Raiding and Running a guild

So you think you can run a guild huh? You think you can control hundreds of people and convince them to coexist happily in a family atmosphere while at the same time raiding? Hahahaha if you have and if you can run this type of guild you know exactly what i feel every single day... I've been told for years that you cannot have a casual raiding guild get very far. I have scoffed at that notion but I do see the challenges that you have to face if you decide to be that type of guild. You must have dedication, skill and experience to complete some of the harder instances in the game. Having a guild that doesn't hardcore raid you have a mix of some people that want to raid, when they feel like it, and some that are there EVERY day ready to raid. You have some people that want to be social and joke around, and some that are hardnose and wanting only to get loot or beat the end boss. How do you balance this into a cohesive unit that one day can kill Hodir, and the next have a party on top of Ironforge.

My guild, Wayward Enforcers, has a roster of over 300 people. Granted there are a number of alts within the guild but there are so many different people, each with their own personalities, background, history and playing style. Each pays his or her money in order to play a game, so they each get satisfaction in their own way. Saying this as a Guild Leader I have surrounded myself with a mix of eclectic individuals that help me run the guild. I could not, nor would i try, to run this guild myself. It is much to big and there are so many pieces that if i tried, i'd drive myself insane instantly.

Delegation and trust in your leadership group is a must. Wayward Enforcers has Officers, Treasurers, Senior Veterans, Class Leaders, Raid Leaders, Fun event leaders, Website admins, Email admins, Twink/BG leaders, EPGP managers, 6 different 10 man team leaders, Lotto managers, and multiple advisors. While that seems like A LOT, it is all done by about 10 people all doing multiple "jobs". For instance my Treasurer is also an officer, a class leader, website admin and EPGP manager. These people not only allow me to stay sane, but also give me opportunity to do other things then lead.

As a guild leader you have to know how to do a number of things. If you want a successful and powerful guild you have to have a number of the things I'll list below.

Motivation: How do you motive people that want to do things their own way? Wow if you master this, then you probably own or run a large business and are very successful. I find that some of the same methods of motivation that work in the business world work for a guild where the only thing you get out of working your ass off is guild progress and morale. The number one thing you can do to motivate guildies is Positive Thoughts. Being positive in the face any adversity as a leadership group is paramount. Luckily, I have that type of personality at time. But i must admit it gets trying to the point of frustration. The rewards from Positive thoughts, even after wipe and wipe, really keep your people pushing forward. Our guild has a weird thing that we can wipe all day, but when we call last attempt, we really get awesome results.

A few other awesome Motivational tools are: Success, Giving your guildies a sense of belonging and importance, being clear on my intentions for people, and just having fun!

Friends: When you play a game you want to do it with friends. One of my best friends in real life started this game with me. We actually created Wayward Enforcers with a few in game friends we met. Every time we met or ran with some people we thought were cool we invited them to the guild. Over time those were most the people I ran with, because i knew i could count on them to do a particular task. If i needed a priest, Sainta was awesome and professional. If i needed a frost trap Galaran was there and wouldn't let you down. These in game relationships, to me, turned in to real life people that I could communicate with outside the game. My friend who started the guild with me eventually quit as he thought the game was too Gear Oriented (have to get gear to have fun), but we still play HALO every week (another blog topic!) So i kept pushing forward with the guild, assigning leaders and people that i knew would help get our guild to the promised land: Progression and Raiding. Over the years some of the friends i have met in game i have met in real life, not many mind you, and some that i have not met, I really don't see playing this game without them. To me, I think without the friends, I wouldn't be playing.

Raiding: In a guild that is a casual raiding guild, Wayward Enforcers is still ranked 24th on our server. Aerie Peak is one of the largest servers that run WoW and to be ranked that high when we only raid 25 man runs twice a week is pretty amazing. There have been times when some guildies wanted more, so they left to a "hardcore" raiding guild. Most of the time they ask to come back as most "hardcore" raiding guilds want nothing to do with you unless its raid day, and even that they may or may not care much for you. But quickly, for those that left and have found it greener on the other pasture, i wish you well... You are paying real money, so do with it as you please. I have to worry about the people that are still here, and want to be here. These are the people that i have to find ways to make happy. I think that the best way is to make sure that when we do raid, we do it right. I have two main raid leaders whom I have entrusted the meat of our raids to and they have not let me down. While the other guild leaders have a large say in what we do and how we do it, the raid leaders communicate with me and then push through with their plans. The people that want to raid are there, we do not penalize for not signing up, but if you sign up.. you better bet there. This type of raiding can and has lead to some people just blowing raids off, and this is where we have issues. But success in raiding makes it worth it, and we have done quite well.

Responsibility and Respect: As WE are not in the top 10 on the server, we haven't done any world or server firsts, we haven't cleared Ulduar or even seen Mimron on 25 man yet, but what we have done and who we are as a guild is respected through out the Server. When people speak of our server I have only heard good things. The main thing i tell a guildie when he/she joins or in meetings is to have fun and do what you want, but.. when you are running with people outside the guild, or you are in trade chat or whatever... you represent yourself as a member of our guild. If you act like a dick, that makes the guild look like a dick. If you help people, they will remember you and your guild. I have had lots of kudos given to guildies by other guild leaders and that makes me want to keep going. It is my responsibility to make sure the guildies are doing what they should and its their responsibility to represent Wayward Enforcers in the best light possible. This has worked out so well, its almost easy.

You will notice that i tend to ramble. I wanted to hit a few key points but I will stop after the next one.

The biggest thing I see out of all the 100's of things that go on in a guild is drama. Lord i hate drama, and people can create drama out of NOTHING. It taxes me to no end, and some people even like drama. As if it is their gift to create and spread drama. Dealing with this is probably the key to a successful and happy guild. The best way to deal with drama is communication. Talk to whoever is creating drama and whoever is pushing back on that drama. Communicate in a way that both sides don't feel attacked and let your leaders know what is going on. Some drama you cannot fix, that could lead to /gquits or /ignores. We have a 24 hr rule that if a person /gquits they have 24 hrs to rejoin with no questions asked. This gives people time to chill out and relax.

I think the most underused skill of dealing with guild drama or even your own internal game drama is talking to your friends. I cant tell you how many times just talking about your issues with a trusted guildie will not only resolve your issue, but make you feel that much better about the game. It has saved me from having to take an extended break or even quitting. Thanks you all, you know who you are.

Ok.. as I have rambled on i wonder how many people have completed reading this. Tell me what you think. Add your own opinions.. make it count.