Easy to Promote, Difficult to Demote

Like anywhere else that has promotions and demotions depending on requirements at any given time, the guild is no different in theory when it comes to deciding who to promote, what the position is and it’s timing. Of course we all know this is only a game but it’s actually pretty good practice for certain learnable life skills we could one day rely on in the real world.

We are dealing with real people who have real feelings which can be hurt or inspired depending on the way things are done in the guild. This may all be on a voluntary basis with very little at stake but that fact only seems to magnify people’s reactions to certain events and I find that some people will be open and honest about things and others will be secretive as you would find in any organisation of people. As with anyone in a real life leadership position, I find myself trying to do my best to keep the right people in the right roles to cover as many of the tasks required to keep us running smoothly while always looking for ways to improve if possible.

I am acutely determined to ensure that people who don’t care are discouraged while I try where possible to encourage and use the examples of people who do care and are able to put their good attitudes into practice for the benefit of their friends in the guild. These people are the future of The Dambusters and I will not hold you back. One thing I would advise any budding officers, power can corrupt and I need my officers to feel like they are here to serve their community and not the other way around. Anyone with a feeling of superiority around here is liable to be kicked in the Big goolies and land with a painful, pride-bashing fall.

A long time ago, it became clear that if I wanted to evolve the guild into something people would be proud to be part of then the tasks required around the place would need to be carried out with precision as regularly as needed and if not by myself then by notable, trustworthy officers. Since then, I have hesitated to elevate too many people but over time and with a growing workload it became necessary to expand the leadership team to cover more and more tasks. There was a time when I would never have allowed a player who wasn’t known to me in real life to ever hold such strong positions as those filled currently by Spyrott and Wenya. Right now, I write this as a more experienced individual who knows that it’s possible to trust irl friends/family but that it’s also entirely possible that a stranger can really prove to be every bit as capable and valuable as an assistant GM in these circumstances.

Over the term I have learned the hard way that it is very much more difficult to remove a person from a coveted position after previously promoting them to it. With such high hopes, plans and expectations being the relative components to promoting someone to a newly formed role, trepidation, regret and sorrow are linked inextricably to demotion. The demotion could be for any number of reasons from the player becoming disillusioned and estranged from the guild and with declining motivation for the guild or the position they fill, to simply a real life problem that prevents them from playing. Each situation results in the job not getting done which is where I must come in and do my own job.

Usually the officer in the demotion corner will know what’s coming and I attribute that to the examples I have set in the past with this blog also having filled in some information gaps. I would like to make clear that if we need someone as an officer then they will be approached but I must take great care not to add too many officers that people have little to do and I then need to demote.

I have had to demote real life friends in the past for numerous reasons leading to the job not being done properly and this experience leads me to be very careful and deliberate in how I orchestrate the balance in the officer team. That said, there are some mighty fine people in this guild who have great potential and if you give it enough time then that potential will be fulfilled with a leading role which will benefit your guild.

Next blog post already mid-production (lol) is…
‘Ranks in Depth: Air Raider’ so keep an eye on the website for that.

/Salute