I'll be durned...
Dec. 5th, 2005 02:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stitchwhichOn the way home from Unevent this weekend I was ruminating about my service (actually, I was second-guessing how good/bad/changed I was and whether or not I was morphing into a 'dinosaur' and needed to start stepping back from active work) and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I might be on occasion as efficient as I'd like to be. That's because I was thinking about the Pennsic Troll booth and its history.
See, when I first started volunteering there, we had "watchstanders" (everyone other than the Head Troll) and we had a Head Troll. S/he would (maybe) designate a couple of people to stand in for her/him so they could sleep but that was about it. I was inordinately proud that I was trusted enough at my first Pennsic (20) to be able to shoo the HT away for a few hours of rest (that was Mistress Morgana of the MidRealm). The same held through until Pennsic 23, when Countess Elaina (once of the EastRealm) decided to change things and have 2 designated "deputies" - myself and cool lady whose name I've forgotten. We were, between us, covering the full 24/7 by taking 8-hour shifts with no more of that "shoo away the HT" stuff. I pulled the night shift. :) Every night, for the whole War. Following Head Trolls either went on taking it alone (and paid the price - one collapsed) or tried the "3 of us" approach until Pennsic 27 (1998). That year, Morgana was the HT again and I was one of her two designated Deputies. And then she collapsed and was hospitalized while the other deputy was laid low by a nasty, nasty flu. And suddenly I was on 24/7 all 'by myself'. Morgana refused to allow anyone else to relieve me while she was 'out' because she didn't feel there were enough folks with the specialised knowledge to handle all the weird things that come up at the booth. So - I think I nearly killed myself trying to follow her dictates then I got a brain and started asking folks to fill in for me anyway, figuring that the worst that could happen was I'd get 'fired' and then I could Get Some Sleep. hehe.
The next year I was HT. And I debated, thought, and planned. And came up with the three-tired structure that gave me two people who were my designated "Deputies" (they could step in to HT should I die, quit, or become ill) and a middle-level group of folks who could act as watch deputies in 4-hour shifts. This would enable the 'on duty' deputy or the HT to be on a radio-leash and not have to stay in the booth. I knew that most of the folks I worked with were pretty darn savvy... and I was right. The year went swimmingly, I and my Deputies got to go shopping/partying/sleeping and those who were asked to be 'shift deputies' grew in experience. Soon there was a pool of folks who could step up or down as needed - any of them, just about, could act as the HT at any time.
So what's this all got to do with my ego? That same structure I set up in 1999 is still in use at the Troll Booth. Oh, there's some minor changes in how many hours (and how many "Staff Deputies") there are, and some sliding of emphasis from "we the team" to "we the Important Ones and You the workers" (as commonly happens over time), but it all still depends on that first model I set up so I could get some sleep and train successors. [Edit: and Arn adds, "I've been telling you that for years, you know."
I think I might be proud of that. And I'm not so worried, now, that what I end up setting up for the QuarterMaster's office will be good... it will surely need tweeking, but it won't be disastrous.
See, when I first started volunteering there, we had "watchstanders" (everyone other than the Head Troll) and we had a Head Troll. S/he would (maybe) designate a couple of people to stand in for her/him so they could sleep but that was about it. I was inordinately proud that I was trusted enough at my first Pennsic (20) to be able to shoo the HT away for a few hours of rest (that was Mistress Morgana of the MidRealm). The same held through until Pennsic 23, when Countess Elaina (once of the EastRealm) decided to change things and have 2 designated "deputies" - myself and cool lady whose name I've forgotten. We were, between us, covering the full 24/7 by taking 8-hour shifts with no more of that "shoo away the HT" stuff. I pulled the night shift. :) Every night, for the whole War. Following Head Trolls either went on taking it alone (and paid the price - one collapsed) or tried the "3 of us" approach until Pennsic 27 (1998). That year, Morgana was the HT again and I was one of her two designated Deputies. And then she collapsed and was hospitalized while the other deputy was laid low by a nasty, nasty flu. And suddenly I was on 24/7 all 'by myself'. Morgana refused to allow anyone else to relieve me while she was 'out' because she didn't feel there were enough folks with the specialised knowledge to handle all the weird things that come up at the booth. So - I think I nearly killed myself trying to follow her dictates then I got a brain and started asking folks to fill in for me anyway, figuring that the worst that could happen was I'd get 'fired' and then I could Get Some Sleep. hehe.
The next year I was HT. And I debated, thought, and planned. And came up with the three-tired structure that gave me two people who were my designated "Deputies" (they could step in to HT should I die, quit, or become ill) and a middle-level group of folks who could act as watch deputies in 4-hour shifts. This would enable the 'on duty' deputy or the HT to be on a radio-leash and not have to stay in the booth. I knew that most of the folks I worked with were pretty darn savvy... and I was right. The year went swimmingly, I and my Deputies got to go shopping/partying/sleeping and those who were asked to be 'shift deputies' grew in experience. Soon there was a pool of folks who could step up or down as needed - any of them, just about, could act as the HT at any time.
So what's this all got to do with my ego? That same structure I set up in 1999 is still in use at the Troll Booth. Oh, there's some minor changes in how many hours (and how many "Staff Deputies") there are, and some sliding of emphasis from "we the team" to "we the Important Ones and You the workers" (as commonly happens over time), but it all still depends on that first model I set up so I could get some sleep and train successors. [Edit: and Arn adds, "I've been telling you that for years, you know."
I think I might be proud of that. And I'm not so worried, now, that what I end up setting up for the QuarterMaster's office will be good... it will surely need tweeking, but it won't be disastrous.
