Deferring

There has been one thing that has been a real difficult adjustment for me going from the Hive to being on utility.

And that has been deferring to others.

When I was in the Hive I was the go-to guy. I was the one who knew what to do and when to do it and there weren't very many situations I hadn't encountered down there. I was the one that when the snit got flaky, they would look at me and say "What do we do?"

Of course, they didn't always listen. But nine times out of ten they ended up doing it the way I told them they should in the first place. I was the Hive Master.

Now that I'm not down there anymore, I have had to learn to listen to others more.

And some of the people I have had to listen to I neither like nor trust. But they have been in those places more than me and know more than me.

And if you're reading this and getting your knickers in a twist, just remember I'm probably not talking about you.

It's galled me a few times to say to someone with only two or three years with the department "You're the boss. Tell me what I need to do." I've deferred to officers I wouldn't trust with a wet book of matches to tell me what needs to be done in certain places.

Because they've been there and I haven't.

I did it again today at Main Production. It's where the food is all assembled and sent out to the dining halls. And let me just say that you can have that 11-7 shift. I hate getting up early.

When I got there I was working with a new guy. A fairly nice new guy. He'd been down to the Hive a few times when I was still down there. As a matter of fact, I ended up getting into a use of force because I was trying to help him out. No big deal. It wasn't his fault.

But I helped him out when he was new and he remembered that.

So when I got to Main Production today he was there. He knew I hadn't been there very much and gave me as much of a rundown on the procedures as he could. And a real helpful thing was the keys and what they did. Like which one was the bathroom key. I hate having to hunt for that one when I'm in a hurry.

Alot of what he told me I already knew, but I let it slide because he was honestly trying to be helpful and not condescending about it. That was cool.

But there have been a few people that have looked at me like "You don't know how to do that? And you've been here how long?"

I guess it made the sun shine in their little world for a few moments. Okey-dokey.

Yes, I've been here seven years and you have been here two and I am constantly surprised that you manage to find your way to work on occasion with your pants on forwards and your boots on the right feet. But you have done this certain thing here more than I have.

If you want to feel smug about that, I'm cool with it. Let's get in a use of force and see who gets the paperwork done faster, eh?

Tomorrow, being Saturday, is both Saxophone Day and Marooned Without A Compass Day.

Honestly, who made up this list?