- Mvng-Fd-Dish-art -
12/24/11
-
- "Moving the Food Dish -
Being an officer in an ever-changing Known World" by Master
Aaron Swiftrunner, former Society Seneschal.
-
- NOTE: See also the files:
Guid-f-Barons-art,
2b-Chirurgeon-art, Baronial-Lead-art, Seneschal-101-art,
Confrontation-art, Politics-SCA-art, Bng-an-Officer-art.
-
- ************************************************************************
-
NOTICE -
-
- This article was submitted to
me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's
Florilegium.
- These files are available on
the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
-
- Copyright to the contents of
this file remains with the author or translator.
-
- While the author will likely
give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type
publications, please check with the author first or check for any
permissions granted at the end of this file.
-
- Thank you,
-
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li
Rous
-
stefan at florilegium.org
-
************************************************************************
-
Moving
the
Food
Dish
Being
an
officer
in
an
ever-changing
known
world
by
Master
Aaron
Swiftrunner
-
- By
Master
Aaron
Swiftrunner,
mka
George
L Reed,
former
Society
Seneschal.
Contact:
Faheud
at aol.
com.
Republished
with
permission,
December 2011.
-
- "There
is
probably
nothing
more
difficult
in
the
world
than leading
a group
of volunteers,
excepting
of course
leading
volunteers
you
cannot
see
or hear..."
Alexi
of
Novogorod,
commander
of the
Novogorod
militia
ca
1147AD
-
- Let
us
look
for
a few
moments at
how
the above
principle
can
lurk
beneath
the immense
difficulties
seneschals
-- or
anyone
who
leads
in the
SCA --
must
face.
It does
not
matter
whether
you
are
a king,
a knight,
officer,
guild
mistress,
or
a general
of an
army
-- no
people
skills
can
equal
NO people.
By people
skills,
I mean
the ability
to
communicate
what
you
mean,
mean
what
you
communicate,
make
your
staff
and
customers
feel
good
about
what's
happening,
and move
the organisation
towards
the
desired
end
without
seven-foot
trenches
where all
the heels
have
dug
in...
-
- Volunteers
are
there
because
they
want to
be,
and
can
just
as
easily
go away
if they
feel
mistrusted
or mistreated,
whether
they
actually
have
been
used
and
abused
or
not.
If communication
fails
during
the progress
of a
leader's
duties,
then they
will
soon
face
unrest,
lost
effort
and,
eventually,
failure.
-
- This
principle
is
thrice
true
in the
SCA,
where a
global
playing
community
makes
it
difficult
to reach
everyone
you
might
be
leading.
You
often
fight
a losing
battle
in
trying
to communicate
change
before
the
critics
of
the
change
can
get their
skew
of it
on the
local
email
list
-- or
even
worse
a society-wide
email
list.
The
mix
of people
attracted
to the
society
are generally
bright,
creative,
passionate,
enthusiastic,
and often
possessed
of a
powerful
ego.
These
can
make
a Kingdom,
Shire
or Barony
shine
if
channelled
well.
They can
also
leave
a smouldering
ruin
that
would
make
the
Vandals'
sack
of
Rome
look
like
amateur
hour, if
managed
poorly.
I would
like
to offer
a few
concepts
of avoiding
the pitfalls
of
managing
invisible
volunteers.
-
- Say
it,
write
it,
repeat
it,
reward
it.
-
- Tell
people
explicitly
what you
wish
to occur
and why.
Even
if compliance
is essential,
our
members
like
to feel
as
though
they
have
a choice
on
when
and
how to
participate.
Post
a summary
of
important
meetings
on
relevant
boards.
Repeat
these
summaries
with
emailed
copies
to participants
who
could
not
be there.
Get
comments
in
advance
from
key
people
who cannot
attend
a meeting.
-
People
who
feel
they
are a
part
of the
decision
will
take
ownership
for
carrying
out
the drudge
work to
make
the
good
result
happen.
People
who
feel
ignored
will
sit
on the
sidelines
questioning
the
intelligence
of those
who are
doing
the work.
-
- Catch
people
doing
something
right.
-
- Make
a big
fuss
over
people
who
work hard.
It is
always
a good
thing
to catch
people
doing
something
right.
