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THE GUILDMASTER'S GUIDE
Kerryn
The Black Flagon Inn
Originally posted on old forums by Hadoryu, I felt that it was something we could use on the new ones.
-=[ Hadoryu: ]=-
So I thought I'd post this and basically share some of my experience regarding successful leadership. The advice may not be universal, but I feel it may be helpful to people regardless.
Your goals (in priority):
o- Keeping it fun for other players
o- Maintaining a standard of behavior
o- Having fun yourself
That list should need no further elaboration. I think everyone can agree with this after they consider it for a while.
Common mistakes:
Q: I'll just restructure the administration, make new requirements, set new projects/clans/positions
A: - Sometimes you do need to make changes. Most of the time you don't. Most of the time you end up with a more elaborate, but ultimately more unwieldy system that requires constant upkeep from people. This runs counter to your first priority - updating projects, ghelps, clans and so on endlessly is not fun. Learning a whole new set of rules every time leadership changes is not fun. Your mileage may vary, I suppose, but in general it is just tedious. Avoid putting too much emphasis on administration, unless you're attempting to appeal to the hobbyist accountant demographic.
Q: I'll just ask everybody about their opinion before doing anything. Democracy is good!
A: - Sometimes it really isn't. A lot of the time really isn't. There are people with expertise you can and should be discussing things with, but running things through popular vote is a terrible idea. In the best case, you'll get nothing done. In the worst case, you'll dilute any message or purpose your guild might have had over the myriad interpretations of your members. In my experience, a heavily democratic rule ends in a GM that sits on their hands for the vast part of their reign, but manages to retain the position due to not making anyone too unhappy. This is in the general case a good way to kill activity in your organization and bore people to death.
Q: I'll make everything challenging, because that will mean my guild will be elite
A: - A lot of people somehow manage to succumb to this bad idea, despite the obvious issues with it. It goes without saying that it runs directly counter your very first priority. I suppose many think it's in service to priority number two, but that's another misconception. How do you make your guild actually elite? By having elite players in it. How do you make sure you have elite players in your guild? If your answer is 'by raising the bar to acceptance', you're wrong. You draw good players to your guild by creating a fun, accepting environment for them - by making them want to be in your guild. See, raising the bar can work in some real-life institutions and I suppose people are convinced that translates to here. But the truth is, the playerbase is horribly limited in comparison. You do not get a limited number of positions to fill, to justify screening people. Each and every guild in the game suffers from a lack of players. If you want to draw in good people, you have to lure them in, rather than 'keeping out the not so good.'
Q: This is not the same as having NO standards, of course. Disruptive people who degrade your guild's environment are fair game. But that has absolutely nothing to do with how many hoops they'll be willing to jump through. I'm taking care of handing out class and looking out for the newbs, that's all I'm supposed to be doing
A: - Wrong. That's what your HoN is supposed to be doing. What you're supposed to be doing is overseeing your HoN as just one of your activities. As a GM, you are the guild's most important representative, your guild's political voice and most importantly, your guild's attention focus. You run the parade. Handling newbies is a job, yes, but it's not at all the full extent of your responsibilities.
Pro-tips:
X - You're the big boss. Act like it.
- Invisible GMs are an acceptable compromise over terrible GMs. But a GM should first and foremost be aware of being the beating heart of their guild. You're the one person who can engage the people who are part of your organization. You're the one person who can tell them to get together and follow you while you lead them into something or other, the one person who can give a speech and the one person who can give orders. So many people have stated that the game is currently boring, unengaging etc. This will not change no matter how many class changes and historical events we see. Players have to interact with each other in order to be engaged in the game - and you as a GM are in a position to make that happen. I'd go so far as to say this is your biggest and most important job, because you're the only person with the authority to do it.
X - You might not have time. You might not have energy. But if you're a GM, you should at the very least be trying. Positive reinforcement beats negative reinforcement.
- Should you have punishments for unfavorable behavior? Yes. But if your role in the guild involves negative interaction more of then than it does positive, you are doing something terribly, terribly wrong. If you find yourself handing out punishments and berating as a major part of your function, you have a problem. Remember priority number one. If you want someone to do something, motivate them to do it via positive interaction and a promise of reward. Do not, absolutely do not, threaten guildmembers with punishment for failing to do a task that goes above their basic responsibilities. The idea here should be plainly obvious. Do you think you'll have more Novice Aides if all you do is punish NAs who don't live up to the job? Or do you figure you'll have more if you reward the ones who do well?
