swearing? justified?

Question

i have this rather awkward in behavior, ex-boss who I really have a good relationship but it is different since he is no longer the boss and there is less in common to talk about i.e. nothing work related.
The other day in front of a few colleagues he said I was a bit of a *****...totally unexpected and i think he was shocked at what he said too. But it was too late. We all laughed and I semi glared at him.
any tips regarding when i see him again- i briefly saw him and he awkwardly said hi and chatted with some one else and that hurt a little bit- why can the be friendly enough to face me after he used a swear word. Am i over reacting? My goal is just to network and keep good professional relationships with everyone

Answer 1

He has a hard time facing you because he feels guilty about what he said and he thinks you are still angry with him. It would be taken care of if he apologized to you.

However, he isn't doing that. If you want to repair the relationship so that both of you are comfortable with each other again; when you see him again, ask to talk to him privately and ask him why he said that. But begin by saying that you like him and wonder why he said that because it was so unlike him.

Hopefully, this will put him at ease enough so that he will explain his behavior and in the course of the conversation, apologize. Then, of course, you need to be gracious, and say that he is forgiven.

Usually, this will work. But you can't control his behavior. He may become defensive. You need to consider your attempt to reconcile successful, if you say what you plan to say. Then you will know that you have done what you could do rectify the situation.

Answer 2

I think the awkwardness is because he called you a little "anything" in front of you...not because that something was a swear word.

Answer 3

he's the little ******
that sounds pretty immature of him, but I wouldn't worry, you obviously know what you're talking about, and can handle it