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Sometimes, I’m blown away by colleagues. By the depth of their knowledge and piercing insight.

But other times, there’s a slow, dawning realisation that the colleague who presents themself as an expert is anything but.

Often, it’s when they’re at their most demanding that the cracks begin to show.

Suddenly, everything we thought was their responsibility becomes our own, as they cite time, capacity, workload and, yes, how it was done at their last place.

Thus is the unverified dataset plonked on others — supposed to inform an agreed delivery — deemed perfectly acceptable.

They chase others, but not themselves. They delegate work they could do themselves, if only they wouldn’t keep refusing training.

“That’s not my job,” becomes their loudest refrain. And the rest of us scratch our heads, look at one another, and ask, “Then what is?”

You collect the salary and we do the work, our friendly, cooperative relationships shattered by the confrontational assault of the expert we never asked for.