X - Treat your guildmates favorably.
- I've seen GMs forget that the people they're ordering around are their closest compatriots. I've seen GMs who are rougher on their own people than they are on enemies, for some misunderstood desire to appear 'respectable' to their foes. This is wrong. Treat your people with decency, defend them, support them. They're your people, your responsibility. You can think of them as family in a sense. You'll find them by far more willing to work with you if you display loyalty to them.
X - Be proactive.
- I really can't stress this enough. You're the guildmaster, what you say goes, if you can get the guildmembers to support you. A God saying something doesn't mean this is admin edict, it doesn't mean you have to drop the line of RP if it isn't in tune with their view. If the admin want you to not go in a direction, that will be made clear. Until you're being spoken to OOC, react IC, don't try to read hints into what Gods RP or what your history is. If you feel your guild needs to change to be more interesting, change it. It doesn't matter a whit that there is 'established RP' or that 'God X said it would be bad.'
X - Act decisively.
- A flip-flopping boss is the worst thing ever. If you're making a big change, have good reason for it and don't back out at the first sign of trouble. People will resent you if you're leading them in circles and you'll soon lose their trust and support. Additionally, nobody wants to readjust every month. When you do something, do it all the way and do it for good reason.
X - Have a sense for drama.
- The truth is, you need charisma to be a good leader. That's how it goes. You can follow every good bit of advice to its logical conclusion, but if you can't get people excited about it or if you make every change look bad for the sheer fact that you present it poorly, you'll still fail hard. Play to your audience and learn to sense the finer currents in your organization. Inspire, draw them in, make them feel like they're part of an important, exciting scene. If you can't break through the shell of apathy the general Aetolian has built up, you're not going to get anyone to do anything. Get people excited, even a little.
-=[ Hadoryu: ]=-
So I thought I'd post this and basically share some of my experience regarding successful leadership. The advice may not be universal, but I feel it may be helpful to people regardless.
Your goals (in priority):
o- Keeping it fun for other players
o- Maintaining a standard of behavior
o- Having fun yourself
That list should need no further elaboration. I think everyone can agree with this after they consider it for a while.
Common mistakes:
Q: I'll just restructure the administration, make new requirements, set new projects/clans/positions
A: - Sometimes you do need to make changes. Most of the time you don't. Most of the time you end up with a more elaborate, but ultimately more unwieldy system that requires constant upkeep from people. This runs counter to your first priority - updating projects, ghelps, clans and so on endlessly is not fun. Learning a whole new set of rules every time leadership changes is not fun. Your mileage may vary, I suppose, but in general it is just tedious. Avoid putting too much emphasis on administration, unless you're attempting to appeal to the hobbyist accountant demographic.
Q: I'll just ask everybody about their opinion before doing anything. Democracy is good!
A: - Sometimes it really isn't. A lot of the time really isn't. There are people with expertise you can and should be discussing things with, but running things through popular vote is a terrible idea. In the best case, you'll get nothing done. In the worst case, you'll dilute any message or purpose your guild might have had over the myriad interpretations of your members. In my experience, a heavily democratic rule ends in a GM that sits on their hands for the vast part of their reign, but manages to retain the position due to not making anyone too unhappy. This is in the general case a good way to kill activity in your organization and bore people to death.
Q: I'll make everything challenging, because that will mean my guild will be elite
A: - A lot of people somehow manage to succumb to this bad idea, despite the obvious issues with it. It goes without saying that it runs directly counter your very first priority. I suppose many think it's in service to priority number two, but that's another misconception. How do you make your guild actually elite? By having elite players in it. How do you make sure you have elite players in your guild? If your answer is 'by raising the bar to acceptance', you're wrong. You draw good players to your guild by creating a fun, accepting environment for them - by making them want to be in your guild. See, raising the bar can work in some real-life institutions and I suppose people are convinced that translates to here. But the truth is, the playerbase is horribly limited in comparison. You do not get a limited number of positions to fill, to justify screening people. Each and every guild in the game suffers from a lack of players. If you want to draw in good people, you have to lure them in, rather than 'keeping out the not so good.'
