Almost everyone in World of Warcraft has been part of a guild at some stage in their journey. Whether it be a small group of friends, a levelling guild, social, casual, hardcore or otherwise, guilds and what goes on inside them are an integral part of WoW life. Some seem to flourish and stand the test of time, succeeding over whatever the game throws at them, while others tend to fail after only a short distance. So what makes the successful guilds last? If you ask me, a lot of it is to do with how the players (particularly the leaders) act and mesh with each other. It makes sense that in order to be able to work together to conquer whatever it is that you're up against, a leader needs to be able to sustain a nurturing and positive environment full of like-minded individuals (and perhaps a naked gnome or two).
Last night, my guild was lucky enough to inherit five new people who had all come from the same guild, and I expect more to follow. This is great news for me, as I have spent the last few weeks getting to know them and I am confident that they will slot in to our current guild environment with ease, and in a double stroke of luck they will be padding out our raiding ranks nicely. But what happened in their old guild to make them leave? After talking to them all, there was one common complaint that stood out among them: the guild was stagnating. The atmosphere of their guild had changed, no longer as enthusiastic, active or fun as it had been when they first started out. So I sat down and asked myself - what are some things that I can do, as the leader of Requiém, to make sure that the same doesn't happen to my guild?
1. Be active, helpful and honest
This may seem like a no-brainer, but in my experience the simple act of being around is one of the most important things a guild leader can do to gain the trust and loyalty of their members. People will get antsy if their leader doesn’t do anything, or worse, doesn’t even come online much. The best way to motivate your members into being as enthusiastic about your guild as you are is to be online, talk to them, and DO stuff. Not just raiding or things that benefit you, but help out in general, whether it be with crafting, instance runs for low level members (Blackrock Depths seems to be a popular choice), or just being open to chatting and giving advice. Always have time for people, especially if they have a complaint or just need a shoulder to cry on. People want to be heard, and if their leader isn’t open to listen to them then they’ll voice their opinions elsewhere, usually somewhere public. Likewise, if you have an issue that you think needs discussion - put it to the floor where everyone can see whats going on and contribute their opinion. Lead by example and you’ll be rewarded with guild members who not only have confidence in you, but who will feel comfortable enough to want to act the same for others.
2. Make mistakes and be okay with it
Nobody likes making mistakes, especially big ones, so its always tempting to make it seem like you don't make any particularly when you're in a position of power. You don't want to come across as weak to those who look up to you, in fact you want to seem the opposite. But there's a problem with this - if you put across the image that you never make mistakes, you’re putting across that you aren’t human. Like it or not, your guild members will relate better to someone who is not perfect and clearly a person, rather than some sort of omnipotent being who’s word is law. So don't worry if you mess up in front of others, and laugh it off. Make a fool of yourself from time to time, let your guildies make fun of you, laugh at yourself and get over it. Realise that making mistakes is something we all do as human beings, and have fun with it.
3. Schedule regular activities
Having quality time together is a great way to get to know your guildies better. If you're a raiding guild, then this is easy, as you'll likely already have events planned that you can tackle together on a regular basis. But for guilds that might not raid - or even for those that do but want something extra - there's a whole swag of other things you can do together which will help foster great relationships within your guild. It could be something as simple as dressing your characters up and heading down to the Slaughtered Lamb for a round of beers, celebrating peoples birthdays, the ever popular “help a lowbie” days, or having regular scheduled PvP nights. Running raids from old content where you don’t have to be excellently geared and can take people of lower level to succeed have proven to be a lot of fun, and still hold desirable items for people of any level (new mount, anyone?). Having such events gives guildies something to look forward to participating in aside from their own personal objectives, helps new people get their feet wet and encourages comradery.
4. Encourage recruitment
Unless you are running a micro-guild, chances are that you’re going to be looking for new people at some point, if not all the time. Encourage guild members to invite their friends or people that they’ve had a good time playing with. You don’t have to give everybody the power to invite, but if everybody knows the application process then you can rest assured that they’ll let anybody know who asks them, and if they're happy in their guild environment then you'll never get a better advocate. Leaving recruitment up to one specific person is limiting your scope for new players, and allowing everyone to have a hand (even a small one) in the recruitment process shows them that you have confidence in their judgement, which can do wonders to boost their confidence in themselves, in turn. If you have a website where people can apply (mine is coming soon - watch this space!), make sure the application form is easy to find, understand and not too long so that you’ll get the maximum amount of applications coming through.
5. Reward your guild members
Finally, reward people who put in effort. Whether it is just taking the time to learn a boss strategy or being generally helpful in the guild, some people will stand out from others and deserve to be recognised. Publicly rewarding those people will inspire the others in the guild to act similarly, whether it just be acknowledging (and thanking) them in guild chat or giving a gift. Some guilds even hold lotteries with a small fee (which goes to the guild bank), with prizes of either gold or useful items such as elixirs or flasks, or materials for the winners profession. Remember that a little goes a long way, and showing your generosity and appreciation for your existing members will work wonders for overall morale.
