1) Don’t sweat the small stuff because NONE OF IT IS
SMALL STUFF! Taking on a project such as restoring an
opera house or other type of building is a big deal and
deserves the attention, chaos and insanity that goes with it.
It is also very exciting and rewarding. So, don’t take it on
unless you mean business!
2) Embrace the whiners and put them to good use. In
every project there are whiners. Find a way to turn their
negative energy into positive work. Ask them for solutions and
go the next step and ask them to implement the solution. At
the very least you have another worker and, they’ll be too
preoccupied to whine.
3) Give away credit even when credit isn’t due.
Simply thanking or acknowledging an elected official or
organization or other prominent individual in town, even if
they didn’t do as much as you or your volunteers, will go a
long way in making your project go smoothly. It gets everyone
on board, shares ownership and people FEEL GOOD when they’re
acknowledged, even if the most they did was NOT get in the
way.
4) Get people into your building or to see your project
as soon as possible. Make it a one-time event or open
house. Tie into another well-known local event that brings
people into town. Be sure, though, that what you tell folks is
positive, upbeat and hopeful so that even when they’re
looking at the overwhelming project, they can feel the energy
and hope in your voice and they too will be hooked by the
project and believe that it can be done.
5) When you get tired (and you inevitably will), ask
yourself, “If not you then who?” If you come up with a
name then go get ‘em and keep things moving.
6) Enjoy the ride! All the valleys and peaks of the
project, victories and failures all teach us. Remember that
things will not always be as good as it gets or as bad as it
gets. It will constantly change.
7) Let the building do the talking of what to
restore, where to start and what NOT to do. Research,
research, research! Listen, listen, listen!
8) If you’re going to do it, then do it right!
Resist the urge to paint over the deterioration and make
cosmetic changes for the sake of a fast-fix. Do it right even
if it costs more and takes longer. The building deserves that
respect ~ finally!
9) Know when you are in over your head. Continually
take your pulse and the pulse of the project and know when you
have to ask for help. To not admit that you “don’t know”
is the crime, not the other way around.
10) Don’t ignore naysayers but thank them for sharing
their “opinion” and move on. Use the energy instead to
enlist enthusiastic supporters rather than try to change the
opinion of the naysayer. Remember, you can run faster with the
100 who want to go than with one around your neck.
11) Be willing to sell your soul on occasion for the
sake of the project, but know that you’ll get it back and it
will be fuller and more vibrant for the experience.
12) Resist confrontation! No matter how much someone
or some act might tick you off, DO NOT blow up. Once you yell
and scream you cannot take it back and you’ll be labeled.
Find a kinder and gentler way to communicate. Scream and yell
on your own, in the car, at home and get it out of your
system, but always be on your best behavior for the sake of
the project. Remember, it is NOT ABOUT YOU but rather it is
all about the project and your ultimate goal of completing it.
13) Turn everything into a fundraiser. Fundraisers
aren’t just “work”, they are another way of involving
the very community that will benefit from your project. It
allows you the opportunity to tell the story again, enlist
some ambassadors for your project, raise awareness and
finally, and importantly, some money.
14) Know that what you do is important and it makes a
difference. Receive the thanks that people will give to
you. Be gracious. Receiving their thanks is the greatest
compliment you can give to the project and to your collective
hard work.
