It Takes A Village To Raise A Schedule

I made a mistake.

It cost (I totaled it) 490 people minutes.  That’s a full eight-hour day for one person.

I discovered it yesterday.  Actually, I didn’t discover it.  My supervisory staff did.

I did not check the schedule carefully enough, and so incoming campers were going to get schedules with all incorrect times.

Our first camp of the week, junior camp, had just departed at 2:00.

Family camp was coming in at 3:00.

An eight-hour mistake.

But less than an hour to correct it.

Working seven days a week, our supervisory staff had already worked the equivalent of a full day and were about to embark on a second full day.  On the same day. That is the madness that is TLC on camp changeover day.

They value every minute they can stop and breathe.

And glory be, our supervisor meeting was brief and about to end early!  When the mistake was discovered.

It had to be corrected.

I felt terrible.

But Liz said “We have eleven people here.  If we divvy up the schedules by 11, we can do this.”  Every head nodded.  Not one groan.  Not one sideways remark about how my mistake was about to cost them precious free time.  Not even a hint.  Just go to work.  They talked with each other.  Laughed.  Made jokes.  Collaborated as to the most efficient way to get it done.  Kevin switched the times on the computer while we ripped schedules apart.  Janet gathered and distributed.  Staplers stapled, collators collated, writers wrote.

Forty-five minutes later (490 people minutes), we were finished.

Do you know how fortunate I am to work with people I trust, care about, and who have my back even at the cost of their own precious time?

I do.

It takes a village to raise a schedule.

And, apparently, it takes a village to raise a camp director.