[Loch-Ruadh] Timothy's Questions

[Don and Monica]

Lord Timothy posted the following questions to be answered by the candidates
for Baron/Baroness"

1) Specifically how have you displayed leadership in the area of the Arts &
Sciences?

2) Specifically how have you displayed leadership in the area of fighting,
both Heavy & Light?

3) How do you display leadership in the area of service within the Barony?

These three questions can be answered in many ways.

If you define leadership as "doing," then that is best answered by looking
at our "SCA Résumé's."  They are posted at
http://home.earthlink.net/~dmriney/SCA-Resume.htm.

If you define leadership as more than just a list of accomplishments, then
we have a history of leadership in this Barony.

Leadership to us means creating a vision for the Barony, sharing that
vision, and then empowering people to make that vision more than just pretty
words.  In the past, we have done that on a smaller scale than we would do
as Baron and Baroness.  Themed Springfaires are an example of that.  We have
run the gambit from Norse to Byzantine to Barbarian.  We have taken on the
role of fostering in the Barony, taking newcomers under our care and helping
them to understand not only the local groups, but helping them to understand
the bigger picture of the region and the kingdom.  We have taught our arts
to others freely and encouraged others to actively participate in this
barony and its activities, even when we had other responsibilities claiming
our SCA time.

You asked for specific instances of our leadership.  Listing them would be
tedious at best.  The best we can hope for is that each person who has
encountered us in any of our previous roles in the Barony can answer that
part of the question for themselves as their recall how we may have impacted
their SCA experience.

One of the most important aspects of leadership is getting out of the way.
By that, we mean taking on the role of mentor so that others can gain
experience in the different roles and offices that we have in the Barony.
Mentors are almost by definition low profile people, standing aside while
others take on the more high profile roles.  Mentors are also people who do
not micro-manage others.  We like to think that we have reached that balance
between real encouragement and control.

We also believe that good leadership is there for the Barony when times are
good and when times are tough.  Being Baron and Baroness means that we will
have to deal with the fun parts of the game and the not so fun mundane
concerns of running a not for profit corporation.  In the past, we have held
offices which have given us a real first hand look at what can go right and
wrong with a kingdom, as well as a barony.  We have had to make some hard
decisions in our roles as kingdom officers and deal with situations that
required hard actions.

4) Do you believe any of the above would change if you become B&B?

Yes and no.  Would we change as people?  No.  We will still go on teaching,
mentoring, being who we are.  Would our roles as leaders change?  Of course.
Our scope of responsibility would change immensely.  We would move from
being the supporters of our current leadership to being that leadership.  We
will still be who we are, but with an added element of direct line
responsibility to our Crown for the well being of our fiefdom.  While we may
advise and consult now, as B and B, we would be the decision makers.

5) Gulf Wars is very important to our Barony, especially in service hours
and a sense of community, how have you supported these efforts?

We agree that Gulf Wars is very important to our Barony; however, we would
like to think that it is the sense of community created by Elfsea 51 weeks
out of the year that allows us to shine that other 1 week in Meridies.  With
the number of people who are able to attend compared to the number that stay
at home due to mundane concerns, Gulf War is not the primary venue for
community building.

Having said that, we have supported Gulf War either by attending or by
staying home and helping others prepare for the event.  We have lost count
of the number of fighters we have helped clothe, the amount of armor that
has passed through our hands and onto others' knees or elbows, or the
assistance given in just helping someone create a good packing list.

Given the state of the economy, we would not plan on making Gulf War the
focal point of Baronial activity, but at the same time, we believe that we
can get the entire Barony enthused about supporting those who have the means
and the time to go.  There are other activities that we can encourage during
that time of the year which can be real community builders, such as regular
posts during the war charting its progress and a revel when everyone returns
for telling war stories.

We remain as servants of Elfsea and the Sable Star

Darius of the Bells, OL
Rosalia di Bellavita, OP