A tiny
token
from
a new baronial
seneschal
once
transformed
a suspicious
opponent
into
my most
trusted
ally.
-
- ALWAYS
praise
in
public
and criticize
in
private!!!
-
- If
someone
does
well,
give
them
public
credit
loudly
and
often.
Don't
take
the credit
-- give
it
to the
person
who actually
did
the
work.
This
pays
off
in
a big
way over
the long
term.
When
you
need
to correct
a problem,
always
take
it
to the
back
room.
This
removes
a ton
of
pressure
from
the
person
that
you
are
working
with
and allows
for
a better
resolution
without
advanced
ego bruising,
and
prevents
people
from
being
offended
by how
you
treated
Master
Thus'n'such
at that
event.
-
- Nothing
is
harder
than being
a modern
administrator
in
a medieval
game.
-
This
is
because
you
really
do
not
have
at
your
disposal
most
of
the
'prods'
a
real
City/Shire/Baronial
leader
would
have
had.
You
cannot
effectively
treat
a
trouble-
maker
to
a
few
minutes
with
a
hot
poker.
People
should
know
that
you
as
a leader
can
become
concerned
and
take
drastic
steps,
but
if
you
do
it
often,
it
loses
impact
and
you
lose
authority.
-
- Change
is
hard.
-
- If you
move
your
dog's
dish
from
one
end of
the
house
to the
other,
they will
be
most
unhappy
and
tell
you
about it.
Try it
with
the cat's
litter
box
if
you
do not
believe
me.
Move
it
a few
feet
at a
time,
or lead
it
and
them
slowly
to the
desired
goal,
and you
chances
of genial
success
are
much
higher.
-
- Any
sentence
that
include
the
word
"but"
is not
an
apology.
-
- Nuff
said
really...
-
- Sentences
that
begin
"In
my old
[branch]
we did
it
this
way..."
are fraught
with
peril
and
to be
used
as
rarely
as
sharp
spice
in
a
palate-cleansing
sorbet.
-
In other
words...DON"T
EVER THINK
ABOUT
DOING
IT!!!
It will
not go
well...
-
- Everyone
has
good
ideas
some of
the
time.
-
- That's
why
listening
is
the
most
useful
skill
I have
ever
developed
as a
-
Seneschal.
-
- Everyone
has
bad
ideas
some
of
the
time.
-
- That's
why
a pleasant
deafness
is
perhaps
the
second-most
useful
skill
I
-
developed
as a
Seneschal.
-
- Maybe,
perhaps,
please,
thanks
are
words
of
victory
to
a
-
Seneschal....
-
- There
are
many
more,
but
I am
sure
you
get the
drift.
-
- Just
because
you
did
not
get
an answer
does not
mean
you
were
not
heard...and
just
because
you
gave
advice
does
not mean
it
will
be heeded...and
just
because
it
was
not
heeded
does
not
mean
the
person
to whom
you
spoke
was
not listening.
Nor does
it
mean
they
think
you
are
an
evil
idiot.
-
- Decision-makers
have
to make
decisions
based
upon
the
best
information
they can
get.
And
it is
not
always
the
one we
want
to hear.
-
- The
Magic
Word
is
Restraint.
-
- Let
the occasions
in
which
you
avail
yourself
of
the harsher
measure
open to
you be
rare
indeed.
A stick
rarely
used,
and
visible
on
the
tavern
wall,
is seen
by more
people
than
the
one waved
about
by someone
ignored.
-
- Never
let
them
see
you
sweat.
-
- No-one
under
your
leadership
should
ever
see
you
have
a tantrum.
Ever.
Your leadership
is
ended
once
that
happens,
even
if
it takes
you
ages
to figure
it
out.
-
- Management
by
Snit
does
not
work.
-
- Ever.
-
- Use
email
lists
with
care.
-
- The
written
word
is
very
two-dimensional,
and comes
off
as
far
more
harsh
than
you
will
ever
mean
it.
People
getting
even
a minor
criticism
can
tend to
see
the
worst
in
everything
written
to
them.
Overkill
is
not
a good
thing.
As my
Deputy
for Media
is
fond
of saying
"Don't
put
it
in
an
email
unless
you
are
willing
to read
it on
the
front
page
of the
New York
Times
with
accompanying
op-ed
pieces."
