preparing and handling positions of power in lusternia

Yarou

How do and/or did you do it and what advice would you give to someone else in a similar position? When I say 'positions of power', I'm referring to Lusternia's guild masters, guild administrators, ministry heads, champions, Fates, et cetera.

I was recently elected GA of the Cacophony and I'll be honest -- it's so much harder than I anticipated. It's not just dealing with scrolls or novices, although those are important aspects of the job. There's also etiquette and dealing with the playerbase in general.

And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the responsibilities the job entails. It's possible I'm just being dramatic due to anxiety when I say that, but that's what being GA feels like right now. A mountain of solid weight on my shoulders.

Yet .. yet there's positive things to be found here, too, amidst all the stress and worrying. This is an opportunity, something that could very well benefit my progress in the real world someday if I put actual effort towards being one of the best GA the Cacophony's ever had.

There's determination and passion; I want to do this. I'm excited about what changes I can provoke for the guild and maybe even the game itself, given enough time. Yes, it's difficult right now and I'm struggling, but I'm nowhere near ready to admit defeat. Hell, the stress just makes me want to succeed all the more, to be honest.

So. Thoughts? Input? I'm more ears than I am heart right now, so don't worry about offending me with honest feedback. Even if you dress them up in gentle sincerity, a falsehood is a falsehood.

Cyndarin

Being a guild leader is easy, relax. Just play and enjoy yourself.

Luce

Delegation is key. Find someone you trust to sub-head each of your responsibilities and trust them to do it, then check up every few weeks to make sure they aren't having trouble. 

Also, don't forget GA also usually watches the guild shop(s). 

Tarkenton

As GA? Learn your guild lore, pass it along, test the newbies, if you can make the player behind them think awesome. I find the GAs I like the most are the ones that take their guilds lore and run with it. Tossing around startung gear and the like is always good too.

Sylandra

Addendum: Get to know the people around you! When inevitably something happens that you don't feel equipped to deal with, you'll have a vast array of human resources to use.

Kaalak

You actually care. That puts you head and shoulders above most.

Shaddus

GA is the easiest guild position to get burned out in. Try these three (paragraphs) rules:

Don't take it personal if your novices don't come back. 99% of the time, it's nothing you did or could have done. Enjoy the ones that do come back and contribute. Don't get too pissed off about the occasional slacker that sits at gr1 and does nothng, they'll get bored and move on eventually.

Take time for yourself to do things that aren't guild related. You aren't here for the Cacophony, you're here for yourself.

As was said earlier,delegation is key. You can't do everything by yourself, and shouldn't even try.

Rancoura

GA is definitely the most work-heavy position, in my opinion. Pace yourself, try not to take on too much at once. Delegation is definitely a good idea too, if you have the resources; get your Undersecretaries to deal mostly with the novices (though introducing yourself to them and letting them know that you're available to help is a fantastic way to make them feel welcome and immersed), and get your secretaries to help with the heavier things (organizing the guild library, etc). 

Also make sure that you're representing the culture of your guild to the best of your ability -- as someone that new players will look up to, they're going to learn a lot from you by example. I know that the GM and GA that were current when I first started playing in Lusternia remain to this day the most influential people to have ever affected my character.

And also, don't be afraid to introduce new things! Good GAs will make sure their guild stays lively and involved by keeping up interest and culture, and advocating traditions to help unify the guild's identity.

Oh, and regarding your Undersecs and Secs, it's always helpful to get their opinions on your advancement systems. If you're revamping them, get them to help out! They're using the systems constantly in their position, so they're likely to have some constructive feedback.

Talan

- Do not announce you are going to do things until whatever setup they require is done or almost done.

- Speak up. Get used to repeating yourself. Be excited about the information you are passing along. Repeat yourself. Talk to people personally if you want them involved in things, especially older people. Repeat yourself.

- Watch someone else run a contest, drive, initiative, activity, of any sort before trying to do one yourself. Try to help out for an insider look. Watch for the mistakes, and try not to repeat them when you do your own stuff.

- Be prepared to do things yourself. You want results? Sometimes you have to be the one who produces them. It's very easy to ignore something that isn't gaining traction, but if you start the ball rolling, it's more likely to keep rolling.

- Connect with new players, and put them to work where ever possible.

- You have no enemies within your organization.

- Be humble. Respect comes from actions, not attitude.

Marcella

- You have no enemies within your organization

this is wrong in Magnagora

unless you're the 2nd coming of @Daraius or something

Othero

 

Marcella said:

- You have no enemies within your organization

this is wrong in Magnagora

unless you're the 2nd coming of @Daraius or something

I'd say it is true for a guild. Or should be. Your enemies are all on the outside.

Daraius

Oh I'm sure I'd have plenty of enemies in Magnagora if I played there.

Talan

No offense @Marcella, but you're basically a cautionary example of why it is bad to forget, as Othero says more plainly, that your enemies are on the outside.

Marcella

Actually, guilds are the most contentious in Magnagora because there's that council seat up for grabs at all times, as well as the champion artifacts which everyone wants.

I guess GA is the least contentious.

Yarou

Marcella said:

- You have no enemies within your organization

this is wrong in Magnagora

unless you're the 2nd coming of @Daraius or something

THE SHIBA INU APPEARS AGAIN

gdi marcy you made me get my ice cream everywhere -- i s2g it's in my nOSR WFSRGLK

@talan i get what you meant, though and thanks -- you make some good points even though i don't like you.

Marcella said:

Actually, guilds are the most contentious in Magnagora because there's that council seat up for grabs at all times, as well as the champion artifacts which everyone wants.