Q: This is not the same as having NO standards, of course. Disruptive people who degrade your guild's environment are fair game. But that has absolutely nothing to do with how many hoops they'll be willing to jump through. I'm taking care of handing out class and looking out for the newbs, that's all I'm supposed to be doing
A: - Wrong. That's what your HoN is supposed to be doing. What you're supposed to be doing is overseeing your HoN as just one of your activities. As a GM, you are the guild's most important representative, your guild's political voice and most importantly, your guild's attention focus. You run the parade. Handling newbies is a job, yes, but it's not at all the full extent of your responsibilities.
Pro-tips:
X - You're the big boss. Act like it.
- Invisible GMs are an acceptable compromise over terrible GMs. But a GM should first and foremost be aware of being the beating heart of their guild. You're the one person who can engage the people who are part of your organization. You're the one person who can tell them to get together and follow you while you lead them into something or other, the one person who can give a speech and the one person who can give orders. So many people have stated that the game is currently boring, unengaging etc. This will not change no matter how many class changes and historical events we see. Players have to interact with each other in order to be engaged in the game - and you as a GM are in a position to make that happen. I'd go so far as to say this is your biggest and most important job, because you're the only person with the authority to do it.
X - You might not have time. You might not have energy. But if you're a GM, you should at the very least be trying. Positive reinforcement beats negative reinforcement.
- Should you have punishments for unfavorable behavior? Yes. But if your role in the guild involves negative interaction more of then than it does positive, you are doing something terribly, terribly wrong. If you find yourself handing out punishments and berating as a major part of your function, you have a problem. Remember priority number one. If you want someone to do something, motivate them to do it via positive interaction and a promise of reward. Do not, absolutely do not, threaten guildmembers with punishment for failing to do a task that goes above their basic responsibilities. The idea here should be plainly obvious. Do you think you'll have more Novice Aides if all you do is punish NAs who don't live up to the job? Or do you figure you'll have more if you reward the ones who do well?
X - Treat your guildmates favorably.
- I've seen GMs forget that the people they're ordering around are their closest compatriots. I've seen GMs who are rougher on their own people than they are on enemies, for some misunderstood desire to appear 'respectable' to their foes. This is wrong. Treat your people with decency, defend them, support them. They're your people, your responsibility. You can think of them as family in a sense. You'll find them by far more willing to work with you if you display loyalty to them.
X - Be proactive.
- I really can't stress this enough. You're the guildmaster, what you say goes, if you can get the guildmembers to support you. A God saying something doesn't mean this is admin edict, it doesn't mean you have to drop the line of RP if it isn't in tune with their view. If the admin want you to not go in a direction, that will be made clear. Until you're being spoken to OOC, react IC, don't try to read hints into what Gods RP or what your history is. If you feel your guild needs to change to be more interesting, change it. It doesn't matter a whit that there is 'established RP' or that 'God X said it would be bad.'
X - Act decisively.
- A flip-flopping boss is the worst thing ever. If you're making a big change, have good reason for it and don't back out at the first sign of trouble. People will resent you if you're leading them in circles and you'll soon lose their trust and support. Additionally, nobody wants to readjust every month. When you do something, do it all the way and do it for good reason.
X - Have a sense for drama.
- The truth is, you need charisma to be a good leader. That's how it goes. You can follow every good bit of advice to its logical conclusion, but if you can't get people excited about it or if you make every change look bad for the sheer fact that you present it poorly, you'll still fail hard. Play to your audience and learn to sense the finer currents in your organization. Inspire, draw them in, make them feel like they're part of an important, exciting scene. If you can't break through the shell of apathy the general Aetolian has built up, you're not going to get anyone to do anything. Get people excited, even a little.
19
Comments
There's a couple of things I would add. This was originally a short post, for the record.
- Little things matter.
Even if it's just dropping by and commenting on an engagement, or taking a few minutes to toss some emotes at a guildmate you found at the west gate (or wherever else), or striking up a conversation with someone when it's just you and them on gwho, it makes them feel appreciated. This is especially so with people you don't know well, mostly but not limited to younger players. It makes them feel acknowledged, gives them encouragement to speak up on stuff, and draws them into the community. This is also very simple to do, and works both ways - it lets you get an understanding of the people in your guild.
- Have a good structure.
As Hado mentioned, a system that changes all the time isn't good, but make sure the one you have is efficient, ESPECIALLY for the newbies. If they're tripping over themselves trying to figure out what they're supposed to be doing, then they can't spend time learning how to play the game, much less how to have fun with it.
Don't change stuff just for kicks and giggles. If it isn't broke, don't fix it, you'll just annoy people. (Tie-in to what Hado said).
- Feedback and advice.
