CNS Consul Report #48 - June 16th, 2007
Hi guys,
I know I haven't been on IRC much the last couple of days, but I'll explain that in this report. I will also explain why I'm sending this report out on a Thursday instead of my usual Saturday. I have sent out 47 CON and 14 PCON reports on Saturday somewhere in the world, and this is the first time, I think, where I won't be able to do that.
Total CON Emails: 32
Now, I've taken what I call pseudo-LoAs. I've let my inbox accumulate for a couple of days at times, and I've taken breaks from IRC, because sometimes I feel that IRC brings out the worst of the members sometimes. I think that while IRC can be a big benefit for new members to "join the family" if you will, the behavior that we sometimes see on IRC can turn off those same new members to the DB. So yeah, I've taken breaks from IRC. However, this weekend, Friday through Sunday, will be my first full Leave of Absence. That means that I probably won't have access to a computer. It's a scary thought, I know, but rest assured, Macron will be in charge.
More scary for me, because I have always had this feeling that some crisis will come up while I'm gone and I won't be here to make a decision. But seriously, what's the probability that something really bad would happen in a weekend?
If you're curious, I am going out of town for a wedding, essentially combining several things I don't normally enjoy doing into a fun-filled weekend.
So yeah, a lot of talk from me about my worries that if I'm not around for a whole weekend, things will fall apart. It was certainly a feeling that I had immediately after the Rite of Supremacy. The statistics regarding our clan weren't as good as they could have been, and I was getting worried.
However, in the last month, things have really picked up. Members are being promoted at twice the rate from the month prior, new people were showing up on IRC, and so on. This pleases me. It is mostly in part to the dedicated summit and staff members of this clan, who have, without fail, done their jobs fairly well. I have always felt that when this clan was at its best, my role in the whole thing wasn't big. I told people that CNS was a great clan because it practically runs itself.
So, speaking of the clan running itself, let's talk about Leadership. I've heard a lot of things about leadership. People will say "This is a good example of leadership." Or, they'll read some textbook definition of leadership. The problem in the DB is that people seem to think that they can only be a leader by being in a position. However, I think most traditional definitions of leadership, or effective leadership, are vague. It's perhaps why I don't think of myself as much of a leader, and more as someone who's simply trying to do his job. I do think that good leaders inspire greatness in their members. In the DB, since "greatness" in a SW club is a vague and perhaps weird term, I think it's about making the club a better place for those around you.
There is a Great Jedi War coming next month. This is one of those situations that requires our members to put aside their own personal ambitions (although participation in a large DB competition does have its rewards) and think about the clan a whole, as a team. It requires members other than myself to step up, recognize opportunities, and take them for the betterment of their clan. The question of leadership in the DB lately has been, "How do I get my members inspired, genuinely inspired, to want to help the clan do well in competitions?" It's a quagmire, and perhaps other people have "figured it out."
Perhaps I am not equipped to answer questions like that. Most of you probably aren't either. However, I can identify good things and try to promote those things. In most DB-wide competitions, a good part of success is mere participation. That is critical. Participation requires members to not be indifferent to how their clan does. It requires members to care about how their clan is doing and to recognize that their small contribution, no matter how insignificant it might seem, does help and is welcomed.
I have a certain philosophy on how to make things, both in the DB, and in the world, better. I have observed people, both in the DB and IRL (like, say, at work), who come in with big ideas, big sweeping changes. Things like that certainly seem impressive, but I guess I'm not a "big idea" kind of guy. I believe in an evolutionary, and not revolutionary, approach to things. I believe in seeking out minor victories, victories that, as a whole, make things better and can really push things in a positive direction. If one person recycles, that's not remarkable, but if 200 million people recycled, that's awesome. The one person who might not want to recycle might think, "I'm just one person, I can't make a difference, so why bother?" What they don't understand is that collectively, as a society, we are helping to solve certain problems. If people thought about things like that more often we would certainly solve a lot of the world's problems, as we could in the DB.
A month or two ago I was reading the responses to the Rite of Supremacy Questionnaire that we released back then. Many of you responded about the Great Jedi War, saying that you really wanted to see CNS do well. I found that touching. Several of these people were ordinary members. It is precisely that attitude that made us do so well in the last Great Jedi War, something that seems like a distant memory these days. Well, it has been about a year.
Since I'm going to be gone this weekend, I'm not going to close this week's poll until I get back on Sunday (or maybe Monday, depending).
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4326
Taking a look at the poll, it seems pretty obvious that Pre-Republic History is going to win. I'll report on this separately after I get back.
Also, there were 6 SA courses passed by members of this clan this week.
I sent an email about this a day or two ago. This competition focuses on Rai, and there are 5 events. You can find more information on this competition here:
http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/CompetitionDetails.asp?ID=2727
I particularly like Event #5 since it's so bizzare. However, overally there are many opportunities here to participate and get crescents and things. What I forgot to mention in the competition description was that all submissions should be sent to me ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) and Rai ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]). Imperial, you already submitted, so I'll just forward your entry to Rai.
There were 4 nice promotions this week. Excellent!
In last Saturday's ICTE, Xhedias (Shimura) earned 3 CFs.
Also, during the following day's Sunday Tournament, Xhedias earned 1 CF. mm Xhedias!
I wanted to mention that your glorious Consul earned first place in the poetry event of the Facetious Fiction competition run by the Fiction Tribune. In addition, Malisane earned 2nd in the fiction event of the same competition.
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