I’m fairly sure that almost every woman in a senior role has encountered a Robert Jenrick. The guy just below you who is convinced he’s better at your job than you are, and who quietly works to undermine you as part of his impatient plan to replace you.
I was never Kemi Badenoch’s biggest fan, but credit where it’s due for handling him as she has. He was clearly hanging around to see whether there’d be a quick opportunity to step in, but now that she’s stabilising the party, he’s sulked off.
You can almost imagine some printed mantra on his bedroom wall about it being his destiny to become party leader by 40.
I had a major ‘Jenrick’ in my own career. I let him rattle me for nearly a year and came close to quitting, until I sought advice from a senior female colleague who’d been through the same thing. She helped me see that my Jenrick was deeply insecure, and that I didn’t need to dance to his tune. Since then, I can spot Jenrick types and their games from a mile away and manage them accordingly.
Do these Jenricks really not realise how transparent they are?