You're human. It's quite possible you haven't been in a leadership role before, unless you happen to work in management IRL. You aren't expected to magically know what you're doing as soon as your new honors line appears.
Ask for advice. Listen to your guild, though, as Hadoryu very accurately said, don't work by popular vote. Talk to other people ICly you know to be experienced in leadership. Xentor, as an example, has done an awesome job of this. Do NOT just fake it when you have no idea what you're doing.
There are a lot of books out there that cover management and leadership. I've read through several and a lot of this post is fed by things I've learned from them. Even taking 15 minutes at your local Barnes and Noble to flip through a chapter or two can help immensely.
- Secretaries.
1) Choose wisely.
Find good, solid, reliable people for the position. Do NOT pick someone because they're your friend, icly or oocly; conversely, don't pick someone you absolutely cannot work with, even if they are capable. One sour apple can disrupt everything; if you have a good, workable team, you don't want to screw it up. Do not feel that you HAVE to have X many secretaries; if you have 3 capable people, and those three and you are well able to keep things going, stick with three, even if you've previously had four. Even if you want another, if there's no one qualified, don't appoint someone anyway; it doesn't help.
2) Take care of your secretaries.
Unless your guild has 2 people in it, you want to have other, capable people to help you out with things like novices, helping others learn the class, updating ghelps, the day-to-day tedium of running a guild. You want to keep these people happy, feeling appreciated, and wanting to continue helping you out and, preferably, supporting you in the role of GM.
2a) Showing appreciation.
There are a lot of things you can do, most of them quite easy, to make your secretaries feel appreciated. The first and easiest is guildfavors. Guildfavor often. Make it clear in the "for " part of the guildfavor that they are useful, are appreciated, and have done well. Publicly compliment them. Make VERY sure they are given credit for work they have done; you can do this in news posts, too ("X did an astounding job doing Y, so everyone send thanks, as we're all going to find this useful"). Make VERY VERY sure you don't inadvertently, much less deliberately, take credit for something they did. Give them credit if they helped, even a little.
Give them discounts on credit sales. Give them free reign for random projects they want to do, and ok them dragging in help from the guild - everyone benefits from that. Give them perks as things come up - first chance to try out an awesome new RP thing a helpful admin just added in, let them buy some credits if they have an emergency need, even if there isn't a sale, stuff like that. It makes what can easily be a thankless job be well worth the effort.
2b: Do not publicly humiliate them. People screw up; when it's a secretary, who IS a guild leader, handle the issue privately if at all possible. Seeing them get chewed out on GT or a flaming disfavor will lessen their own level of respect from their guildmates, which they will resent you for, very justifiably. Even if you HAVE to GDF them, put the reason as "He knows why." No one else needs to other than, maybe, the other secretaries.
2c: Training and support.
Once you've found good people, make sure they know how to do the job you've given them. One of the worst ways to start off a working relationship is to give someone a job and not tell them how to do it; it makes them confused, you mad when they screw it up or don't do it as you want them to, screws over anyone else involved, and in general makes a huge mess. Spend an hour or two when you first appoint someone making very sure they know what their duties are, the mechanics of how to do various things (I'll usually have a web going in addition to the IC conversation - some things just are ooc mechanics), and explain clearly. Don't rush; welcome questions. Make sure they know they can come to you at any time with questions, and that they know you'll support them if something comes up. Example: If a city leader gets pissed at your guild, YOU need to deal with it, not pawn it off on an underling. Dealing with unpleasant stuff is, ultimately, your job.
2d: Communication.
This is important for dealing with all of your guild, really, but especially your secretaries (or ministers/overlords[/heralds/etc]). They need to know what you're doing. If there are any major problems, make them aware, if you're having issues, or think someone will raise a problem, give a heads-up; even minor details can be reported. Logs are GREAT for this. I set readlog at GR1 some time back, and I have another clan for my secretaries. Anything that comes up, I make sure it's known. News posts should be made for major things, or even a lot of little things (ie a bunch of ghelp updates to replace outdated stuff). This lets people know you're doing things to help them, makes them feel like stuff is being done - a fact that helps you look useful and justified in the position you're in. Keeping people in the dark about stuff is only justified if it's something you want to make a big surprise (use sparingly), or is something being done on an ooc level (liaison changes, and even that's transparent here and in reports).
