Guild Leadership

[Tessra]

Ok, so this is something I've been thinking about.  I really hope I put this in the right sub-forum too.   

What do you think makes a good guild leader?  I don't mean people, and I am by no means looking for people to name names, or insult anyone.  But I am curious what traits do players like to see in "leaders" both ICly and OOCly. 

[potare]

Leadship and kind people make the best leaders
and also I don't like this Teshia guild leader hehe
(joke)

[LigH]

I remember a similar discussion from a rather long time ago ... long enough to start over, I believe.

There will be a few extremes, and a character taking this position will have to find an own optimum in the space between them.

Personally, I prefer the "organizer" kind over the "dictator" kind. But there will be times when a decision is necessary...

[potare]

LigH I agree for a good (Adani Order, klyros Junction) guild leader should not be a dictator, but a evil guild like the outlaws could get away with a dictator as a guild leader.
Potare

[Sarras Volcae]

icly: someone who is respectable, has a strong sense of morals, and has a goal.

oocly: someone who is helpful, motivated, and not a turd.

what a post, sarras. you could've done so much better. but, of course not. nope. had all these ideas brewing in your head. and then... poof! nice going, loserface. ah hell, sarras, quit talking to yourself!

[LigH]

@ potare:

Even for the evil kind of guild, a preferably organizing leader can be useful, if it has a "lawful evil" orientation -- in contrast to the "chaotic evil".

"Lawful" here not in the meaning of "obeying the governmental law", but rather in "obeying an own law with strict rules" (which does not need to be compatible with the government, or the society). "The Evil" has its own point of view, in contrast to "The Good"; that's all.

References in Wikipedia: Alignment (role-playing games) | Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)

[potare]

Ok I understand

[Perlam]

In my opinion a good leader does everything in his/ her power to help his/ her members to develop as characters, shows them everything he/ she knows, and who in general has a lot to teach his/ her members about all there is in Yliakum, all of this OOC-ly speaking. Also, the leader listens to his/ her members needs always, and has his/ her members understand there is room to discuss "things". A good leader will make his/ her members completely independent over time. Even if a leader knows one of his/ her members is in fact rather a leader himself/ herself, he/ she will develop that member fully in order that that member will also be a good leader once.

A good leader should have this thought in mind regarding to members: "quality over quantity".

IC-ly speaking a good leader in my opinion will not determine what RP the member should do, IMHO that is totally up to the member. A good leader IMHO recruits members according to what a member does or wants IC-ly and if that fits in his/ her guild based on the RP of the guild itself. In other words, if the RP of the member and the guild differ too much, then a good leader should have already known this by communicating and interviewiing a new recruit, and not have that recruit as a member.

With a leader as an "organizing" entity instead of a dictator: I agree on that, though it should be described more specificly: "organizing" here does mean, creating an evironment for the members where many things are possible for the members, but it should not automatically mean that a leader should organize events in order to be a good leader, these events should not be necessary in order to achieve that, but should always be seen as "extras".

A good leader should also "rectify" members when they do things that are not allowed or makes the guild look bad. This should always be done in a mild and kind manner by the leader.

That's just my 2 cents

[Mekora]

In a remarkably short answer, the effective guild leader should be active. Playing at the very least 5 times a week. Once this is accomplished consistently, they can work on all the other areas that they feel can better themselves as leader.

[potare]

Like your leader but playing 7 days a week he is a good leader

[Sangwa]

First of all a leader must recognize his members and his/hers objective. Without knowing those two items there isn't leadership. It doesn't matter if he is kind to them, or demanding, he must know who they are, what they do and what's the point. If he knows this, then he can manage motivation and concentration. Members should have an identity within that they don't want to lose and that identity has to do with what is expected of them and with their own expectations from the guild. This last part is obviously linked with the main objective.

Leadership is about the relation of hierarchic fields and this relation is strictly dependent on the cells that compose it: members, resources and objective and thus the maximum optimal values will often come in different units for different relations studied. This is why it's hard to find qualities that transverse all the different types of possible relations involving leadership.

LigH this "organization" you speak of is knowing what you have in hands and managing it. Though the successful cases can vary from 2 hierarchic levels with an absolute leader and 12 hierarchic levels with a vote system... There's not a type (strict or relaxed) of organization that is always better.

I'd say a mix of intuition, rational thought and social awareness always helps... Since these qualities transverse all the other aspects of life as well.

[Vakachehk]

To me, a good guild leader is:

• Loyal to his/her guild members (by numerous things, if they say they will do something they will do it)
• Takes in idea(s) from any ranked member, and is honest at their answers/reasons to the idea(s)
• Is active at least 5 days a week, and is one for more than half an hour
• Isn't afraid to hand over his/hers position as leader for the benefit of the guild
• Doesn't fold (is strong and keeps going through quiet or tough times in the guild, doesn't give up)
• Is friendly with all members. Helps every member, doesn't make favourites from people who are equal.
• Tries to keep the guild active, and doesn't leave all the recruiting to other guild members
• Knows Roleplay (if on the RP server) and supports members to learn it no matter what (it is an RP server for a reason)
• A good guild leader asks what people like about his/hers leadership skills (like what Teshia is basically doing now). For example; To me a good teacher is a teacher who asks the student(s) about how they are liking their teaching techniques.

There's probably quite a few points I missed

[Perlam]

I think both Sangwa and Vakachehk made good points

[Elkarway]

I think it's important to note that while the perfect guild leader would be all of the things mentioned.  They don't exist too often.  I think the most important thing is for a guild leader to recognize his or her faults and surround himself with people who can aid him in them.

I also think that, while somebody may hold not hold the title of guild leader, they can still be, in many ways, the leader of the guild.

Earning respect, and being able to demand it but, not needing to.

[potare]

I agree with you