/officerchat

These past two months I’ve been all over the place.  There were various games, a plenitude of communities, and a swarm of  guilds of which I’ve dipped my toes into.  It has been quite some time since I’ve been able to experience first hand the strong effects of differing leadership styles which populate internet gaming.  And here we were, simply listening to my one man (and girl) show about our lonely guild management troubles.  “DIVERSITY!” the people cry, “LET US SEE FREELY!”

IRL Guild Officers

-Close knit leadership team, or exclusive guild clique?

I’ve recently had the joyous opportunity of becoming included in a guild ran by IRL (In Real Life) friends.  If my recollections do not evade me, I would say there were 40 members- 8 of which holding the officer position.  Progression was fairly current and the gear was prevalent in the “group” of IRL friends, as I’ll now refer to them.  Now rather than turning this into a grand ole story time and risk upsetting the few of you who hadn’t thought to pack their blankets, I’ll cut to the nitty gritty of my observations.

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Would you consider yourself a registered nanny?  Do you enjoy whining, crying, and bickering?  Perhaps you have children of your own, and just LOVE it so much that your /gchat holds a special place in your heart due to resembling loud children.  Or maybe, and I know I’m going out on a limb here, just maybe, you’re ready to pull out your hair in large clumps while engaging a /gkick spree that would make even Luis Garavito jealous.

All in all, while you shoulder a long list of responsibilities to the guild, babysitting your members should not be one of them.  Hell, setting up raids and recruiting new members should not be either, but that’s another opinionated story of mine.  Some day we may see that post, but not today.  For now, we’ll focus on the rowdy daycare that has become of your former respectable, mild mannered guild.  Whether it be unchecked complaining in guild chat, or manipulation of your officers by the members who know what they can get away with, solutions are needed to curb and prevent such behavior from occurring.  I hope you brought your supply of pacifiers…

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When it comes time to step up to the plate, one must do whatever is necessary to move their guild forward. The dedication that members show within their guild throughout the months, even years, can grant them the possibility of an Officer title. The promotion to such an honorable title is an achievement in itself if the member is able to handle the challenge which awaits him or her. What I have found during my MMO roller coaster ride was that becoming an Officer was more than just having experience, knowledge and showing respect towards other members. It was the dedication I gave to my guild. Being loyal can greatly increase your value as a member beyond anything else.

Unfortunately, this may not always act in your favor. You see, for me, being dedicated and loyal actually cost my rank to a clan I wanted to help succeed in every way possible. The rank was taken away from me by another Officer of the clan. This is where many might argue that a sense of leadership was taken more as a threat, than as a blessing.

This is my Officer Mishap:

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I’m willing to bet that even the mightiest of GM needs his/her officers.  Not just “needs” them, but NEEDS them.  I need my officers as badly as a man on fire needs a lake.  Does that mean I’m not doing my job in any way?  Of course not, it’s the support, coordination, and motivation that come from having a well-built team of officers.

Picking out the right seeds

You can’t just go and promote any old schlub to officer, can you?  Well, you could if you were a crazy, “so what” minded risk taker.  I don’t care what the server’s /Trade troll says, I have a sneaky suspicion that you’re not that crazy guy.  Why, do you ask?  I’d say it’s because you’re browsing this site, trying to better yourself and your guild.  So who, out of these thousands of people playing this online sensation, do we promote to 2nd in command of your wonderful guild?  Let’s take a look at a few classic character traits you should be watching out for.
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