On 25-Nov-07, at 2:44 AM, omar wrote:
it seems the "get organized" vs. "more leftist than thou" dynamic
plays out at all levels of many community bike projects. when our
ed left in 2001, the 4 full time staff members stepped up to manage
our organization collectively. by 2005, 3 of the 4 had left
because, bottom line, they couldn't work together, and projects had
dropped to the point that we'd atrophied to a single community bike
shop. now, realizing that shit flows downhill and if someone's
going to clean it up they should be recognized for it,
hehe - thanks Omar. That's the metaphor I try to avoid, but it's
accurate. Physically so for me last week, as I cleaned the slimy,
oily gunk out of the sump under our wash-up sink. (yuck...)
we've developed a hierarchy, people have assumed managerial and
coordinator roles, and we're once again getting a lot done. there
are still folks who complain that there's too much structure and
want to make things more egalitarian - funnily enough though,
they're also the ones who rarely step up, have a hard time showing
up to work their shifts and don't seem to get much done.
Yes, indeed...
i love my job. its crazy and stressful some days, constantly
challenging, infinitely rewarding and a hell of a lot of fun.-- omar bhimji project manager pedal bike depot p. 604.708.4992
Mark