A Guild Leader's doubt.
Posted 08-27-2009 at 02:42 PM by Krim
For those that read my last blog, you would've saw that my guild, Empire, is coming along just fine. Last night was our first raid night. We downed Naxx 10, destroying the Arachnid quarter in 20 mins, got the 3 minute Patchwerk achievement, and came very close to the Undying (Thaddius and Heigan. Ugh.) After that, we went on and downed Malygos in 7 mins. However, after a talk with my officers regarding how the raid went as a whole, I started doubting whether or not I'm totally capable of leading a raiding guild.
I'm not sure if other guild leaders have these doubts, but I guess the main source of it is the fact that I'm very critical of myself. I tend to have this idea that I can usually go above and beyond what is usually expected, especially in terms of being a guild leader. In regards to last night, my tanking was alright, but there could've definitely been some improvements. As a raid leader, I was already disappointed to see that people were already not bringing flasks and food, and our DKP system seems to be...well, not as relative as I would like it to be. There are definitely going to be some changes in the future.
Also, I take my guild very personally, which I guess is a good thing. I mean, I should, shouldn't I? It's only been 3 months, but I've fallen deeply in love with the guild as a whole, and feel we have a very good group of people. In my guild, I've tried to establish that one of our philosophies is that newcomers and veterans to raiding can essentially raid together. The thought being, well, anyone can learn how to be an effective raider.
But is it worth it? Our server has many good raiding guilds, so my only real chance to get new recruits is those that have just hit 80, or those that are fairly new to the raiding game. I'm no newcomer myself (been raiding since Karazhan<3), and the thought of helping new guys out just makes me feel better as a person. But I feel like I'm letting the veterans down, that I'm holding them back from their true potential, especially since before we started raiding I stressed that we would progress quickly and that people holding us back from that goal would not be slotted until they showed definite improvement. So which comes first: The new guys or the veterans? It's a hard choice, especially since I do not like to play favorites and I try my best to be fair and unbiased.
So I ask you, all my Tankspot guild leaders, have you had doubts at leading your own guilds? Was it earlier in the forming of it, or later on? And how did you overcome your own personal doubts and lead the guild to become something you and your members can be proud of?
I'm not sure if other guild leaders have these doubts, but I guess the main source of it is the fact that I'm very critical of myself. I tend to have this idea that I can usually go above and beyond what is usually expected, especially in terms of being a guild leader. In regards to last night, my tanking was alright, but there could've definitely been some improvements. As a raid leader, I was already disappointed to see that people were already not bringing flasks and food, and our DKP system seems to be...well, not as relative as I would like it to be. There are definitely going to be some changes in the future.
Also, I take my guild very personally, which I guess is a good thing. I mean, I should, shouldn't I? It's only been 3 months, but I've fallen deeply in love with the guild as a whole, and feel we have a very good group of people. In my guild, I've tried to establish that one of our philosophies is that newcomers and veterans to raiding can essentially raid together. The thought being, well, anyone can learn how to be an effective raider.
But is it worth it? Our server has many good raiding guilds, so my only real chance to get new recruits is those that have just hit 80, or those that are fairly new to the raiding game. I'm no newcomer myself (been raiding since Karazhan<3), and the thought of helping new guys out just makes me feel better as a person. But I feel like I'm letting the veterans down, that I'm holding them back from their true potential, especially since before we started raiding I stressed that we would progress quickly and that people holding us back from that goal would not be slotted until they showed definite improvement. So which comes first: The new guys or the veterans? It's a hard choice, especially since I do not like to play favorites and I try my best to be fair and unbiased.
So I ask you, all my Tankspot guild leaders, have you had doubts at leading your own guilds? Was it earlier in the forming of it, or later on? And how did you overcome your own personal doubts and lead the guild to become something you and your members can be proud of?
Total Comments 6
Comments
-
You'll have ups and downs. That's natural. Even the best guilds have bad times, which is why you will sometimes see the "top" guild on the server fall apart.
One thing I'll warn you about... monitor your loot system. You mentioned you're using DKP. You need to address what happens when you start seeing huge DKP disparities in the guild. Will you implement some type of decay system? Towards the end of my last guild, we had a problem where longtime members had considerably more DKP than new folks. That's fine in the short-term, but what do you do when someone hasn't logged on in three weeks, comes back, and *still* has more DKP than anyone else? ie, they earned it all in Naxx, and now are spending like crazy in Ulduar.
Just something to think about.Posted 08-27-2009 at 03:24 PM by Kalbitang 
-
As a guild master who built his guild from nothing at the start of wrath I can tell you that there are going to be many times that you doubt yourself, where you doubt your ablility as a leader, there are going to be times when you feel like it's all too much to deal with or that it's not worth the effort. This is natural, what you need to do here is vent your frustrations outside of the guild and look to the solution. It is very important that you do not let your concerns flow into your guild as this will probably cause low morale.
I applaud you for being considerate of your members, in my opinion caring about your members is the most important thing. However this must be tempered with a strong back bone! If you have said to your members that they will be replaced if they do not perform then replace them. This does not mean you have to be a douche about the whole situation. Talk to the person in whispers, tell them you have concerns about their performance, tell them where they are falling down and point them somewhere they can consult to fix the issue.
