Reading Directions Revisited

It has been almost a year since I wrote about guild applicants' seeming inability to read the directions before applying.  This is still a source of frustration.

I'm not really surprised at this.  Human nature in general doesn't change just because another year has passed, and applicants to Tempest most likely do not peruse my year-old blog entries before applying, so I can't say they've been warned.

Recently, we had an applicant who obviously had not read the directions.  In fact, he had missed the ending of the application form, never mind the indicator to show us he had read the "Must Read Before Applying" sticky.

I was in a good mood, so I figured I'd help him out.

I told him it looked like he had missed the end of the application and asked him if he had read the sticky, along with asking for clarification on a point where his answer had been nebulous.  His response completely ignored my first two points.  His application was not fixed, and no indicators were given.

I reminded him of those first two points.

He stated he had read the sticky and asked if he'd missed something.

I told him he had.

He finally fixed his application to include the ending portion he had previously missed.  He then proceeded to copy/paste the points in the sticky and respond to each one.  I wanted to /facepalm.

I responded with a statement thanking him for finishing his application and taking so much time to unnecessarily respond to each of the points in the sticky.  (The sticky specifically says applicants do NOT need to include it in their application . . .)  I also gave him the biggest, broadest hint I have given anyone without actually saying, "There is a key word here":  I told him I wanted to know he had read the sticky to. the. bitter. end.

I'm not sure what half of his next response meant, because it was written in language I am not in the habit of using, but it certainly did not show he had read the sticky to. the. bitter. end.

By this time, I was seriously wondering about his capability to notice details or follow directions at all.

I'm probably making too much of this.  Then again, our sticky does say that failure to read it in its entirety will result in an automatic denial of the application.

Maybe I should go do something else for a while, instead of staring at his application, thinking he must be genetically programmed against recognizing hints.  Hmmmm, I could dig in my refrigerator, find the apples which are starting to get a little too old to just cut and eat, and make an "apple pie" . . .

The Healer Dilemma

I fear I have discontent brewing in the healer ranks, centering around the needs of the raid vs the desires of the healers.

Putting together a 25-man raid is a balancing act.  You know that almost always, some people will be out.  Work will call them away, family will call them away, hockey practice or other activities will call them away, or their ISP will have problems, and their lag will be unsufferable.  It makes sense, then, to have more people on your roster than you can slot at the same time, to handle these unexpected happenings, lest a particular night be that night when you just don't have enough people to raid.

On the other hand, you can't have the same people waiting in the wings all the time.  I understand the absolute torture of being in Vent and not being in the instance when a new boss is about to go down.  I tend to go fishing if I am waiting on the bench, because I feel I am at least accomplishing something, even if I am grinding my teeth while doing it.  I know others, however, who have spent their entire bench time hopping from bench to bench in the Auction House.  Require someone to experience that enough, and that person will look elsewhere to raid.

Our raid leaders decided a while back that every member of the raid who showed up needed to have some time working on bosses each raiding week.  In this way, everyone gets a chance to play, and everyone learns the enounters, both recruits and members.  Also, this allows us to gear our newer recruits, as well, who can come in during encounters when the members do not need gear, if they have been sitting.  This means that everyone at one time or another takes their turn sitting out, including the officers.  (Hey, we try to lead by example . . .)

After all, what does the raid need?  The raid needs people to fill the ranks who know what they are doing and who are geared enough to handle it.  The best way we know of at this time to accomplish this is to have more healers (or other raiders) on our roster than the bare minimum required for a raid and rotate them in and out when they are there to allow everyone the chance to play.

Here's where it gets a little puzzling--a mixed blessing:  my healers have very good attendance, unlike some of the other roles.  No problem, right?  Be thankful we aren't short healers, right?  (Believe me, as Healing Lead, I've rejoiced that the healers are so diligent.)  But this means that we need to rotate healers on a regular basis.

Up to now, I've relied heavily on the generosity, good will, and team spirit of the healers to volunteer to sit out in favor of others in the raid.  But not all people have the same generosity and team spirit.  Not all are as dedicated as others to the progression of the raid and the guild as a whole.  Therefore, not all volunteer.

