Patience, dear

I am generally a patient and calm person, especially at work.  I take my time to explain things properly to new people, and I am always happy for people to ask me questions.  However my usually sunny demeanour is being challenged at the moment by… well let’s just call her a “situation”.  At best, I am being ignored, at worst, intentionally undermined.  Direct requests are not carried out as requested.  Simple requests are not understood.  Sometimes I wonder if I am speaking English. The “situation” is causing unrest in an otherwise happy and functioning team.  I have already taken steps to raise my concerns with TPTB but its frustrating and turns my friendly smiles into bitchycowness.   It just goes to show that someone who is clever on paper can still turn out to be a bit dim.