[Elfsea] My "ideal" Baron & Baroness of Elfsea are:

[Vicki Marsh]

Dear Lady Elysandre,

I am a ring-thegn to House Mountain-Gate and was mentored by Mistress Tessa.
I'm glad to have someone else who soaked up her great and gentle wisdom
residing within the fair Barony of Elfsea.

What one of the most important things that any group, society, family, or
community must have is a psychologically SAFE environment.  We must all feel
like we can express ourselves and ask our questions without the fear of
rejection or reprisal.

This is a PARAMOUNT issue in most SCA groups and has to be maintained by the
leadership of the group.  If the people fear or resent their leaders,
whether they are Nobles, Peers, or officers, they will not believe that they
are part of this community, this family we have.  We must all feel SAFE
before we can take ownership of this community.

Even leaders need to feel SAFE.  Yes, I'm shouting, because I feel that
often our Nobles, Peers and officers feel like targets for someone else to
come and take a potshot at.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you thanked one of these leaders for
their hard work?  Do you think that a brass hat, a white belt, a pretty
scroll is enough?  They are merely symbols- albeit powerful ones- that
represent someone's thanks for hard work, skill, or talent.

Each and every person in the group can affirm and appreciate each other,
whether they are in the kitchen washing dishes, sitting troll throughout the
night, spending hours going to a peerage circles, or on the phone for four
hours a night dealing with a Crown or the populace on an "issue".

We all have gifts to bring to the table, but we will only bring it if we
feel SAFE and appreciated. Everyone has value.

Thank you for your wisdom Lady Elysandre  .

In Service,

Despotissa Xene Theriane, OL, OP
  -----Original Message-----
  From: elfsea-bounces at ansteorra.org [mailto:elfsea-bounces at ansteorra.org]On
Behalf Of Candace Baker
  Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 7:30 AM
  To: rjt at acm.org; Barony of Elfsea
  Subject: Re: [Elfsea] My "ideal" Baron & Baroness of Elfsea are:


  I would like to commend Caelin on asking his question.  If more people
asked similar questions, Elfsea would not be in its current situation.  I
was once told that all great leaders will ask questions, They will consult
with their officers, past leaders and their populace.  Sometimes it is easy
to think that everyone should know the answer to such simple questions, but
everyone has a somewhat different answer and it is this sharing of ideas
that promotes unity and cooperation.  I have watched many Barons and
Baronesses and crowns and I think that the things that Dana listed are all
very important and very true.  However, I would like to add that I would
like the new B & B to take two things into consideration.  1. Starting to
revive the old practice of mentoring within the group, taking someone under
a wing and helping them grow to be a vital part of the SCA.  I am not saying
they should do it all, but the populace w! ill follow their example.  To
this day Simon and Tessa hold a special place in my heart as they showed me
the ropes.  2.  Encourage the officers of this barony to recruit from and
listen to their populace.  Being a good administrator means you utilize your
resources.  There appears to be a long time trend that needs to be broken of
officers thinking they have to do everything and excluding the populace,
then they complain about not getting any help.  This is not a slight against
the current officers, this has been a long time problem and one of the
reasons a lot of old timers don't play locally anymore.  There are many
wonderful talented people in this Barony who would love to help with various
projects if they are just given the chance.  So I say to whomever the B & B
are, get to know ALL  of your populace and utilize them.  I know this was
long, but I needed to get it off my chest.

  Lady Elysandre Gernier




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
  Do you Yahoo!?
  Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ansteorra.org/pipermail/elfsea-ansteorra.org/attachments/20030723/49919d4a/attachment-0008.htm>