That Difficult Balance

A briefly touched subject I discussed with Illia last night while he was selflessly helping me to farm rep with Steamweedle Cartel made me really think. He mentioned the tough balancing act played out in our guild every day and remarked that he can’t imagine how difficult it must be for a GM to strive for the balance between being pro-raiding while also being pro-social, pro-levelling and pro-anything else people want to do in the guild.

That really struck a chord with me and made me think about some of the troubles our raiders have at the moment. They are trying to raid in a guild which has to balance raiding with everything else. Recruiting for one of the 2 raid teams is made infinitely more difficult because we demand applicants don’t just see the guild as an opportunity to raid but instead they must see the guild as a Warcraft home, a hub from where people play together and only then, they should see themselves as potential raiders with either of the teams here.

An excellent raider may consider joining the guild but if it’s clear from their application that they see us only as a vehicle that allows them straight into raiding then they really do find themselves up against recruiters who are reluctant to let them join because of course nobody can guarantee a raid spot with either team. New applicants must become Dambusters first before being considered for a raid spot.

This is a tough policy to implement and it has prevented a few applicants from gaining entry to the guild recently. I have to make sure that all players in the guild are socially mature enough to contribute something valuable to the cause. Too many guilds are flooded with selfish trolls who only care about their own personal advancement and the way we operate our recruitment policy provides the guild with a crucially important gating procedure that stops new members from joining until we are satisfied they will not join and then immediately demand a spot on a raid team. This guild just doesn’t work that way and I don’t want it to so it won’t.

We do not want a situation where the amount of raiders sitting on the sidelines waiting for a spot starts to aggravate the rest of the members of the guild. If I start to see people whining about not getting a raid spot then I will remind them that this is not primarily a raid guild and if they want to raid then either work hard to actually be better than someone who’s spot they think they can take and grab any future opportunity that comes their way by being online well in advance of raid times and being totally ready and prepared to slot in smoothly to the team. If they do well then I have instructed the raid leaders to view them favourably for the next raid week.

Applicants with a low level character but a big heart actually have a distinct advantage for joining this guild. Ideally these types of people who have searched for the right type of guild and found us because of the way we operate our social structure are exactly what I’m looking for in potential new members. These guys are the future because they value the fine work we do as a guild and the amazing balance we strike here to provide a fun environment where we raid but also do much more over the course if a normal week.

That balance had forced us to shed our fair share of old friends over the years as they have found it difficult to understand just how difficult my job is to enforce such a balance to the guild. Some people want the guild to be a certain way, others want to work a different way but I’m right in the middle trying to raid in peace, give out weekly gold, try to win the monthly draw, try to think of the next guild meetup, the 5th Anniversary of the guild’s formation. I’m resolving disputes, I’m setting a dashboard that helps me to remember everything I need to do. I’m delegating important tasks that need to be done and trying to ensure the right people are there and doing it correctly so I need to be strong enough to let people know what needs to get done but gentle enough that they don’t think I’m a tyrant.

I rely heavily on the officers and the guild relies heavily on my decisions about who are officers and how well I monitor their work. I try to lean on them as much as possible while maintaining overall responsibility, meanwhile the amount of leaning I do on them can aid their development as a leader. Too much leaning and they may buckle under my intensity (not weight, fu) but too much leniency and they might have little to actually do. This is a delicate balance that needs a firm and fair hand with total precision or the whole house of cards could come crashing down around us.

Most people don’t see that, they see the results and make their own judgements but many don’t notice the amount of time, consideration and discussion that goes on behind the scenes here and all that makes this guild tick. My memberbase makes me so proud to be a leader here. My officers do an exceptional job and anyone I ask to carry out a specific task usually has the maturity and respect to get on and do it. I am very thankful of that and I expect it will continue and the guild will reap our rewards as we grow famous!

/Salute