[Ansteorra] attracting and keeping new people

[Faelan Caimbeul]

I've seen some people give a few reasons not to be an officer; lack of
experience, too much paperwork, or "silly rules". Fact is, it isn't for
everyone. If you don't have the right attitude and temperament you'll end up
doing more harm than good. Some people don't like to play politics. A friend
once told me that anytime you get more than three people in the room, you
get politics. It's just human nature, a good leader isn't scared of it. Bad
ones are.

I think it's a good idea to get new people involved as much as they are
comfortable. I jumped in with both feet and was supported by my group and
our Peers. Some people need the seed planted in their heads that they can do
a job before they'll volunteer. Some don't. Most officer positions, A&S,
Herald, Marshal, etc. can be learned on the job. They just need a little
help from others. A mentor is good too. Some jobs, like Seneschal, I think
do require some time in before you get a real understanding of what's
involved. That being said, however; if someone just got here and wants the
job and has the support, go for it.

People are understandably shy about giving out their personal information.
No-one is required to give out anything but an email address. If you're
worried about it, you can get a free email account, sign up with your
society name and fake address, or no address at all. Most groups also have
email addresses for each officer position, so you could use that as well.
Your phone number you only give out to people you trust and your chain of
command.

I've also found it interesting how student of history sometimes think
they're "too good" for us. How better to learn than hands-on? Maybe that's
just me.

I like Deerslayer's idea of "bringing up" officer material from among our
ranks. I don't think it's necessarily a long drawn-out process, though.
People that learn fast and can handle the challenge of being an officer will
come up fast and sometimes giving someone a little responsibility can bring
out their best. Just put them in charge of serving, running the pages or
handling waterbearing for a specific eric, something small. Once people get
their confidence, they can take on greater responsibility without fear.

Having more people available for responsibility positions lightens the load
on everyone and makes it less likely that people will get so burned out they
won't want to take those positions or even play anymore. Deputies can be a
good relief for this to. It allows you to delegate. One thing you learn
really well in the military is no-one can do it all, you have to delegate.
Experience and mentoring is the only way you get well-trained experienced
people. You learn by doing. Have some faith in your fellow SCAdians.