A Little Management and A Little Polling.

[arontius]

.....Ralph mentioned the other day that Time Management is something I do for a living. I was thinking about that today as I worked with my Team in getting ready for a Project Certification. I had representatives from all the various Codes who took part in the installation. I had a set process to outline everyone's responsibilities, when they owed me that information, and in what format they were to deliver that information to me. I acted as the traffic officer who made sure everyone was going in the right direction and at the right speeds.

.....The Traffic Officer comparison is actually fairly decent as when people who owe me 'stuff' do not deliver, I am then required to 'enforce the rules', and if necessary, give out infractions (mainly reports to upper management).

.....People rarely ignore the rules and I rarely have to 'report' people. Unless I am making sure they have the priority help they need in order to deliver. The basic structure of this concept though is based on the fact that all of these people are PAID to provide the products they owe me. They do this to make a living. No one simply 'refuses' to provide their products or services when needed. They don't just decide they are going to do something else just because I want something now and am being 'mean' to them. This is a very fundamental difference between a modern job and a volunteer organization.

.....I'm sure Ralph knows this very well. The hard part is really the fact that what motivates people in my modern job (being paid) certainly doesn't work when asking or expecting volunteers to do something in support of an organization such as the Barony or the SCA. They are not getting paid as this is their hobby. In the majority of cases they are actually paying out in time, effort and money to this hobby. And being told to provide a particular service at a particular time has to (and will (and should)) take a lower priority to what they do for a living in the modern world.

.....So, time management in a volunteer organization means that you not only have to prioritize the needs of your organization, you have to take into account the priorities of the volunteer's modern life (which will be higher than your organization's needs on occasion (as it should be)). You can't just order something to happen and expect it to happen without taking modern life into account. At that point your volunteer may just decide that he or she has a higher priority and will make sure it happens first, to your organization's detriment.

.....It takes extra effort and additional sensitivity to lead volunteers. Which is why it is a good management training tool. If you are a leader or manager of any degree in the SCA, you need to make sure to put that on your modern resume. And ensure that you treat it professionally, because I think it is better training for a manager's position than many similar positions in the modern world.

.....Which is why I'm thinking that maybe Ralph's analogy should be turned around. My SCA training is a good education in Time Management and Management in the Real World (tm), but I'm not so sure that my Time Management training in the PSNS & IMF world is such good training for management in the SCA world.

.....It's good fodder for debate though.

.....It's not good training for a Baronial Polling though. Which is far more emotionally based than I ever thought it would be. I'm actually glad it is not a vote at this point as I'm not so sure I'd want to see my Popularity Score. :-) But I certainly do not envy Their Majesties having to make a decision. I thought that being this was the third time for me it would be pretty easy to have a pragmatic attitude towards the whole affair. A little more difficult than I thought.

.....Although the Baronial E-list has become very quiet, there continue to be surprises, mainly involving what people think of your perceived strengths and weaknesses. Which are oftentimes surprisingly different from what you thought they were. :-) I've had people come up to me in support whom I would have flat out said wouldn't have supported me if their lives had depended on it. Then you turn around and people you would never have expected come up to you with misunderstandings they've been harboring against you for a long time for things you thought were dead, buried and forgiven a long time ago. These are really frustrating because often you didn't even know you had to defend yourself against them in the first place.

.....Or the people who decided for some reason that they really do not like you and no matter what you do that opinion is not going to change.

.....To be honest though, most people seem to be somewhere in the middle. Which is probably the good news. No matter what happens though what has been said can not be unsaid. So things have changed. Will that be a good thing? I need to buy a new crystal ball, mine isn't working well right now. :-)

.....I'm starting to see the Master Ralg view of life, something really close to an attitude of taking things completely on your own terms and no one elses. I think I should have learned more from him directly when I was still his protégé. I thought there were times when he was very gruff, and even bulldoggedly unconcerning of what others thought of him at times if he thought the situation warranted it. But his attitude can be very good armor against negativity. A nice armor to have when you need to move forward and get a Project done. Especially when you know intellectually or intuitively that your path is the correct one.

