"it might be better if we parted company" says a manager I have been working with since October.

You know why?  Because I was holding him to regulations, rules, compliance.  I work in a medical/science research field that accepts grants.  Due to that we have a LOT of compliance to document and track.  I've been doing this work for almost 16 years now (!).  I transferred from the oversight office to working more directly with the labs and investigators and love it.  And I'm careful to not be too forward about the 'rules' but do bring them up if I see something going sideways - I know two of the three labs I work with have been grateful because....

The person's place I took had been there for 30 years.  And didn't manage things well, if at all.  Lack of documentation, procedures, etc.  We all knew about her in the oversight office and yes, it was as I suspected.

But this one manager  -  he thinks that becauase he says something or wants to do something, then I'm supposed to comply.  Even though he's clearly violating institutional and grant-giver policy.  Heck no!  Because you know who they will come to if something goes wrong....moi.  So I pushed back and back because the last thing he was asking I just refused to comply with.  Luckily I have two of my OWN managers who agreed with me and have been in on this last thing a week ago, helping me craft the language to respond to him.  They've got me on this one.

So, like a skid, he didn't get his way, didn't want to follow the rules and preferred that he be an exception, then had a tantrum and decided he didn't want to work with me any more (yeah, ok, have fun with someone less experienced or with the same experience and say the same things I have been).  But I have good parental backup in that a discussion will take place that his former RA was not doing a good job and that he needs to adjust HIS expectations.  Jeez. 

In any case, there's plenty of other labs I can work with if he refuses to keep me on.