This inequity causes resentment on the part of those who do volunteer.  They see that they are sacrificing for the good of the raid, but others are not.  Why, then, should they make the effort when the same requirement is not made of others?

It is a valid point.  When we have recruited people, we have explained that we do not recruit people to sit on a bench and that everyone will rotate in and out.  We try to allow people to be in for bosses they need as much as possible, while recognizing that not everyone may be able to be in for every boss they want.  It was simpler in late Wrath, when everyone had pretty much all the badges they wanted and needed only a piece here or there to flesh out their Heroic set.  But at this point in Cataclysm, self-interest is high, and I have found that when someone who does not volunteer is sat (for the first time in Cataclysm raiding history) they may not react well, to put it mildly.

It does not matter that I might remind them that I, as an officer, was sitting for the guild first Atramedes kill.  I had been late that day because my daughters had a regularly-scheduled activity.  Could I have logged on and demanded to be put in the raid, especially after having been there for two weeks' worth of wiping?  Absolutely.  Would the raid leader have put me in?  Most likely yes; I'm the Healing Lead and I have the right and responsibility to select the healers for encounters.  But I have a certain sense of fairness and right which did not allow me to demand to be in solely on the basis of my seniority and rank, kicking people out who had been working on the fight for the previous half hour just for my vanity.  Whom would I have kicked?  Whom would I have denied the chance to see the kill, just so I could be in the screenshot?  Could I have lived with myself, knowing I had been so selfish, when I hope that the other healers will be generous with each other?  (Now, did I enjoy sitting out?  Not on your life.  Did I grumble to one friend?  Yes.  Did my husband see me cry?  Not going to tell you that one.  But doing what is right is not always easy.)

Now I have to tackle something else which is not easy.  I have to figure out a better rotation schedule for my healers.  At this point, I am going to stop asking for volunteers, with the vain hope that everyone will respond with generous impulses.  (If someone pipes up, volunteering to sit for someone else, I will probably work with them, because I do want to encourage that kind of generous impulse.  But I won't expect it.)  Everyone will sit at one point or another, whether they want to or not.  The majority of our healers agreed to this condition when they joined the raid.  (A few pre-date the practice, but to be honest, those who pre-date are among the generous.  After all, they have proven their loyalty to the best interest of the guild over tiers' worth of raiding.)

My husband, who has managed multi-million dollar companies for at least the last eight years, cautioned me against making my rotation too rigid.  "You don't want to tie your hands by attempting to 'dummy-proof' the system," he told me.  "If you publish a schedule, it will make it difficult for you to use your best judgment in each situation, because you will be bound to the published rotation.  Give yourself the room to be able to make adjustments as is appropriate for the raid at each encounter."

He's right, of course.  If I had to make adjustments to a posted schedule because someone's ISP wasn't working or because someone simply did not show up, it could cause grumbling.  (In addition, I could see a possibility that someone who wasn't slotted for the first couple bosses may not show up until later in the raid.)  So my rotation will not be published, but will be on my desk, where I can juggle things if necessary, but also keep track of who has been in and who has been out for each encounter.  In this manner, I hope to be able to better manage the healer rotations to accomplish the goal of guild progression and the supplemental goal of raider development.

Wish me luck.  Learning leadership is a constant progression . . .



Totally unrelated picture of my Val'anyr birdie . . .



Failure of Leadership

Last night, I failed as a leader.

We had a new recruit--a melee dps--who was friendly and eager to fit in with the guild.  He had been open, talkative, willing to share pictures on the guild forum, and so forth.  Perhaps he was trying a little too hard, but at least he was trying.

This weekend, he decided to post on his usually dead class section of the forum with some information on tanking.  One guild member almost immediately followed with something to the effect of "Haha, dps player teaches you to tank."  I recognized that as a juvenile response, but sometimes forums are like that, so I didn't worry about it.

What crossed the line was when that guild member and one other harrassed him about it in guild chat.  Right away, I whispered the first instigator, telling him that at least the recruit had posted, and if he wanted to teach it, he could post, himself.  He did not respond to me, although he did stop typing in chat.

