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Summer Managing: An Encounter with Chaos

by Ben Bergantz

While the end of the summer is never a peaceful time for Shelley and the BOLT Summer Managers, this year the final weeks and days leading up to the August trip were--if it's possible--even more hectic.  Three of our Leaders unfortunately experienced injuries late in the summer, preventing them from coming on the trip and forcing us to make last minute changes to the leader pairings.  While of course our primary concern was for the health and well-being of these fine individuals, we must admit that we wished they could have chosen a slightly more convenient time to get injured.  However, with the help of some eleventh-hour input from Dean Rose, we were able to make the necessary changes while preserving the existing groups as much as possible. One result was that, for the first time (as far as I know), three co-ed BOLT groups were led by two female Leaders. Despite all the upheaval, the trips were all nonetheless great successes, speaking to the strength and flexibility of the program as well as to the willingness and ability of this year's Leader class to adapt to unexpected situations, deal with adversity, and step into new roles, even at the last minute. No matter how much planning goes into a trip, there are always unforeseen challenges and setbacks. It was a great experience for me to learn to trust that the preparation and training that we do in BOLT enables things to work out regardless of these inevitable changes and uncertainties.

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