Psh. We played a game of paper rock scissors.

Loser got GM.

I haven't led any guilds here (too smart for that now ), but I was raidleader and the most vocal officer (we didn't have a guild leader) of a high-end raiding guild in EQ for years. I've also managed (technical) people for 7 years IRL.

Outside of the (excellent) advice already given here, I would just add:


(1) Communicate often to the guild, even if it's "known" stuff

Particularly in times of stress (uncertainty, unhappiness), people need to know that someone is at the helm and is thinking ahead -- even if there's no new news to add.


(2) Use your officers

Ok I lied, this was said before, but needs to be said again. The worst way to run a guild is to refuse to delegate. Sounds like you're starting with a good set, so you're in a very good position there.


(3) Manage burnout

This goes along with #2. The best managers (IRL) can leave their team, suddenly, for a few weeks, and come back and everything was just working. This also means they *can* leave and take a break.

Burnout is the worst danger you face. Build up sufficient delegation and automation into the guild so if you take breaks it can keep running -- and then take those breaks.


(4) Your job is to make the tough decisions - make them

Firing someone is always tough, but if you don't, the good people leave. Remember that no decision (and inaction) is a decision (and an action) -- there's no escape, so think about it, make what you feel is the best call, and stick by it (unless it's really clear you're wrong, then don't be afraid to say 'I'm wrong' publically and step back from it.)

Reading all this, I realize that I'd quite like having a non-public forum specifically dedicated to guild leadership affairs for guild leaders and officers only. I guess being excluded from something many would find interesting wouldn't sit well with a lot of people though.

I'm not sure how you could run a guild without one.

If your leadership can't speak freely in private, you'll have a lot more trouble keeping the guild on an even keel. In general the rule I follow is disagree in private, but support each other in public. The guild gains absolutely nothing from officers bickering in public over decisions they supposedly all agreed on.

Absolutely.

An officer forum is critical imho, (and a Class Leader forum is bloody useful as well) and a large part of your decision making process will be facilitated by having a forum that you can discuss issues that quite simply, can't be discussed with everyone. From a practical standpoint, while there's a time and a place for a guild-wide poll, or some such, for the majority of your decisions you'll only need to discuss it with the small team of guys that have the guild itself as their top priority.

I mean an EJ-level community forum for guildleaders and officers...jeez

Not to mention that who has leadership is somewhat fluid in many guilds. Right now we have 5(?) ex-Guild Leaders + our current leader (me as of last Thursday), currently in guild and reasonably active.

Whoever's Guild Leader is really Guild Leader, but we try to let people pass leadership on rather than having people burn out... So, what peoples' current rank is might not speak eloquently in terms of their experience and capability.

And occasionally rank and influence aren't aligned; I've definitely been in situations where I had more influence over the operation of a guild than some officers, despite not even being *in* the guild.

I think many people don't feel comfortable to speak about the more intimate aspects of guildleadership due to the clear identification on this board though. But I agree that it's a bit difficult to get right. It's just a brainwave I had, at any rate

To Natasha/Mike,

Since you already got tons of good advise, allow me to point just one more obvious fact: dump the poaching policy (based on your own admission), it has already affected good guilds and it doesn't bode well...

Take care!