Mindset of an event I/C
Tuesday 31 July 2007
During my council life, I have experienced many forms of leadership, exposed myself to mind-numbing trials by fire and undergone times where my body and soul hover near the edge of utter breakdown. Now, it was time for me to see things from the outside, to observe quietly from the sidelines as the new NDC committee took charge as mine had, seemingly a long, long time ago. Yet even today, the memories remain as fresh as though I was at the helm only yesterday.
Organising an event as I/C is a truly trying experience. The burden of responsibility forces you to mature before your time, to stress and worry when things do not go right, and to test the limits of your endurance. In fact, I am of the opinion that you are not a true leader unless you have once taken the role at the helm, facing the enormity of the task at hand. Being part of the organising committee will give you countless opportunities to slack without a driving force at hand; as I/C, you cannot afford to relax, and be self-motivated enough to motivate others to work towards your common goals.
In the past one and a half years in NJC, my event organising record consists of:
Orientation Two 2006 Cheering Committee A.I/C
National Day Celebrations 2006 I/C
NJCyberGames 2006/2007 Game Marshal
Council Elections 2007 Registration and Interviews Committee
Unofficially: National Day Celebrations 2007 Mentor
Quite a hefty load, and a hefty load of damage these commitments did to my poor grades =( But that aside, this period of time was probably the most meaningful and memorable times of my short life.
Being I/C is more than just taking charge of an ad hoc committee. It is about your readiness to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of success, to ensure that what you envisioned is brought to reality. When you first start off, the first few decisions are probably the most important ones: deciding on themes and committee breakdown. During this time, you will slowly, painstakingly create your vision of what you want to create, and make sure everyone agrees on that one vision. You will need to ensure good communication between sub-committees, ensure that everyone gets a role to play, an opportunity to speak and a share of the stakes.
Eventually, as the event fleshes out, you begin to sacrifice a bit of yourself. At the start, maybe not much: one day’s night to complete the proposal, skipping an afternoon’s worth of homework to discuss stuff with your charges, or perhaps missing dinner to do a comprehensive proposal review. Later on, more demands are progressively heaped on you, and you will think that “Since I am the I/C, isn’t it my obligation to do what others have not? Isn’t it easier just doing some of uncompleted tasks by myself, rather than troubling others to do such a simple job?” However, stress accumulates, and eventually the tell-tale signs of jadedness and extreme fatigue soon appear.
How then, are you supposed to withstand such continued exertions of effort, while coping with the daily and considerable commitments of school at the same time? How does everyone survive this test of their sanity? One reason perhaps is passion. After all those late nights and daily meetings, somehow, your event gets integrated into you. It becomes part of you, and it haunts your thoughts day and night, in every waking moment. Recently I spoke to Jie Ying regarding how I/Cs usually show common characteristics in days leading to their events. We agreed on almost every point! During NDC’s crucial periods, there are times when after school, I will simply go to the council room and hang around, knowing that there is something that needs to be settled, knowing that there are people you need to talk to and to discuss important matter with. Usually, I will return home when the moon shines bright in the night sky, leaving only after everyone else has vacated the council room, still anxious because of more worries in the back of my mind, concerns that require urgent addressing. Yet, despite such tough circumstances, talking about NDC will be the only subject and topic that will shake off my weariness instantaneously, even though I had fallen asleep for every lesson throughout the day due to two days’ worth of no proper rest.
Make no mistake, being I/C is not an easy job, and it leaves a lot of personal demons behind as well. Post-event, you will feel as though you could have done so much better in so many other ways, if only... if only.... You feel a sense of loss after everything was said and done, a sense that something important to you has gone away forever. At the same time, bad experiences and regrets will haunt you for some time. I think that the reason why I joined the Elections committee is partly because I wanted to settle some of these demons once and for all, rather than leave them hanging around for life. Memories do not fade easily after all. Some say that completion of such stressful tasks will reward you with a sense of satisfaction; I never felt satisfied with NDC, but perhaps I am too ambitious in nature. Fortunately, , you will be able to take away something invaluable with you: your newfound experience and leadership skills, friends that have stuck by you thick and thin, the realisation of exactly where your limit lies, and confidence in your personal abilities.
Lastly, it is lonely being at the top. There are few you can turn to for advice, few that understand the situation you are in. It gets even harder if it was your first time organising a big event, with little experience whatsoever. However, do not be afraid to turn to those around you: parents, teachers and friends. They can be surprising sources of solace in the chaos and tangled mess you find yourself in.
All the best to NDC 2007 committee =) Watching them do stuff that I have experienced just one year ago brings back lots of memories. I daresay they may do a better job than mine had, and watching their little discussion around the canteen table this afternoon spurred me to write this essay... it really was something I had wanted to do for a long while but never really found the time to.
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