"Dwayne, you're good at taking an existing project and executing it. Jim is good at creating projects. I feel it is the best thing to team the two of you."

This is what a senior-level manager named Patrick told me late one afternoon several years ago. I am sure he meant this as a compliment -- something to inspire me on a new job. I felt crippled and left the job within a month.

Where did we disconnect? What happened? What can we learn from this?