Admittedly, I run a pretty loose ship. I don't take myself at all seriously. As an organization we need to be better next month that this - that's it. Everything else is tactics. As director, I see my job as clearing out roadblocks for staff to do what they feel necessary.
But one of the women said to me the other day; "I'll bet you mow the lawn to get outside, away from the computer and clear your head."
"No, I do it because the grass is tall."
I don't know why that irritated me. It is as if the expectation is that everything I do is to manage and enhance my own feelings. I don't get any particular thrill from mowing or from renting a drain auger at Home Depot to unplug the damn sewer drain. I do it because a) it's plugged and b) Due to the expense, I don't want the organization to hire a plumber - given the choice between paying the plumber and keeping staff on payroll for another week, I'd rather pay her.
But sometimes it's a close call.