I have a confession to make, I often take on more than I should in the attempt for perfectionism. I stubbornly persist in doing too much, even when I realize that I can't handle everything myself. Such is the case when it came to preschool storytime at my library. Prior to my arrival, storytime was mostly conducted by volunteers. When I came on, I decided that the volunteers would not be consistent enough for my perfectionist ideals (even though I really had no experience myself), so after each individual came through, I kindly advised them that I would be conducting storytime myself and would call them if I needed back-up.
One volunteer was noticeably upset. She had done storytime every other week for quite a long time and was quite upfront about her displeasure. I'll admit that I felt a little fear of her and bent to her will a little, allowing her to come back another time. I thought that by then, I'd be better at dealing with what I thought was her unpleasant manner.
A week later, I had a change of heart. I had done my first baby storytime (Mother Goose is on the Loose) and was trying to figure out how to add another Mother Goose (ours is way too crowded), plan for preschool storytime and balance all of the other responsibilities of my job (which includes my first ever Summer Reading Program). I decided that having some help would be very welcome. I advised the volunteer that I would love to have her for all of the time she was willing to give. This made her happy (though a little suspicious at first) and I decided that open communication on what I wanted and needed from her would be better than trying to do it all myself. It probably won't be perfect and not a forever solution (she is a retiree and may eventually tire of it), but it's a good compromise and I feel better for it.
Point one for compromise!