Where I failed was in not calling out the harrassers publicly in guild chat.  If I had done so, the recruit would have known he was not alone, and it would have set an example for any other guild members who might feel inclined to join in the harrassment activity.  (I suspect there may have been more which I did not witness.)  The message would have been clearly sent that harrassment of other members is not tolerated in our guild.  (As we are stating in our policies.)  In trying to be sensitive to the feelings of the wrongdoer, I failed to address the needs of the harrassed.

This is something for which I should have drawn from my experience as a mother.  When one daughter gets upset at another and puts her down, especially in front of other other sisters, I do get on her case in full hearing of all, for similar reasons.  The girls need to know that denigrating a sister is not tolerated, and the sister needs to know that Mom is defending her right to be treated fairly.  (Any root issues are addressed separately.)

But recently, there was a misunderstanding in guild by which I allowed myself to be hurt and become a little gun-shy.  I was afraid of appearing over-bearing in trying to encourage members to be courteous with each other, and so I did not do as much as I was first inclined to do.  This was wrong of me.  I needed to get over it and recognize that what is right to do is right to do, no matter the reactions of other people.  (Hey, I'm a Mormon; doing what I believe is right despite the reactions of others is something I have had to live with my entire life.  You'd think I would be immune by now.)

Shortly afterward, the recruit left the guild.  While I understand the first few weeks in a guild are a trial period, intended to allow both the guild and the recruit to decide on the fitness of the match, I feel I could have done more to help this recruit integrate into the guild.  I especially regret having a recruit leave under the cloud of mistreatment from other guild members, as it is a point of pride that our guild habitually treats members with patience and courtesy.

Leaders must have the courage to stand up and be ready to take bullets, if necessary.  I did not, and there was a price paid.

To the credit of the initial instigator, he did return to the forums and delete his post, as well as apologize to the recruit who had left.  This was good on his part, and shows his heart is essentially in the right place, but the damage had already been done.

The Rule of Law

Laws can be pesky things.  Once they are set, they must be followed until they are changed in their proper order.  Professor Li Shuguang states, ". . . under the rule of law the law is preeminent and can serve as a check against the abuse of power."

Guilds do not usually have "laws", but they may have "policies" which serve a similar purpose.  The policies are intended to set a standard way for the guild to operate, whether it is concerning acceptance into the guild, invitations to the raids, loot handling, or disciplinary actions.  Having policies in place puts everyone in the guild on an equal footing: the officers are bound to follow them (or "uphold the law") and the members know what to expect and what is expected of them.  Can the guild leaders make decisions which completely ignore the policies?  Yes, but not without consequences.

When members do not do those things expected of them, it is perfectly reasonable for certain consequences to follow.  And when they do follow, the member has little room in which to complain, for it was laid out in the policy to which everyone agreed. (By virtue of remaining in the guild, the members agree to the policies.)

When officers do not follow the established written policy, the members lose respect for their leadership. Members may develop cynical attitudes toward the leadership, because they do not know what to expect from them on any given day.  They may become disgruntled and see favoritism in the actions of the officers, whether or not it was intended.  The officers may justifiably be called capricious or arbitrary.  And in a raiding guild, their discontent may be passed on in whispers to other raid members, thus undermining discipline and commitment--cutting to the heart of the common goal of the guild.

If the officers hope to maintain order, loyalty, and respect in the guild, they must follow the written policies they have established, even if they are not sure they want to do it.  If they find a problem in the policy, the policy may be changed, but changing it on the spot, after expectations have been set, is no better than not following the policy to begin with.  All things must be done in wisdom and order.

One of the biggest complaints I have read (or personally heard) about guild officers in various guilds is their unwillingness to follow their own policies or their unwillingness to establish policies.  On the Guild Relations Forum, the first question asked of those complaining about guild leaders' decisions is, "What is your guild policy?"  If the guild leader's actions are in keeping with guild policy, the judgement is that the member agreed to those conditions when he joined the guild, and so the guild leader acted appropriately.  If the guild leader's actions are contrary to established, written guild policy, those on the forum agree that the member would be justified in either bringing up the case to the guild leader for reconsideration or in leaving the guild in search of one with better leadership (especially if there is a pattern).

