SC - Autocrats

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

Adamantius wrote:
  As regards what authority the autocrat has over the cook, I agree that
  generally it isn't that much. But, the autocrat will have to field some
  of the questions from people making reservations, and should be assured
  that the feast is in keeping with his/her concept of the event. For
  instance, if the event is themed as 15th-century Burgundian, it might be
  a small problem to discover at the last minute that the cook is in the
  mood to do 13th-century Mongolian. This is more a matter of courtesy
  than one of authority.

Indeed.

I am a frequent autocrat.  I believe that, as the autocrat, my ultimate role
is to make sure everone has a good time: attendees and volunteers alike.  I
treasure and appreciate my volunteers.  My cook is usually one of the people
that I appreciate the most.

As part of that, I believe that my volunteers are my partners: with the
caveat that, when things go wrong, I will be the one that gets the shaft.
And, I also believe that it is my job to make my volunteers jobs easier.
One of the best ways to do that, is to make sure that I transfer as MUCH
information as possible around to people.  This includes the feast
information.

I also consider it my job not to do my volunteers job: but to make sure that
no job that needs doing lands "between" volunteers.  If that means knowing
what extra cleanup a feast might require, or special handling for
left-overs, or special presentations, or serving...  I need to know.

Personally, I would not appreciate the kind of response that Ras described.

Different people want or require different levels of hand-holding and help.
One of my volunteers for my previous event called me TWICE a day for weeks.
Others would prefer to be left alone.  You do the best you can, and you make
the best of things.

Ras, your response neither addressed the autocrats need to know about the
feast, nor did it elegantly address the autocrats need to know how you
wished to be treated.

This is not to say that I don't sympathize with your feelings: the first
event I attempted to co-autocreat, my erstwhile co-autocrat wanted to choose
the menu, cooking staff and everything else: but leave the actual kitchen to
me.  I did not appreciate this.  But the solution is not to react as you
did, I believe.

	Tibor