Being A True Guild Leader

And it is not that I ramble too much, (though Admonit makes it clear that he feels that I would do well to be quiet every once in a while), it is that I really need to buckle down and get to the point of this.

So I apologize if it seems like I am ranting.

Anyway. Here is my article:

Anybody who enjoys being an active and dedicated guild member has a dream, the same dream, a hope and a wish that makes their mind soar higher than Terror Mountain. What is this dream? What is this hope in the heart of any self respecting and motivated player? What is this aspiration that drives and fuels motivation?

My friends, the answer is simple. Stunningly simple, I say!

They want to lead.

It is not one single thing that makes us want to be on top. It is not just the feeling of power and control. It is not just the fact that everyone looks to you and you set the course for your guild to fly or fall. It is a combination of each and every element that comes with being a leader. Power, responsibility, respect, authority, and pride.

But what does it take, good reader? What does it take to be a true guild leader?

Does it matter if your guild is filled to the brim with members who post and post and post? Or does it matter if they all bow down to you, respecting your every expectation and not daring to defy your rules and regulations?

Or does it make a difference if you think you are good and you say you are good so therefore you are good?

I am afraid not.

I will tell you what makes a leader. I will tell you what distinguishes good from great. And I will tell you what separates those who run their guild, and those who lead their guild.

I will let you in on a secret that has shaped the way that I have run guilds for a very long time. A battle tested and proven method close to my heart. A method so simple, so easy, and so rewarding, that if done will full gusto and spirit, can never, ever be defeated.

Passion.

When you log on and go to your guild, your eyes have to dazzle. Your face has to crack in to a smile, and you have to be prepared to gaze up to the left corner to see how many neomails you have today.

When you log on, you have to want to read what they have to say, and actually write back. You have to grin when they tell you they got their newest avatar, or that they're a top scorer on Staff Smasher, or that they just restocked that great item.

But most of all, behind that smile, behind all of the work that you do for your guild day in and day out, you have to love it.

You have to want to give them more. It has to be what you want from within. Be the best that you can be for them because it makes YOU feel good on the inside to know that they are content.

The members have to be a family. Tight knit. Bound by more than just games and common interests, but bound by the promise that whoever they are, restocker, gamer, role player, battler, writer, plotter, avatar collector or anything else, their leader is there for them, to smile as they reach their goals, pick them up when they fall down, and ensure that they always feel safe at home.

Dear reader, if you have made it this far, know this. Know that a guild is more than just a group of people gathered because they want the same theme.

It is a family. And that is something a true, decent, loving, caring, and passionate leader sees with two clears eyes, each and every time he or she clicks on their guild home page.

I leave you with a thought of mine. A thought that, after spending some time writing this, crept in to my mind and made me dwell on it.

Each and every day, as the sun rises in Neopia, and shines from Faerieland to the Lost Desert, from Terror Mountain to the supposedly nonexistent Jelly World, players and their pets travel from game to shop to castle to cave, exploring the land and leaving their prints across this vast and diverse land.

Each and every day as that sun shines brightly in the sky, players and their pets restock and auction, battle and barter, trying to make sure that their talents and traits do not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

What better way to reward them, to help them, to energize them than to make sure that they have a guild. Not just a guild, but a family. A family where they can go with their stories of success and be congratulated, or their tales of tragedy and be comforted and told to never give up, keep trying, stay strong, and play your heart out.

This type of guild sounds amazing, eh?

It's not possible without an amazing leader. A leader who realizes that the happiness of their members is by far the most important and rewarding thing that we can ever, ever get from this land of Neopia. This world that we call home.

I want you, each and every one of you who makes it through this read and wants to be a leader, to take what I said and use it to your advantage, to be that leader who cares.

I want you, yes you, to become that leader. That true guild leader.

I hope you enjoyed the read.

Let's make the guild world proud again.