As I noted in my last entry, I am back at the site of my last job for the next two weeks helping the woman who currently has the position prepare for the arts and music festival. I have to say it has been a lot of fun. While the living conditions are a bit more primitive than the one I left (I have to cook my meals in the kitche n of another building in which other people actually live), not actually being responsible for the planning and execution of the event is rather novel and enjoyable.
The transition from leader to follower has been less of a problem than I expected. I was afraid I might inadvertently start saying annoying things like “When I did it, my system was…” or “What you should do is…” Granted, I hadn’t done anything like that when I was answering her questions by email the last few months. Email gives you time to edit your method of expression where live conversation does not.
My other fear was that I might have been hired back because the administration felt the woman who followed me in the position wasn’t quite up to par. People have quietly been hired to help out on a temporary basis before. I didn’t want to be placed in a position where I was expected to quietly clean up mistakes and oversights.
Fortunately, she seems to be on top of everything quite well and I really feel no urge to discuss why my process was better. I didn’t really expect I would, but when someone else is doing a job you felt a deep ownership and investment in, there is always a chance you will recoil in horror at how the other person is ruining what you worked so hard to build.
This is not to say I haven’t wondered what the method to the madness was in a couple of instances and felt some concerns were being addressed a little late in the game. It is my first day so I don’t see the whole picture and I really don’t think things are going in the wrong direction.
My first time doing the job I wasn’t as efficient as the subsequent festivals. I see my place as giving advice to help her avoid problems, but not pressing my opinion upon her so that she can make her own decisions. I don’t plan on being here next year so the more problems she can solve herself, the better. If we end up staying awake until 3 am the night before the festival, I will be there carrying out her directions and not muttering I told you so.
Of course some of this confidence may also be due to the fact that the person who was my assistant on the first festival returned from overseas to help out this year and the person who assisted me last year will be coming in a couple days early to help out this year. They were both crackerjack assistants so my presence and advice is hardly needed this year. And I know they will stay up until 3am with us helping get things done.
On the other hand, their return also means all the festival coordinators who were present when it rained on a festival will be in one place. This year will either verify the curse or be sunny and redeem us.
In future entries I will try to focus more on the process of putting a festival together than talking about what a terrific guy I am not to lord my superior knowledge and experience over the person who inherited my mantle. While I am personally pleased with myself because it might have been a different story 10-15 years ago, it isn’t particularlly illuminating or interesting to the reader and even I get tired of talking about myself!
