It is amazing how some people can’t take a hint graciously, no matter how clearly and politely it is delivered.

I held a post on a volunteer (let’s say that again loudly, VOLUNTEER) board of directors for a few years, quite some time ago. It lead to an interesting observation that I think has wider application.

In that position people tended to suggest that ‘we’ do things, of course meaning that in the end someone else should do them because they were busy or whatever. The end result was months of often singular and invisible labour, lots of blame from those that didn’t actually do, and eventual burnout, for those that actually “did”.

So, in the end, after a few years of service, with the beginnings of stress related health problems, volunteers politely resigned.

Although some are most gracious, as in “sorry to see you go and good luck”?, there are those others who responded “you can’t go until we approve” and “you OWE more service”. They were of course in most cases the ones on whom the responsibility to do stuff would now actually fall. What planet are these people living on? A volunteer, particularly one who has sacrificed much more time and grief than they have, OWES them nothing, nada, zilch, zero…

Anyway, it is truly amazing how self absorbed people can be. No wonder people don’t volunteer readily for some things.

Go figure…