Life in the Gutter

On September 6th I opened the bowling alley up for a new season. I love my job. I manage a little 6 lane house and have 7 employees. Even though it may seem like a pretty easy job it has its headaches. Anybody that has been in a management position will agree that it is basically a glorified babysitting job. The bowling alley is a big part of my life and I've been trying to think how to include my job in this blog without revealing too much. I am really lucky right now as I have a very good crew who all love their job. But they don't have that love for each other. Red is a bartender who has been with me for a year now. She is a real sweetheart but on the lazy side when it comes to sidework. Navy is, as the name gives away, an ex navy gal. She is a seasoned bartender and very regimented about her work and expects the same from everyone else. Baby is a 20 yr old single mother who is good at all aspects of the job, but speaks before she thinks therefore has the potential to put customers off. The sad thing about all of them is they are desperate for money and more hours so they constantly find things to complain about so as to take shifts away from each other. To be a manager you have to balance the good and bad about people, find there strengths and weakness.
My weakness is I get too involved with my employees. I'm privy to all there problems with lovers, parents, and children. I know what keeps them awake at night and what they go home to. So I struggle to keep a balance between being a friend while being a hard nosed boss. It gets tough and stressful. The only advantage I have is I don't play games and they know I lay it on the line. Navy is my biggest problem which may seem odd because she is the best bartender and worker out of the three. But I know she can see herself in my job and feels she could do better. I'd give her the credit that yes at the bar part she may do better, but when it comes to the bowling portion I'm good. I've bowled for 20 yrs now and I know what bowlers want and I give it to them. I have good people skills which she doesn't. I may sound arrogant but I've had to step back and ask myself would she be better for the job? Should I walk away? No. Because my strenths totally out number hers. So I watch my back and do my best.
Now you know one of the things that keep me awake at night.