we dare be brave

It’s becoming clear to me that there is more than likely always going to be at least one person on the job site that is a bit challenging to work with.


Bossy (not her real name) came down with 3 other women in her group. It’s my understanding that she was the boss of all of them. And I mean this literally (especially her young intern Jessie (not her real name)).


Adam (not his real name) (a field supervisor) had just finished going over the safety guidelines when some volunteers started to ask questions about Habitat for Humanity, how their organization works and how one becomes a homeowner through Habitat. I was setting up the chop saw close by and Bossy was a little out of the circle, closer to me. She told me, “That’s enough talking, I want to start building.” Then, all of a sudden she interrupted Andrew and told him that no one is interested and that they just want to get to work. This was the beginning of our day on Tuesday.


My days usually start out before any other volunteer now that Brian and I have worked together for so long and he knows my ability. As soon as I get to the site, I am usually instructed to take down all the plywood, plug in all the batteries and set up any saws or other equipment needed for the day. He kind of runs the site and relies on me as his Assistant. It’s strange but for some reason I can’t seem to get out of the assistant role, no matter how hard I try.


Once we got set up and ready to get to work, Brian asked me to show the intern how to use the chop saw. Prior to giving her the briefing about the saw, I asked her if she felt comfortable using it and if she wanted to learn. As I expected, she said yes. All of a sudden, out of no where comes Bossy. She comes up to me and tells me that the intern can’t use the saw. She continues to tell me that she “doesn’t know how to hold a drill right and is always worried about breaking a nail.” (Did I tell you that after this work I no longer have fingernails?)


Bossy, on the other hand is (of course) an "expert." She has put in windows, renovated her house, and has a chop saw at home, so of course she was the more appropriate volunteer for the job.I was really taken-aback by how she spoke degradingly about/to the intern. Wouldn’t an executive woman want to teach and encourage a smart and talented young lady new things? Well, I did. I wanted the intern to get all the experience she wanted, so I politely told Bossy that "I’m going to let her try.”


Bossy had so many other opinions to share throughout the day--so helpful (not) that most of us just brushed them off. By midday, the intern was happily and capably chopping away on the chop saw for everyone who needed wood cut. Luckily for us, Bossy was only around "to help" for one day. Unfortunately, that also meant that was our only time with the intern. I'll bet Bossy told the folks back home that she built the Habitat House--expertly. But the intern and I'll always know the truth.