Yes today is Tuesday and it is the second day back from vacation. I spent yesterday reviewing budgets, department outcomes and attending (part day) one division's staff retreat to regroup, find honest communication and their voice. Oh and did I mention a Rotary board meeting last night? No I am not on the board just a member but enjoy finding out what is going on and ....well truthfully I am in need of a make up meeting.
So after a week off, taking care of grand babies (my two baby girls now 5 and 4) I re-entered the other world of Deb. This Deb has pondered the reasons for many things but mostly sits with knowledge that she would rather not share. Leading an organization has some great perks, you get to set the pace, make decisions and have the final word. You enjoy a better pay, not much better but better. You feel important and hmmmm....I am running short!
The truth is very few decisions are truly yours. No good or bad deed will go unnoticed and the complaints will be upon your doorstep within minutes, sometimes before you even publicly make the decision (does someone read my mind and facebook my stuff?) The pace you set is never the pace you really want, trust me on this one. NO one goes at the pace I set....well maybe that is not true when I kick back (and at times leadership becomes too much and I find myself trying to do minimal things like clean up the web site or revisit mailing lists) it does seem that people slow down, relax and try to keep an eye on me.
Now feeling important, that is cool. I can and I may walk into a room full of those folks who work for me and command attention. I can get my name into the local paper once in a while for some new and cool thing I am a part of or I can just sit in my big office (which I gladly share as a conference room) and say wow how important am I? Just about then a dissatisfied customer calls me and I realize that my importance is high, the expediter, fixer of the problem that my decisions caused. I never went to school for this: who teaches complaint protocol 101?
Tuesday...today I will begin to fix, readjust and reassess. Today I make some decisions. I wonder if they already know?
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Hi, Deb, cool blog you have here! I will bookmark it and come back to visit you often!
ReplyDeleteMore brilliant weather we are having, hmmm?
Deb,
ReplyDeleteI think you left 1 very important reward of leadership out ... that is the opportunity to make a difference. I learned a long time ago (if you've guessed correctly who this is ... then you know long is literal), that I couldn't change the world. But I have learned I can change my little part of it. That lesson has driven many of my decisions ... to lead efforts (1 of which you used to be affiliated with ... that's a hint) ... to get involved ... & yes, like you, to try to pack too much into each day at the risk of compromising the quality.
Given that experience, I am reminded of something my father used to say ... the biggest compliment you can pay someone, is to tell them they made a difference. Deb ... you have make a difference ... & that would in my opinion, outweigh all the other "bennies" of being in a leadership role.
At the end of the day, think about what you did ... did it makes someone's life a little easier? Did it make a life more pleasant or comfortable? Did it help someone face a challenge? These & a thousand questions just like them, are the real reasons for taking on leadership roles.
As you point out, you don't really get the final word (at least not in my experience) ... the money gets spent ... & the parties fade from memory. But knowing you made a difference will stay with you 'til the end.
And Deb ... you make a difference girl & I'm proud of you!!
F
Thanks for the nice comments.
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