Clinical Diagnosis: Doing too much
This is the best place that my organization has ever been. Wanted by everyone. Asked to be everywhere. Appreciated by all. And enough money in the bank…. to stay exactly where we are.
Tuesday was a bit of an interesting day. With my #2 on a much deserved vacation, It’s back to the old days of me doing everything. That morning I took out a couple of my Workforce guys that had been clamoring for work. #1, i didn’t actually have anything planned and #2, they weren’t great workers. But I found them something to do. And while we were out that morning I had to leave them and pop in to a partner downtown for a quick pickup. And wash some vest and gloves. And try to organize the storage unit a bit. That was all before 12 noon.
At 2 I was right back at it with a corporate group. And I was on my own with this one. No Johnny. No support. And these corporate events come with a fee so I am REQUIRED to engage these folks and show them the best time possible. So at 2pm, I'm driving up and down South Saunders street to get ice for the water, to snatch some picks with this group, go talk up this other group, and make sure they get an ROI on their investment. And it was hot that day.
So we get through that, share a beer and I’m right back at it because we have a landfill diversion event at Red Hat that night and 15 volunteers ready to get active. I have to be at Red Hat about 7pm but popping into the house for a 7 minute sit down with the most unhealthy meal one can imagine, I feel it.
Exhaustion. Aching. I’m breaking down. So I call in support, and muster the will to get downtown. And we get there, get our orders and find out this show is special, pour only. Ok, so now I have to pivot from what we’ve done already 30+ times this year to do something a little different. But we figure it out and get to work!
The show starts and we get to work. It’s going great but then i get a text, “hey, you have a volunteer lingering near the stage and filming”. BLEEP, now this. Let me deal with it. Why didn’t I say before “hey, don’t linger right by the stage, with your phone out filming, while wearing a Raleigh Cleanup vest.” Stupid me
So I deal with this. A young volunteer who wants to help, I think, but is a big fan of The Marias. My solution, just give me the vest and gloves, you’re already in the venue, enjoy the show!
Yea, I fired a volunteer. Striped them of their uniform. I’m hurt. Not something I've done before. Been eating me up since.
But back to it, yea this is still Tuesday! We finished the show, early actually. We load up and I get home.
Shower and in bed! I have a 6:00am workout Wednesday morning but no alarm is set because if my body wants to sleep in, I let it. Plus I need sleep because tomorrow, I have to do it all again.
On Wednesday the Workforce is back out that morning for a big cleanup and we have ANOTHER show at red hat Wednesday night. We won’t talk about it now but I ended up screwing up the Wednesday morning Workforce event by not following orders as they were given. And, a couple of the folks I hired, not good. Simple as that.
That’s Tuesday. Oh and this was after a Sunday where we set up La fiesta del Pueblo, worked the event and was there for breakdown. Well I should say I was there for the set up, the event and a portion of the breakdown before I had to just leave. 12 hours on Sunday.
Oh yea and I’m the director, let me get to these emails. and answer some calls. and try to respond to some of these folks that are unhoused and looking for work. and get back to the upcoming festival that wants us there and needs questions answered. and this partner that needs me to get the alcohol permit done. and the other partner that wants us to expand the scope of what i told them we could do at an event later in October. and this local org that wants our services but is likely going to low ball us. I already know it
damn, even when i type it all out, that’s a lot. oh and don’t get me started on my personal life. that right, i don’t have one of those. just family members who answer tech questions from 300 miles away. I’ve had a lot of careers, never IT.
That’s where I am! Running a bomb organization that I started, while beating myself down at the same time. As I said in the beginning, we’ve never been more sought after, appreciated, wanted. And the money, it’s great. Just enough to keep us right where we are. Let me be clear, I'm grateful for it, but it’s not enough to hire an assistant, or make Kaley a full time employee. What the hell am I going to do when she decides she wants a real job again. Above the poverty line. With benefits. And it would be nice if I could just have a budget for Johnny and not have to worry am I pay him too much. And dare I say someone to just take the Workforce calls and filter them. Maybe do some scheduling.
And before you say have the board do it or get volunteers, what portion of Tuesday (or the last week) am I giving up. I hired 16 folks on Sunday at Pueblo. They made $100 each and reacted like kids in a candy store. Workforce is my baby, I have to be there.
Maybe I could have taken Tuesday morning off but those guys needed work. That $72 might have been their only income that week. And I’m probably not hiring them again, anytime soon.
Maybe the Tuesday afternoon corporate event. Yea, maybe i get someone to lead that but do they engage the volunteers, tell a couple jokes, make them feel appreciated and want to come back. Does someone else know how to take the pulse of the room and end the event at an hour 15 instead of making it go the whole 2 because it’s hot and the bar is already open.
And then red hat. whose pivoting like i did when we find out that this concert is different. Or handles the situation of a volunteer FILMING 3 feet from the stage. Which part do I hand over? Who else can I trust to handle those things besides the young lady galavanting around Europe with her family that I want to give a Brinks truck to, just so she doesn't leave for a job that would immediately pay her more than I make.
Yea, I don’t know. But I need to figure it out because I'm doing too much!
