The Coordinator Who Tried to Fix Everything in 30 Days

When I first stepped into my coordinator role, I felt unstoppable.

I had worked under one of the best Senior Directors I’d ever seen. He used to tell me, “My path up is the exception, not the rule.” I learned his systems. I could step into any position. I understood the culture. I had just finished my Master’s in Organizational Psychology.

Experience? Check.

Education? Check.

Confidence? High.

Then I stepped into my new center.

And it felt like I landed on a different planet.

This park had its own rhythm.

The staff had been there for years.

The administrative system had been in place for decades.

The director had a leadership philosophy that was very different from what I was used to.

My goal? Improve everything.

Modernize the workflow.

Upgrade administrative processes.

Introduce “better” systems.

Then reality hit.

I wasn’t learning the system.

I was evaluating it.

I wasn’t observing the culture.

I was trying to reshape it.

While juggling my own programs — sports leagues, teen club, special events — I was also trying to introduce new processes the director hadn’t approved.

I told myself I was being proactive.

But what I was actually doing was creating friction.

Staff were confused.

The director was frustrated.

I was stressed.

And the more I tried to fix things, the worse it felt.

One day it clicked.

Until I had my own location, I wasn’t there to redesign the park.

I was there to support the director’s vision.

My first instinct was to prove I was capable.

Instead, I shifted to a better question:

“How can I serve this team better?”