I am, nominally, the building’s emergency response coordinator at work. I think I was picked because my office is the farthest from any door and they figured that I would get everyone else out in an emergency because it was on my way. I have also been perceived as responsible – and I guess I sort of am because the first thing I did was get the documentation updated in the huge-ass manual in a three ring binder. Yes, there’s a binder.
But, that’s about where it stops. Yesterday, the fire alarm went off just as I opened the door to the bathroom – at the other end of the building from my office and quite near the front door.
So, cranky at having my mission denied, I went on out the building.
I found out later that my back-up went through the building to get the radios – in my office – and was looking for me.
Not only did I shirk my duty, I did so with only a modicum of rationalization.
a) Am I a trained firefighter, security, or medical personnel? No.
b) Would a radio help me get people out of the building faster? No.
c) Does it make sense for me to go the farthest away from any door to get the radio? No.
d) Do I have any real authority? No.
e) Do I want my co-workers to die a horrible death? No, but would I morn them a lot if they went back into a potentially dangerous building to get a purse or a laptop – or a jacket because it’s chilly? Err..not really. Well, okay, maybe. But not for that long.
I figure we’re all adults and can be trusted to leave a building when a fire alarm goes off. If anyone decides not to, well, that’s just dumb. It’s not rocket science. And have you ever tried to ignore a fire alarm? It’s intended to drive you out of a building.
It was, of course, a false alarm. And we were all released to go back in the building in short order.
I just don’t get the whole emergency coordinator thing for an office building. I have a 3 ring binder, radios that won’t shut off, and a giant emergency kit that has a flashlight. All that makes me barely qualified to get myself out of the building. Which I did in a safe and calm manner.
I did help spread the word that it was okay to go back in – but only because I really did need to go to the bathroom.
I promise I’ll try to be more effective next time.
Maybe. Will I take it more seriously? Most likely not.
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I’m on a couple of committees at work and today we held the elections for one of them. I was distracted by a colleague and missed that I was nominated for Chair. When I realized what was going on, I quickly replied that I’m not a good leader and easily corrupted by power. I explained that while I’m good in a pinch or a short-term basis, I’m not a good leader overall.
It didn’t really bear further explaining there and I accepted the vice-chair position -but here’s the detail:
1. I’m terrible at rules. Just… terrible. Especially Robert’s Rules of Order. If things are going badly, then by all means, get some order going. But they usually end up causing more problems than they fix by leading to arguments about the procedure. I would abolish those.
2. I over delegate. Instead of being part of the solution I will, if left in charge for too long, assign tasks to everyone else but me. Which is terrible and not like me.
3. I quickly stop caring about people’s feelings. If I’m in charge of getting shit done, then we’ll get shit done.
Which is not the way to run a group of volunteers that just want to help.
You need to get trains running on time? At any cost? Call me.
So, I’m vice-chair again. Doing my thing behind the scenes and biting my tongue over parliamentary procedure. And the world is safer place.