Solicit their advice on various issues. The general guild should not make every decision, but for major things, let your secretaries at least toss their opinions in. Actually LISTEN to those opinions and consider their merits, even if you do something different. If and when you do, take a few minutes to explain why you made that choice. This is especially true if a secretary was highly vocal against something you did. You are the leader; you have the right to override them. But take the time to show them the respect of a personal explanation. You can do this in person or by message, before or after the fact; it depends on the situation and the dynamic between the two of you.
Welcome communication with others. A lot of problems can be solved by a five-minute chat; be respectful, listen courteously. Be cautious with the BS; if you don't know the answer to something, or feel the need to think on an issue, say so. If people feel they can never be heard, or are too scared to speak up, you have several major issues.
- Getting contested, stepping down, and being replaced.
No one is in power forever. Some people, like Kylan, can stay there for a hell of a long time and do a good job, but eventually, stuff is going to change. The people in your guild, and what they want, shifts; you have other things going on, oocly and irl, that are pulling you away.
There comes a time when people make a stupid contestion to raise drama and be annoying pains in the ass. This happens, and if your guild is running smoothly, they'll be laughed into rage-qqing, and the problem solves itself. This is one of many reasons why you should make sure your guild is running smoothly. Don't sweat this much.
There comes a time when things are running smoothly, you're doing a good job, and someone else who is capable but ambitious steps up. They might do it behind your back and surprise you; they might come forward honorably. Either way, treat this with respect. Win or lose, unless you're planning to ragequit in the event of the latter, you're going to have to continue working with this person. They're probably someone you know, and have worked with. You may well share other organizations. If they aren't an enemy right now, don't make them one. Also, acting like a petulant child will eradicate any respect held for you. Keep your arguments free (mostly) from profanity, and eviscerate them using logic, your excellent background and history as a stable, solid GM, and those who support you.
Then there comes a time when you honestly aren't doing your job, or find yourself not wanting to. If you are honestly tired of the position, and there is someone else who can do the job and does want to, then there is nothing wrong with letting it pass on. A fresh face can do amazing things. If all goes well you'll continue to help lead the guild, but this time in a supporting role, which is a lot less stressful. Do not, however, cling to the position for no better reason than "I don't want to give up the power." Power is not, and should not be, the point. There comes a time when you can step down gracefully; if you have to have it yanked out of your hands, it causes needless drama and angst on all sides, and creates insults and wounds that echo for a long time. That should, if at all possible, be avoided.
Unrelated, general piece of advice:
GMs want fighters. The natural step is, "I'll get GM, appoint hawtfighterX as a sec and they can teach my newbs how to fight."
Nice theory, but not many people are good at teaching, so you get someone that procrastinates about running combat classes, and when they do they are PAINFULLY SLOW, USELESS and OFF-PUTTING.
Protip: You teach by offering the details (information) in books. You teach by being available to answer questions, and you inspire them to fight by showing them how fighting is fun, which you do by sparring them and only hitting them quick enough that they have time to react and learn. One on one sessions, except in the instances where you take a group to the arena, create bloodbath mode, and then all watch each other spar one at a time, discussing each spar and offering advice.
-=[ Sissfus Wrote: ]=-
My Protips:
You have control over the privs people get. Put them in logical places, encourage them to use them, and make a fuss over getting certain ranks - the Bahkatu Elder system was something I flat out made up on the spur of the moment. Not sure how it works these days, but it did back then.
Avoid appointing your friends and the "old-gard" to positions unless you have a reason to do so, and don't be afraid of newbies who might be getting "above themselves" or who want to do things you're pretty sure won't work. If someone wants to work, let them go at it. Elitist mindsets generally don't work.
I'm going to argue somewhat against other people's thoughts on this - a strong GM can't drive a crap guild into activity without making changes and getting new people involved. You -have- to get a core group of people that enjoy doing things. If its only you, you're going to get drained, tired of it, and then either quit, or be a sucky GM.
-=[ Asilient Wrote: ]=-
A few things I've got:
X - Be careful about relying on people you already know
- Yeah, seriously. I tend to know who have OOC groups going, etc, and I find a common trend (In both cities and guilds) that these OOC groups tend to show through. My policy as a leader in-game is that my OOC friends get a low priority, they'll only get a role if they are really convincing IC. I always favour newer characters for certain roles while the older characters get ones that I require absolute trust in. For example, Aithinne has been a secretary in the Daru for just as long as Kylan has been GM and she's someone he trusts thoroughly, so she received the steward's role in Enorian, etc.
