Guest Post: Do You Have What it Takes to be A Guild Leader?
Recently a Twitter friend of mine came to me and asked if they could anonymously guest write a post for me. I thought that it would be a great idea as this is a person who is not a GM nor an officer in their guild and can provide some insight to those of us who have a long background in guild leadership. It is always refreshing to see what the general member has to say. Over the next few days we will hear from this anonymous person (let's call her Bobette) about what it takes to be a guild leader, from a member's standpoint. I have decided to not add my commentary to these entries. Oh and before I go, remember we're running the Fun Run this Friday! Make sure to make your DK and get those quests done! See you there!
Do you have what it takes to be a guild leader?
Think about that for a minute. Many of the people who read this would probably say yes. In fact, lots of people DO say yes every day. They're the ones soliciting your signatures in all major cities and starting areas or splitting off from other guilds with their friends. Any person can start a guild and be the leader. But not everyone is able to lead.
Be a people person. The very essence of a guild is its members and if you can't get along with them, then the guild probably is going to take a downward turn, and quick. You need to be friendly to your members, promote cooperation and inspire your members to do better. If you're crabby and hate it when people send you tells asking a question about a quest, seeing if they can get something out of the guild bank, whether you're available to help them start an instance run or just talk about their problems, you're probably not ready to be a guild leader. I cannot stress this enough - if you have charisma, you can go a long way, even if you have to work on the other parts of this post.
Sincerely yours. Be earnest about your relationships with your members and officers, about the guild and it's direction. Successful guilds have leaders that are leaders full time, not just when they feel like it. If you're enthusiastic about your guild, your members pick up on that and take pride in the guild as well. Enthusiasm is infectious, and that kind of infection is good.
Be active within your guild. Anyone can log on and do things for their character as they please, but when you have a guild, there is always something to do with or for it. Run instances with your members, help that lowbie with that hard quest, farm some mats for the bank, chat in guild chat or Vent. You don't have to do them all every single day, but be present within your guild. Include everyone - even the shy quiet mage over in the corner. You chose to start a guild - be active in it.
Patience is a virtue. Dealing with people is tough sometimes. Players can make huge demands of their guild leaders. Even if every member only asks for one little thing, multiply that by every member in your guild. It adds up awfully quick. Try to keep a level head when things get to be more than your patience threshold can handle: count to 10 or even step away from the game for a bit if necessary. Patience can also be in short supply when your guild is learning a raid - sometimes it takes a few tries to get a strategy down.
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