I say look after your veterans, these are the people that do the work, these are the people that drag the newbies through the content, these are the people who make your guild what it is. New people are a dime a dozen and many of them will probably move on else where. A guild is not someones lively hood, there are plenty of other places these people can go to raid.
If you don't look after your veterans and do right by them then they will leave and you will join the multitudes of guilds who simply act as a ferris wheel that new players jump on the start their raiding career before moving on to more progressed guilds.
One thing you are going to have to recognise is that it is going to be very hard for you to attract high quality raiders, most of these people are going to be in top tier 25 man guilds or will be seeking to join them. Do not set your expectations too high at first, gradually raise them over time as your guild moves higher and higher up the ladder.Posted 08-27-2009 at 11:59 PM by Rhyseh - I was glad to see this question, and these answers here... as I've recently come into my own guild ... not a raiding guild, but a guild which does raid on a regular basis... and I was starting to have many of the same questions.
Posted 08-28-2009 at 07:54 AM by Karisita - First off...always applaud yourself and your guild for acheivements that you make. While Naxx 10 isn't the upper end of raiding anymore in Wrath, the first few raids even with experienced raiders can be testy.
As far as doubts...internally you will always question yourself and wonder if you could have done things better/differently. Thats normal, and it shows that you are concerned with the direction and growth of your guild. Don't however air your doubts out to the guild. Own your decisions you make in guild/raid. If it turns out to be a bad one, make sure you take responsibilty and learn from it...rethink your plan, and again...own your next decision.
Your core members and veterans are your best allies, and your biggest crutch. They are going to tell you, quite candidly at times what they like and don't like...but like what was mentioned above, you have to have a backbone, even with our friends when things start going outside the lines. Listen to your vets, listen to your new members, and stick to your decisions. If you start bending and breaking your own rules, or second guessing your decisions in the middle of a raid, things are likely to start getting out o control. Change the rules or flip flop on your decisions, and noone is going to be on the same page when new policies are addressed....and people are going to just do things the way they have always done them because there is no foundation.
Best of luck...and again, be proud of the small steps, and enjoy the ride.Posted 08-28-2009 at 10:13 AM by Lorvak -
I started my raiding guild after being in a guild that did not set clear guidelines and rules for raiding. Things changed frequently and many folks were allowed to bring/do pretty much whatever they wanted. So, my first suggestion is to set clearly defined rules and develop a "mission" statement to give your guild direction. For me, I wanted to take the emphasis off of loot. So, I told every person who I knew previously or were "blind apps" that loot isn't important in this guild, downing bosses is. If your concerned about loot... go somewhere else. Because of that, people actively talk about loot when it drops... often passing if its a major upgrade for another member. Ethos is important.
Secondly, I've found having a complicated leadership structure counter productive. I personally do not have any class leaders in my guild. I expect everyone to be up on their class, or ask others in their class for tips. I have two officers, which exist solely for administrative purposes. They fill in as raid leaders when I'm not available, get mats out of the bank, invite alts, etc. Too many chiefs can spell a disaster for your guild.
Thirdly, after defining your rules and "ethos," make sure people feel like they can talk with you openly. You don't have to entertain every suggestion, but if you think someone has a good idea, bring it up to the guild at large. Communication is key, as well as making people feel like they are involved in the process.
Finally, when you make decisions, make them final. Also, make sure they don't conflict with the rules you put into effect.
Our guild isn't super hardcore, we raid 25mans only twice a week, but we do what we set out to do: down bosses and progress. We are now solidly in the top 5 raiding guilds in our faction on our server. However, I still worry about how the guild will do in the future, and I think that's natural for a good GL. Have confidence in yourself, and people will have confidence in you.Posted 08-31-2009 at 05:07 AM by Spiritus 
- While I think it's important to value your veterans, I think one thing you see constantly in WoW are folks who are best friends one day, and then becomes strangely hostile the next.
When my old guild hit a rough spot, we had some folks who wanted to help out, but we also had a lot of veterans who said they were sick of Naxx and refused to run it to help gear up new folks. We had an officer, who, at the first sign of trouble try to rob the guild bank overnight.
Any guild is going to have growing pains, and your ultimate goal is to create a stable, fun group. Your veterans might be a great resource, but they can also turn into the venom that slowly kills your guild. Do any of them consider themselves to be above your other guild members? I'm sure everyone who has seen guild officers who try to hoard everything for themselves, try to gear their alts over other members, etc.
Sometimes I think a lot of WoW is dumb luck. Being at the right place, right time. Maybe you found someone in a PUG, who ended up being one of your best players, etc. So, I don't think you should necessarily dismiss someone because their "timing" might have been a little off.
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is value your veterans, but remember, if you want fresh blood to join, you have to make it appealing to them, as well.
Probably didn't help you much. Being involved with guild management is painful, because it's managing people, and we all know that people are generally stupid and immature.
Posted 08-31-2009 at 02:12 PM by Kalbitang