A guild is a voluntary organization, held together only by common goals and mutual respect.  Members stay because they believe the guild will help them meet their gaming goals and they will be treated fairly.  Each person's definition of "fair" may be different, but by establishing and following a written policy, the leaders may attract and keep those who have goals and expectations in line with those of the guild. If the guild fails in either of these areas, the members will seek other guilds which meet these criteria. 

These words were written by the House of Commons to King Charles I of England, after the king had made proclamations which appeared to be contrary to established law.  They illustrate the importance placed on defined and consistent leadership:

Amongst many other points of happiness and freedom which your majesty's subjects of this kingdom have enjoyed under your royal progenitors, kings and queens of this realm, there is none which they have accounted more dear and precious than this, to be guided and governed by the certain rule of the law which giveth both to the head and members that which of right belongeth to them, and not by any uncertain or arbitrary form of government....

King Charles I was eventually beheaded.

Reading the Directions

At the top of our guild application, there is a statement saying, "Make sure you have read the sticky entitled 'MUST READ *BEFORE* APPLYING.'"

Notice the all caps and the asterisks in the title of the sticky.  It's hard to miss.  In addition, this statement is set in bold and italics. (If I could have figured out how to change the font size in an edit, I would have done that, too.)

I probably should have included, "If you do not read it, I will know.  I can see inside your brain," or something like that.  I will, you know.  I will know if they read it, or at least, if they read it and paid attention to the details.

Guild officers sticky things for a reason.  This one has been there since, well, since before I applied.  It states the general attitude requirements, preparation requirements, and so forth expected of raiders in the guild, so that hopefully those who do not fit the bill will not waste our time applying.

To be completely honest, I do not expect that those who do not have a "Guild First" attitude will admit this, as it may be perceived to be in their best selfish interests to get into a guild with a good deal of ICC Heroic encounters on farm.  At least it gives the guild officers grounds to kick them later on when they show their true colors.  (This is usually not necessary, to be honest.  People who are obviously selfish tend to be either marginalized by the guild members or become bored with the normal pace of raiding and eventually leave on their own.)

The sticky which is required reading points out that raiding requires a certain amount of attention span which can be demonstrated by reading the sticky in its entirety.  I might add that it shows a willingness to pay attention to details, instead of going through life haphazardly.  Reading the sticky also demonstrates respect to the guild and the guild officers, instead of blowing off a request which, as the sticky points out, can auto-deny an applicant.

But in the time since I have started keeping track of this, only about two of the dozen or so applicants have read the sticky.

I heard this once:  "The woman who does not read is no better off than the woman who cannot read."  (Yes, it applies to you men, too . . .)  C'mon, people, read the directions . . .

Note:  I did finally figure out how to change the font size; it required actually editing the code.  Maybe people will notice it now . . . figure the odds . . .

Pulling Weeds

When I take a walk at the facility at work, I often find myself pulling weeds in the sidewalk cracks.  Yes, I'll be walking along in my black dress skirt, black and white patterned blouse, dangly earrings, and 2 3/4-inch patent heels, and I'll be pulling weeds.

I've learned that there are some weeds which are not easy to pull.  Some of the varieties of grass, for example, become firmly ensconced and spread their roots wide, while keeping the length of its leaves low.  I know if I try to pull those, the tops of the leaves will be broken off and my fingers will end up scraped on the pavement, while the roots will remain, ready to produce more leaves the next day.

Other weeds, however, have a single root and come up easily, even if we have had no rain.  Some stand up straight and are simple to grasp.  Others have leaves which spread, but which are easily removed by simply gathering the leaves together to show where the central root is located.  When I spot one of those weeds, I cannot pass it without removing it.  (The landscaping crew would be grateful, I'm sure, because if the weeds are left too long, they have to come by with weed killer.)

Some of my co-workers think I am crazy or have OCD.  I call it "taking pride in the facility."  After all, a little effort on my part which doesn't take an appreciable amount of my time helps to polish the place and create a good impression for visitors.

I'm sure my husband would like it if I paid as much attention to detail in my housekeeping . . .

So what does this have to do with WoW?