-
- Do
not
be
afraid
to
admit
error.
-
- Nothing
gained
me
as
much
respect
as
when
I told
a shire
I had
made
an
error
in judgement,
and
that
we must
work together
to fix
it. I
was
never
so
proud
of how
hard those
folks
busted
tail
to get
us back
into
good
graces
with
the
Kingdom
Seneschal.
-
- Learn!
-
- After
anything
remotely
major,
do a
debrief.
Look
for
what
went
right
and what
went
wrong.
Send
out award
recommendations
to your
Crown
for
what people
did
right,
be
sympathetic
with
and
include
the wisdom
from
those
that
had
things
go wrong.
Try
to figure
out
how
you
could
have
done it
better
or
avoided
it
going
wrong,
and write
it
down
somewhere
useful.
The
only
stupid
mistake
is
one
you
are
making
for
a second
time.
-
- Do
formal
things
with
formality.
-
- If you
are
appointing
advisors
etc,
get
the whole
group
together
and do
it
with
a flourish.
Things
done with
seriousness
and ceremony
are
treated
with
deference
by all
who
observe
it.
-
- When
the
backstabbers
come
lurking....
-
Draw
them
out
of
hiding
by cheerfully
discussing
their
concerns
with
them at
a large
meeting.
Having
a rational
discussion
with
an
obvious
political
opponent
increases
your
credibility
by
an
order
of
magnitude.
-
- Subtlety
should
not
be
a lost
art.
-
- Let
your
people
have
enough
information
to draw
the
correct
conclusion
and
then
reward
them
for
their
brilliant
plan.
If your
people
look
great
and
feel
great,
you
are
great.
-
- Humble
in
victory,
magnanimous
in
defeat.
-
- If
your
point
of view
is taken,
praise
those
who
held
the other
viewpoint
for
what
they did
well,
and
thank your
supporters
for
all
their
hard
work.
When
you
do
not
get
your
way,
praise
your
opponent
for
what
they
did
well
or
bring
to
the table,
and quietly
move
forward.
-
- There
is no
one
way.
-
Be
open
to suggestion
from
your
people
of all
ranks.
Giving
ground
gracefully
on matters
of little
and
minor
impact
to you
paves
the way
to gaining
compliance
on those
critical
measures
you
need
them
all
to support.
-
- When
you
have
lost
the
army,
you
have lost.
-
- Pay
attention
to your
people!
When
you
have
lost
them,
it
is
pretty
obvious.
Arrange
a change
of office
before
a few
folks
with
pitchforks
and torches
arrange
it
for you.
-
- Where
there
is
a grievance...
-
- Help
folks
understand
the
basic
grievance
procedure.
No matter
how
respected
the person
bringing
up the
complaint....when
its
first
step
is
a nuclear
letter
to the
Board
of Directors,
they
have
created
a mud-pit
hard
to climb
out
of.
-
- Never,
ever, EVER
click
Send
on
an email
when
you are
angry.
Yes that
means
you!
-
- In
15-20
years
of
SCA
and
electronic
email
being
prevalent,
I
have
not
yet
heard
of
a
brilliant
and
happy
result
that
ensued
after
a
flamer
was
shipped
off
without
due
consideration
and
calming
down.
See
previous
New
York
Times
comment...believe
it
or
not,
someone
is
going
to
forward
that
email
to
your
mother/sister/boss/teacher/confessor/third
cousin
twice
removed....
-
- If you
heard that
someone
heard
that
someone
believes
that
someone
saw
[insert
horrific
thing
here],
by
all
means
take
it
at
face
value.
Incidentally
that
value
is
zero.
-
- You
really
do not
want
the King
to solve
a dispute
between
households.
You
do not
want
Corporate
to manage
your
Shire's
event.
If you
make
something
a problem
for
a Corporate
Officer,
their
solution
may
only
be
to make
it
not
a problem
for
them.
That's
rarely
fortunate
or
amusing.
-
------
-
Copyright <year> by George L
Reed. <Faheud
at aol.com>.
Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related
publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change,
but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is
notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
-
- If this article is reprinted
in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication
that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also
appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles
are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
-
- <the end>
Edited by Mark S.
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