apparently I’m difficult to manage

Our new associate has an MBA and wants everything to go through him before it goes to the VP. Fine. I send him the model at 6. He calls at 7 asking where the revenue assumptions are. I show him. Calls at 7:30 asking why changing one number changes the other numbers. I explain that those cells have formulas. He says he understands formulas, he’s asking about the logic. So I explain the logic. He says okay but where is that happening. In the formulas, man. In the formulas.

At 9 he asks me to hop on and “defend the architecture.” His concern is that the assumptions are on a different tab from the output. I click on a formula and show him the reference. He asks how we know it’s pulling from the other tab. I change an assumption. The output changes. He says right, but will it still work when we send it to the VP. Same file. Same tabs. He tells me to lose the tone, he’s pressure-testing.

We get to the end and he says he’s comfortable sending it now. Great. I was comfortable sending it 3 hours ago when I sent it.

Next morning the VP asks why it came in so late. Associate says we spent some time tightening the analysis. We changed nothing. Not one cell. I know because I was the one driving while he asked where things were.

Later he pulls me aside and says I need to be more vocal in those conversations so it doesn’t look like he’s doing everything.

I’m 24. This man is on my performance review.