Just like the weeds, problems can be pulled out of the cracks early and prevented to become large and unsightly, with deep roots.  This applies to either personal, social issues (like the time some time ago where someone had an unreasonable expectation that I really wanted his off-color whispers), or to leadership matters (such as the time some time ago when the guild leadership stopped a conversation in raid bordering on harrassment about my religion, because the guild has a "no harrassment" policy.)

This can also be applied to performance issues.  Is that new healer just not "getting" it?  An experienced player giving them some advice can set them on the road to good habits, if they are willing to listen and learn.  Just discovered that you don't know as much about your class as you think you did?  Stop, do some reading, and start moving in the right direction before you become so ingrained in the wrong one that changing directions is cumbersome.

It is no surprise that problems are a lot easier to solve when they are small than to wait until they become large.  If you have to call in the weed killer, there could be collateral damage.

Officership

So I've started on my next big adventure in World of Warcraft: being a responsible part of an officer corps.

To be honest, I've held the rank of officer in a previous guild--more a social guild than a raiding one--but I do not really think that counts. My promotion to officer there was more an acknowledgement that I had earned seniority, rather than because I had any sort of duty to perform. That doesn't mean I did nothing at all. I tended to be the behind-the-scenes counselor, helping guildies work out issues, passing on concerns to the guild master, etc. I had stuck by the guild through at least three splinterings, watching people break off en masse to form their own guilds and then come sheepishly back when they realized that running a guild was not as easy as it looked. (It was a point of pride for the guild master that, "They always come back.")

Because of that experience and because of the things I have read on the Guild Relations forum, I have become a strong believer that guild officers need jobs, and if there isn't a job to be done, a promotion to officer is not necessary. This is why, whenever someone would tell me, "They should make you an officer," I would laugh and tell them that seniority was not a good reason to make someone an officer.

But for the last few weeks, I have had a job. I am the healing officer, in charge of organizing the healers, helping them, making recommendations, etc.

The idea was a little scary at first, but only because it was new. I knew I could do it, and I knew that once I got some practice, I would settle into the position well. Part of me was concerned, simply because I did not have a bunch of level 80 healing alts, so I did not intuitively know all the abilities of each class, as Dreg used to be able to do. But self-confidence and self-esteem come from meeting and surpassing challenges, not from sitting back with one's feet propped up, drinking hot chocolate. (Yum!)

I have heard and I believe that hard work can make up for lack of natural talent. And so I determined to overcome my lack of natural talent by hard work.

In addition to the research I have done (and still do), I have a couple of people in the guild whose suggestions have been invaluable.  I truly appreciate their insights in helping me understand their classes better.  After all, many minds working on the same problem can bring more ideas and more possibilities to the table.  And I think it is working out, so far.  (It will get better from here . . .)

I know there is more to being in a leadership position than the obvious.  Recently I caught a glimpse of another side of officership: the part where you have to put up with the less desirable traits of people you cannot ignore.

I had a particular person whispering me over and over, telling me that so-and-so obviously was having a bad night and was not performing as well as he should be, so I should sit him and bring in the whisperer, who would, basically, shine and save the day . . . I finally told him the truth: that while I can offer suggestions, I'm not the one who ultimately decides who is brought in to the raid.  Then he stopped whispering me about it.

What does this tell me?

1. It tells me that the whisperer thinks I obviously need help to see that someone is not performing well.  This indicates to me that the whisperer does not particularly respect my abilities, which, admittedly, cuts a bit into my pride, but which is more annoying than insulting.

Now, as I've said, I don't mind suggestions from people who can offer insights.  But please, offer help directly and in a manner which will benefit the entire raid, even if it does not involve you.  My most valued advisor will sometimes suggest that he be sat for an encounter to bring in a player with an ability which may possibly be more helpful in downing the boss.  This is the kind of attitude which lets an officer know you really are trying to help the raid, not just working for your own ends.

2. It tells me that the whisperer is not above cutting down his fellow guildies to get what he wants.  This disgusts, rather than impresses me.  Cream rises naturally to the top; it doesn't have to beat the milk to the bottom.

Later on in the evening, I vented a little about this to my husband, who is the director of a training facility with something around 70 employees.  He laughed and said, "Welcome to command, Honey!"

I stuck my tongue out at him.