I tend to favour youngsters for roles such as HoN, general secretaries and in a city perspective, ambassador, culture, development and in rare cases, security.
I dislike having all of my buddies in roles as in my experience, those who are on really good terms with you expect favours and tend to get complacent. People who you don't really know OOC are usually out to make an impression and are usually more reliable, not to mention no risk of OOC drama.
X - Encourage new players
- I never, ever, ever punish someone if I can avoid it. Kylan might shout, get angry, order them to fight him, whatever, but it's very rare I'll go and "lolgdf/probate" for misbehaviour. I prefer using my guild favor for positive reasons instead.
When they finish working through their progression, it's a tricky time for them because they're not working on guild requirements so they're having to make their own game at this point. I like getting younger characters involved (if I can) by assigning small administration tasks that gives them something to do. For example, I usually get the new member to either teach a low rank/novice guildmate and look into being a "mentor" of sorts to that individual. This encourages them to help younger members of the guild and allows them to get used to elaborating on the guilds stance as a teacher rather than as a way to fulfil a set of requirements. I sometimes ask new players to go through GHELP files looking for errors and the like. It makes my job simpler when I've got a list of things to consult as opposed to reading, re-reading and fixing. Give them ways to contribute to the guild whether it's donating to the guild shop or whatever and reward them for that.
X - Lessons
- Let's face it, learning is boring as hell. Reading books alone is boring as hell. It's annoying to get pestered with "Anything we can do for you?" constantly. If you see a novice who is struggling, or one that's working hard even, just pull them to the side and give them some lessons. It doesn't matter if it's about guild ideology or how skills work, even help them prepare for that upcoming interview. This is a great way of introducing the player to your character's general personality and opens the door for them to look for a mentor of some sort.
You can also make lessons of what's going on around you, for example, the Daru have a law against consumption of alcohol. A few weeks ago, a bunch of Paladins get plastered celebrating Edhain's birthday. A guild novice is stood with them, so I take the opportunity to remind them about the law, when they confirm they have read up on it. After that I ask why we have such a rule in place. They've got a visual example and it's a good opportunity for them to learn. Honestly, you can make lessons from a lot of small things that happen in the game world to bring it to life and put your own guild's spin on it.
X - Know your history
- One of the very first things I did as the Daru GM (and as the Vanguard of Enorian) was read up on every single post I could get my hands on throughout various clans. It gives a lot of insight into how the guild was run historically and it also occasionally turns out a gem that you can refer to at a later time. It can also save your blushes in many ways when faced with someone who knows a lot about the past of the guild. For example, I remember seeing a referendum in the Paladins to have a certain guy Knighted because he left the guild for "noble reasons" and just felt the urge to bash my head on my desk a bit- if there was any research into the guild's history as a structure, it would have turned up answers that contradict what was being said. This resulted in an elder Paladin (Not me) speaking out on the matter and making the leadership (in my opinion) look rather silly.
Otherwise, I think Hadoryu has the most of it.
-=[ Ishin wrote: ]=-
X - Don't slam someone with the full lawful punishment the first time:
- This can lead to people feeling like they've pretty much only got one chance to screw up, which can make people extremely tense and nervous. Cut'em some slack the first time. Most of the time, people get mad, run off at the mouth, and then realize what happened later on and it's then that they'll appreciate the slack you gave'em, especially if someone points out 'Hey man, he could've done x y and z to you, but only got you with x and half of y.'
X - Listen to people
- I just got reminded of this one recently >.>, and I'm not sure if it was mentioned earlier. If it was, it deserves to be re-iterated. Listen to people when they're talking, even if you aren't going to do what they say. It at least makes them feel like they have some kind of input on a situation, even if they really don't. You should also listen to what they're saying, or try to, because sometimes someone might blurt something out that you didn't think about. As a leader, you aren't infallible, even if you appear to be so.
-=[ Hadoryu wrote: ]=-
Strangling the life out of your own organization due to 'high standards' is another common pitfall.
Many people seem to think that being uncompromising and only leaving the 'cool' people in will make their orgs better, but again, that goes back to the elitism point I made in the original post. Yes, people who are clearly disruptive and constantly degrade the environment of your organization should be removed. People who are 'stupid' however are rarely that. Aetolians seem to have some vicious high-school in-group standards when it comes to who they want to be associated with and a good GM has to be able to look past that.
In my time I've dealt with a lot of people that would be dismissed by the general population as bad apples. But a good GM understands that having these people in the guild actually benefits the organization.