that I found out (from the same Board member pal) that he had said, "Gee, she sure is resistant to our opinions, isn't she?" WTF?
So, it's possible that he has complaints about me in general. And I just don't get it.
He probably set it up so that you don't later say you didn't know the chair would be there.
Hopefully its nothing. I can't stand passive agressive "higher ups"