I Will Win

It seems that I have defeated my first antagonist for now at least. Now I have a second challenger. This time it is the Scout Shop manager here in Sheboygan. I was warned that there could be challenges with her but had been relatively unfazed thus far. She has been working in that building for 20 years from when it was a satellite office, then a district office, and now just a single room store with the Red Cross owning the building. The idea that it is not a council service center doesn't seem to have clicked with her. My predecessors used her as their secretary/errand person/associate not as the store manager she is and it seems to have given her an inflated sense of self-importance. She also feels that it is her job to know everything that is going on so that she can tell the units. Too bad that she doesn't know it all and still tries to tell them anyways rather than referring them to those who do. She doesn't get that that is not her job, but mine and Brian's and that neither of us is fazed by phone calls from volunteers--although I do feel like I work in Ojibwa some days when the phone won't quit ringing--stupid popcorn.

My irritation has come lately when she began issuing orders to me and expecting that I would listen. She's not on my org chart. She cannot comprehend that I do not report to her. I don't mind taking marching orders (though I will protest or comment if they don't make sense--just ask Kevin or Steve) but the person giving them has to have the right to give them--aka be above me on the org chart or have earned an immense amount of respect from me. In this job the only people that I take direction from that are not above me on the org chart are my District Chair and Commissioner, otherwise I am responsible for everything that happens in the district beyond internal unit issues and take the blame if there is any to be shouldered. Now I have someone who has no right trying to tell me how to do my job and not even politely. I was going for the avoidance tactic and only stopping at the shop when I knew she wasn't around which worked for a while, but now she has begun trying to order Brian around. As Melissa would know I will tolerate crap flung my way (sometimes literally at Star), but take a dim view when it is flung at my staff unless I am flinging it which is rare.

Which leaves me where I sit now. I talked with the office manager who works in Appleton about it and she understood and agreed with my concerns but we did not have an action plan. Now I see that the situation needs resolution ASAP. I see two paths with similar result--a one-on-one meeting with the shop manager or a facilitated meeting with her with the office manager. I have a feeling that it will be the first option. The hard part is that it isn't open for discussion like she thinks it is and that it will be a paradigm shift that she will NOT like. Tough. It will likely make life more difficult in some ways, but it is the right thing to do. This job would be easier if I were a meek, quiet soul with no spine or just completely soul-less and a Machiavellian asshole like a finance director I know. Not that Machiavelli was a bad guy....

Sorry, I needed to get that out before I do anything about it so that I can be cool and collected when I have to deal with it.

On a more positive note, the first of our fireside chats with units in the district was a resounding success. We had over half of the invited units show up. The idea was to present to them what the district exists for, what our goals and methodology are, the upcoming calendar and to get their feedback. All of the folks who attended were very positive about it and appreciated the up front conversation. The hard part for me was to sit on my hands and let my Chair, Commissioner, and to some extent my associate do the talking. I emphasized a few points, but otherwise watched. It's good for me just difficult to get used to.

I can only hope that the two remaining sessions go as well.

That was way too much about work but no apologies. Hope things are well in your world.