Just in Time

Some days demand that everything work right lest they turn into disaster. Yesterday was one of those days for me. By quirk of calendar, I ended up coordinating two events at the same time. Fortunately, they were both at the same location, so I could run back and forth between them. Despite their proximity, for them to work, both had to run exactly on time so I could do my necessary duties for each one.

Like clockwork each event went off on cue.

Part was due to simple good luck. Part was due to my ability to plan and schedule.

In the last few years, I have recognized that I have a photographic calendar in my mine. I remember details, dates, and days of the week almost perfectly. I am not one of those super-humans who can instantly recall the information, but with a little thought, I am able to get it. Such organization comes in handy with the many projects I have going on simultaneously.

One thing I discovered and have really been thinking about following an innocent comment of one of the participants yesterday was that I do not do a good job of communicating my organization.

As long as I am in charge and able to directly command the situation everything works great. The moment I step aside and assume others know what is going on, confusion and chaos take over. I need to learn to communicate the details of my organization much more effectively, so others have a better understanding of what is going on. People look at me as a leader, but I can see that this is one area of development I need to manage.

By luck, both events worked out yesterday, but I cannot count on luck happening every time I manage events. There are many around me who can have a bigger part in the event and themselves become stronger leaders. I made notes throughout the day yesterday and now am working out formats for communicating the organization I have in my head so I do not have to count on events playing out just in time.