.....It's not exactly a new belief, it is simply knowing yourself well and believing in yourself. Confidence, and maybe a little intellect as well.

.....Zen-Ralgism I think I'll call it. Should we name it a religion? Or a discipline (like a martial art akin to Tai Chi)? :-)

.....Aaron / Arontius.

Comments

[callistabee.livejournal.com]

There are so many quotes running through my head right now. To Thine own self be true, You can't please all of the people all of the time....

One of the best paradigm shifts I ever had (and keep reminding myself) is IT really isn't about you. By that I mean, people all have their own complex realities and even if what they do effects you, it isn't you they are really thinking about when they do it. A little like, don't confuse malice with incompetence whereas I would substitute "self interest".

I sound insensitive, but I don't mean it that way. It is pretty freeing when you realize that people just do what they do and it is a lot less personal than if feels sometimes. Be yourself and don't worry too much about pleasing the masses. In the end it's a win for everybody. We see the authentic you and you will attract authentic friends.

Volunteers are motivated by either their hearts or their egos because monetary compensation is not a factor. If you understand which quality is being put into play at any moment, you know how to deal. Most of the people I know, lead with the heart. They do what they love and that's the motivation. Status and recognition are also a factor in even the best of people, but everybody defines that for themselves. So you have to pay attention. I would argue the same is try in the work setting. Studies show that money is less of a motivator than you might think and you have to keep upping the ante if all you have is money.

Good post. Hang in there. Sometimes life gives us what we need, rather than what we think we want. Hugs.

Hello Callista.

[arontius]

Anyone tell you lately how smart and wonderful you are?! Consider yourself told! :-)

I think you are right on the workplace motivation. Money may be a motivator in keeping a job, but the best workplace units I've seen were motivated by good teamwork and a willingness to do a good job for its own sake. So, yeah, that is definitely a factor and I've actually tapped into that to get what I needed when I needed it at work.

Thank you for the reply. I needed the reality check and reminder. :-)

A.

Re: Hello Callista.

[callistabee.livejournal.com]

LOL.No real magic here, darlin'. Just reinforcing what you are already discovering. Consider me a cheerleader in your game of life :) That's what friends are for!

[aelianora.livejournal.com]

I think this is basically my attitude: 'People just do what they do and it is a lot less personal than it feels sometimes'...

It took me a long time to realise that while MY world revolves around ME, noone else's world does... ok, maybe Jaska's when and if I'm holding a doggy treat in my hand.

If someone burns me, I stay away. I don't try and make it personal. It was just them being them, and I find them unpleasant so I avoid them. At least, that's my take on it.

Master Ralg and you, dear Callista, have a lot of good points to make!

[pernell-camber.livejournal.com]

"Or the people who decided for some reason that they really do not like you and no matter what you do that opinion is not going to change."

Well, those are crazy people. How on earth could someone not like you?

[angharadalbanes.livejournal.com]

Agreed!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

".Zen-Ralgism I think I'll call it. Should we name it a religion? Or a discipline (like a martial art akin to Tai Chi)? :-)"


Hummm, I think what is needed is an advise column in the Crier or some such. Have Ralg, and a few other people whom I can think of, answer questions with common sense and a knowledge of how the SCA works.

[callistabee.livejournal.com]

what and take all the mystery out of it? I thought you were the adventurous one...:)

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Adventurous? Nope not me ;-)

I prefer to let people learn by discovering it themselves. But some people learn better by having their butt kicked (I'm not thinking of anyone who reads this, but some other people I know) and I'd rather someone else other than me kicked the aforementioned butt.
Heh

[angharadalbanes.livejournal.com]

Here is a quote from Nassim N. Taleb: "Robustness is when you care more about the few who like your work than the multitude who hates it (artists); fragility is when you care more about the few who hate your work than the multitude who loves it (politicians)."

This quote, and a bunch of other helpful stuff, can be found here: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/05/18/tim-ferriss-scam-practical-tactics-for-dealing-with-haters/#more-2769

I found all this via a homesteading blog I read fairly regularly. Interesting what pops up in unexpected places...

[freewaydiva.livejournal.com]

I have that book. It's pretty good, actually...