Australian Adventures

The first week of guest arrivals has been a hectic and unorganized one and hasn’t granted me much time to write. The guests ranged from a young couple in university to a large group of hard-of-hearing 80 year olds which just arrived the day before we left for our time off. We’ve had great reviews and feedback so far this season. Most guests have left $100 tips upon their departure, which will be collected and divided amongst the group at the end of the year.

The veteran staff have mentioned that when the season gets so busy and we all end up putting in 10+ hour days, it’s very important to take the time to relax, laugh and appreciate our surroundings so that we don’t end up feeling overworked and rundown. I’ve really taken that to heart. I try to remember to pause every so often and watch the waves crash on the reef, see the sunrise revealing all the kangaroo silhouettes, and hear the laughter of the guests happily enjoying their decadent meals.

One morning, when a newly retired couple had checked out of the honeymoon suite which sits on top of the hill, away from any other tents, overlooking the best ocean view around, I sat down on the swinging couch on the porch and enjoyed a sneaky bowl of fresh fruit before stripping the room. It was only about five minutes of luxury, but it completely made the rest of my long day worth it. Appreciation of these moments, I think, is the most important thing about life.

Woody has had a more difficult time smelling the roses. He’s been working so much, as have a lot of people here, but instead of working with the group and helping them improve in areas which he and I might be better at (for instance, taking initiative and seeing that something needs to be done without being told what to do), Woody will just take on all of the tasks without delegation and then grow increasingly frustrated with others even though they are willing to help. I think Woody and I are natural leaders, and others here are much better at being asked to complete tasks. We all have to find a balance, working together, communicating and delegating where appropriate. We’ve got a great team that needs some organization and guidance, but hasn’t quite received that yet from the overly-stressed Candice and Paul.

Candice, Paul and Tazzy sat me down six days ago and offered me the Lodge Supervisor position and a raise. They outlined the details of the role – manage front of house, be in charge of staff when management has days off, handle guest issues, oversee housekeeping and tour guides, etc. I was hoping I would feel more ecstatic about the offer – this is exactly what I was hoping would happen – but all the while they were saying these things, Woody was in the back of my mind. Even before I received the offer, he began acting differently towards me. Everything I’d talk about with regards to work, he would blindly challenge, even when I wasn’t speaking to him about it. I’ve made sure that I never even slightly talked in a demanding tone and that every idea I pose is put forward as a question, not a request. Everybody else is very happy to have me in the position, saying I’m much more easy going and approachable than Noah, the previous Lodge Supervisor, but Woody is obviously struggling with it which is somewhat dampening the experience.

It didn’t help that Candice, the loud-mouthed South African head-honcho, sat us down before we left for our break and sternly told Woody that he needs to learn how to take orders from me because I’m his new “boss”. I was very frustrated by this. It put a wedge between Woody and I which didn’t need to be there. Where Candice talks down to Paul, her soon-to-be husband, as if to make decisions for him instead of with him, I will never speak to Woody like that. We are partners in life and work and we rely heavily on one another to make decisions as a team and we’re damn good at it. That’s what I love about us and I’ll fight to maintain that. Candice has been very adamant in saying that I have to ‘get a backbone’ when it comes to Woody, but she doesn’t know as much as she thinks she does. I just hope that Woody and I can find ways to work together more effectively and that Woody doesn’t feel threatened by this change of role. I think it would help if he had something he could work towards, or a ladder to climb, but they’ve not given him any such opportunity. I really like it here and would be devastated if Woody decided to quit. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think we can make it work and make this season kick-ass!

Charlie Mae Haskins

20 chapters

15 Apr 2020

Smelling the Roses

March 22, 2017

|

Exmouth

The first week of guest arrivals has been a hectic and unorganized one and hasn’t granted me much time to write. The guests ranged from a young couple in university to a large group of hard-of-hearing 80 year olds which just arrived the day before we left for our time off. We’ve had great reviews and feedback so far this season. Most guests have left $100 tips upon their departure, which will be collected and divided amongst the group at the end of the year.

The veteran staff have mentioned that when the season gets so busy and we all end up putting in 10+ hour days, it’s very important to take the time to relax, laugh and appreciate our surroundings so that we don’t end up feeling overworked and rundown. I’ve really taken that to heart. I try to remember to pause every so often and watch the waves crash on the reef, see the sunrise revealing all the kangaroo silhouettes, and hear the laughter of the guests happily enjoying their decadent meals.

One morning, when a newly retired couple had checked out of the honeymoon suite which sits on top of the hill, away from any other tents, overlooking the best ocean view around, I sat down on the swinging couch on the porch and enjoyed a sneaky bowl of fresh fruit before stripping the room. It was only about five minutes of luxury, but it completely made the rest of my long day worth it. Appreciation of these moments, I think, is the most important thing about life.

Woody has had a more difficult time smelling the roses. He’s been working so much, as have a lot of people here, but instead of working with the group and helping them improve in areas which he and I might be better at (for instance, taking initiative and seeing that something needs to be done without being told what to do), Woody will just take on all of the tasks without delegation and then grow increasingly frustrated with others even though they are willing to help. I think Woody and I are natural leaders, and others here are much better at being asked to complete tasks. We all have to find a balance, working together, communicating and delegating where appropriate. We’ve got a great team that needs some organization and guidance, but hasn’t quite received that yet from the overly-stressed Candice and Paul.

Candice, Paul and Tazzy sat me down six days ago and offered me the Lodge Supervisor position and a raise. They outlined the details of the role – manage front of house, be in charge of staff when management has days off, handle guest issues, oversee housekeeping and tour guides, etc. I was hoping I would feel more ecstatic about the offer – this is exactly what I was hoping would happen – but all the while they were saying these things, Woody was in the back of my mind. Even before I received the offer, he began acting differently towards me. Everything I’d talk about with regards to work, he would blindly challenge, even when I wasn’t speaking to him about it. I’ve made sure that I never even slightly talked in a demanding tone and that every idea I pose is put forward as a question, not a request. Everybody else is very happy to have me in the position, saying I’m much more easy going and approachable than Noah, the previous Lodge Supervisor, but Woody is obviously struggling with it which is somewhat dampening the experience.

It didn’t help that Candice, the loud-mouthed South African head-honcho, sat us down before we left for our break and sternly told Woody that he needs to learn how to take orders from me because I’m his new “boss”. I was very frustrated by this. It put a wedge between Woody and I which didn’t need to be there. Where Candice talks down to Paul, her soon-to-be husband, as if to make decisions for him instead of with him, I will never speak to Woody like that. We are partners in life and work and we rely heavily on one another to make decisions as a team and we’re damn good at it. That’s what I love about us and I’ll fight to maintain that. Candice has been very adamant in saying that I have to ‘get a backbone’ when it comes to Woody, but she doesn’t know as much as she thinks she does. I just hope that Woody and I can find ways to work together more effectively and that Woody doesn’t feel threatened by this change of role. I think it would help if he had something he could work towards, or a ladder to climb, but they’ve not given him any such opportunity. I really like it here and would be devastated if Woody decided to quit. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think we can make it work and make this season kick-ass!

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