No More Leadership
Here is my not-so-secret hope: to never be put into leadership roles ever again. I am stuck organizing a bunch of things now, but I have refused several leadership opportunities and expect to continue refusing things in the future.
There are all kinds of negative consequences of this. People want to foist me into leadership roles because I show up to things reliably. Then they get irritated when I refuse to take additional responsibility. Several worthwhile projects (including the KW Gleaners Guild) are in danger of folding because I refuse to take on organizing duties. This is sad, but maybe inevitable. Refusing to take on leadership roles is also bad for my resume, but it isn't as if organizing the WPIRG Garden or Software Freedom Day or KWLUG has helped my employability anyways.
The reason I refuse leadership is pretty easy: I am tired of bearing all the load for keeping things running on my shoulders. When I help others organize something, they usually appreciate the assistance. Even participating in something others have organized often helps the orgaizers feel better, if only because it demonstrates that somebody else cares about their project.
In contrast, when I am in charge of organizing something the only one who is guaranteed to have any interest in the project is me. All too often I am left holding reins precisely because nobody else cares. When I am the only one who cares, I feel abandoned and bitter. I'm tired of that feeling, and I am not going to get stuck in that situation any more.
Do you want to organize something? Great! Maybe I will help. But when you are too tired or burnt out or bored of your initiative to organize it any more, don't expect me to take over. Go find somebody else who is invested enough in your project to keep it going.