Daily Grind

I passed a car on Woodward this morning and recognized it as one that I've passed before, probably several times. It was kind of strange. And little did I know it was a sign to the way the rest of my day was going to go...

I had to turn on the exhibits this morning because we had an early tour and I wanted to make sure everything was on before they got there. I discovered how rusty I am now at a routine that took me about 10 minutes tops to do when I was in charge on the weekends. It didn't surprise me though, I can barely cash the drawers out without asking my VSAs what to do next. I kind of miss that aspect of the job and if I had to put up today's course of actions, I would go back to it in a heartbeat. Well, maybe...

I'm a big manager now and have to mediate the actions, reactions and consequences when tempers flare and frustrations ignite. I'm protective of my staff and will defend them if I know they are right. Lucky for me, they are wise enough to take responsibility for wrong decisions and unwise moves. Unlucky for me, not everyone whose job interacts with visitor services reports to me. Miscommunication happens and messages don't get relayed. Today, policy wasn't followed and I had two grown adults talking to me in tears because they were completely frustrated with each other and the new policy that has obvious flaws in it. It was a learning experience for all parties involved, especially for me. I was reminded that just because my staff thinks the same way and has the same goal, not everyone in the Museum does. While it is something they strive to achieve (excellent service to our visitor base), they are so far removed from it on a daily basis that they have no idea what it is like to serve that visitor every minute they are in our facility. Everyone is going to have a different opinion on how to accomplish that which is more than fine by me, but not everyone is going to have to implement that idea. Drafted policy that fails horribly should not cause a complete disruption in the work day and result in tears. But it happens sometimes. Everyone's frustration is going to build up and eventually be taken wrongly by the receiving party. And who gets to handle it all and still stay on top of things, me. Days like today will happen from time to time and I'll come home feeling exhausted, but I'm not upset about it. Time to revise, problem solve and move on. And if the world blows up again, I'll repeat the steps and use this experience as a problem solving tool. Isn't it fun being the boss?

I had 15 minutes to take a break and eat my lunch in between meetings and mediating. That bottle of Jack never looked so good. But first, I have to finish cooking dinner. Adios.