Other duties as assigned

Where is the line? The boundary? At work, I mean. It stresses me out. I'm in the middle and I'm still figuring out the view from above. I know I take on too much in an effort to make my team's day easier, then berate myself when expectations shift. It's just so much easier to do it myself than to coach someone into recognizing why they're not doing it themselves -- and then into doing it themselves. (Yes, I'm the oldest sibling in my family.) I know this, but in the moment, I forget -- this isn't kindergarten. So I have to have a talk with myself, a one-on-one, if you will. It's never that I care if they like me. I just like work to move along smoothly and my team to know I've got their back.

The view from below I have more experience with, but that keeps changing too. More responsibility requires more trust. More trust requires a closer relationship. But, whoa, not too close, or somebody's gonna get sued or people are gonna start talking crazy. And if you have a friendship outside of work, it's all muddy with politics. You know too many of each other's quirks, soft spots and hangups (and soooo many embarrassing stories) and they can't help but pop up on a regular basis. So you end up interpersing bickering like kids with your "professional" behavior, and agreeing to other duties as assigned that would never be asked of anyone else. Whew, no wonder I'm confused. I need a day off.