I guess GA is the least contentious.

nope, no fancy artifacts, just a lot of work, which is so much better, right? i mean who even needs limited edition companions like orchis or special buffs anyway pffft i sure don't

Silvanus

Don't be afraid.

Haters gonna hate.

Kaalak

Marcella said:

Actually, guilds are the most contentious in Magnagora because there's that council seat up for grabs at all times, as well as the champion artifacts which everyone wants.

I guess GA is the least contentious.

Because GA requires work.

Narynth

I'd also add that you have to keep in mind that no one is irreplaceable and that things should never grind to a halt if you're suddenly pulled away from IG for a bit. Making others able to fulfill all but the mechanically GA-specific duties is crucial. Not only do you help others grow and become more invested, but you give yourself some breathing room should you need it. 

Kaalak

Didn't someone write an in game library book on this? A memory just got triggered...

Maligorn

Narynth said:

I'd also add that you have to keep in mind that no one is irreplaceable and that things should never grind to a halt if you're suddenly pulled away from IG for a bit. Making others able to fulfill all but the mechanically GA-specific duties is crucial. Not only do you help others grow and become more invested, but you give yourself some breathing room should you need it. 

How long has Xenthos been the Merciless Chieftain? <<

Vivet

Maligorn said:

Narynth said:

I'd also add that you have to keep in mind that no one is irreplaceable and that things should never grind to a halt if you're suddenly pulled away from IG for a bit. Making others able to fulfill all but the mechanically GA-specific duties is crucial. Not only do you help others grow and become more invested, but you give yourself some breathing room should you need it. 

How long has Xenthos been the Merciless Chieftain? <<

Pretty sure Xenthos has rotated in and out of all three elected positions in the Ebonguard over time. It's more fun to go back and figure out when he hasn't, and what he was doing at those times.

EDIT: Forums broke for reasons I can't discern. Can't be bothered to fix - ya'll will figure it out.

Xenthos

Fun facts: My first position was GA.  Then I was CL for a long time.  Then I was GC for a bit (and abused the heck out of the Champion helm at a point where it provided a significant damage and speed bonus when bashing to be the first to Transcend Veneration-- Sojiro, Nejii, and I had a competition though Nejii dropped behind about halfway through leaving it to the Warrior GCs).  Then I was GM.  And have been ever since.

Narynth

Maligorn said:

Narynth said:

I'd also add that you have to keep in mind that no one is irreplaceable and that things should never grind to a halt if you're suddenly pulled away from IG for a bit. Making others able to fulfill all but the mechanically GA-specific duties is crucial. Not only do you help others grow and become more invested, but you give yourself some breathing room should you need it. 

How long has Xenthos been the Merciless Chieftain? <<

@Xenthos is certainly our rock, but when he's not around we're not scrambling trying to figure out what's up. He's always been a consistent resource and ally in helping the rest  learn to handle things--and that includes the multitudes of newbies (myself included, way back when and upon my return) that have passed in and out of the EG and Glomdoring. Great example of functional leadership is our Xenthos.

Cyndarin

Xenthos, sorry, is also an example of overstaying your welcome. One of my largest issues with pushing through new ideas was getting stuck against old school, stagnated walls that he often represented. I often scrambled as a GM against the older GMs, I wanted nothing more than the freedom from the more stagnant, pedantic arguments the court often represented. Which is my advice, do your thing, lead your sphere of influence how you want to lead it. Maybe you succeed, maybe you get replaced, but the most audacious of ideas are often the best. The important part was I made the SDs successful during my time as GM, and if I conceded to how other GMs wanted me to behave I wouldn't have been as successful. The guild elected you, so be you.

Cyndarin

The best leaders, as a note, know when their time is up. It's an important aspect of leadership to understand when your reputation begins to inhibit growth and intimidate new advancement.

Xenthos

Just because one person thinks someone's time is up, doesn't mean everyone else agrees!  I'm still having plenty of fun, which is what it's all about.

Sylandra

Celina said:

The best leaders, as a note, know when their time is up. It's an important aspect of leadership to understand when your reputation begins to inhibit growth and intimidate new advancement.

Adding that it's okay to admit when you're tired of being the leader. You should never feel obligated to fulfill a role in Lusternia, because that turns your gameplay into work. And if you resent what you're doing you inevitably become worse at it in my experience.

Everiine

Sylandra said:

Celina said:

The best leaders, as a note, know when their time is up. It's an important aspect of leadership to understand when your reputation begins to inhibit growth and intimidate new advancement.

Adding that it's okay to admit when you're tired of being the leader. You should never feel obligated to fulfill a role in Lusternia, because that turns your gameplay into work. And if you resent what you're doing you inevitably become worse at it in my experience.

This happens especially in guilds where there really isn't anybody who wants the position. So if you're in it, you're stuck in there, unless you want to leave the guild without the position filled for quite some time and without the mechanical options you'd forfeit.

Kalnid

Kaalak said:

Didn't someone write an in game library book on this? A memory just got triggered...

Honestly? There's like a dozen. None of them really stand out.

Riluna

As has been said several times... delegate. If you can't find people to delegate to, it's not as important as you think it is, because they already don't care enough for your amazing, well-thought, world-changing passion when it goes through anyway. And that's going to burn you out even worse. And I'm cynical, but you're not going to change your guild on your own. If you are, you will be able to delegate it with ease.

Focus on your people, not your menial labour.

They look at you to have fun with you, so have fun being pompous and pretending to have authority. There's not a guild in the game that doesn't respect authority. You're it. Play with it.

Have fun.

Cyndarin

NVM not important. I'm glad Xenthos is having fun. I encourage new guild leaders to also have fun, but also consider the fun of the rest of your guild, and the guilds potential future rather than just your own.