2013 is a new year for Knight Realms!

Change the Culture (Part 1)

With the New Year, will also come new attitudes and a new way of doing things.

First, I want to be clear about something regarding decisions that I make. I do not run Knight Realms as a business, as much as I run it as a social organization. Because of this, the social web of people sometimes will take precedence over game related policies, and whatever technical system governs those policies. What is most important is the happiness of people, the social web as I personally interpret it, and the general health of the social organization. Sometimes I will make decisions, and yes even ask people to leave the game, based on these reasons. My job is to run a social organization, and I will do whatever I feel I need to do, for the best interest of the organization as a whole. Everything I do will be for a good reason and every decision I make in these instances I am confident will be the correct decision. I have been doing this job as my profession for my entire adult life and if you do not trust me, then you do not need to be on this train when it leaves the station; you can wave from the platform as we leave you behind. I wish I could be kinder with that statement, but if I have not earned your trust by now; if my sixteen years of experience, dedication and kindness is not good enough for you to have faith in my leadership, then there is no need for you to be here. We are moving forward to bigger and brighter things.

Moving forward we need to change the culture of the organization for the good. We need to change our attitudes, our outlook on things and how we perceive certain issues. The most important of all of these is the following.

No bullying will be tolerated. Even some of my closest friends, as well as myself, are guilty of small amounts of this from time to time. Not anymore. We all get our act together, all of us. This statement covers a wide range of behaviors, and whether you do these things at the game or outside the game, it makes no difference. No hurtful name calling, no bashing, no reputation smearing, no threats, no making fun of people behind their backs, no mocking people, no gossiping about them, no spreading rumors, no acting like you are cooler than other people in the organization, and no more double standards. You will not harass another player outside the game and you will not try to make someone have such a bad time at the game that they will leave. If you tell me that these things are not my business, then I tell you, you have no business being a part of our organization.

I am going to start holding everyone and everything at Knight Realms to a higher standard, including myself. Our productions will need to be better, our awareness will need to be better and our attitudes will need to be better. I will hold my senior staff to a higher standard, and they will need to hold their marshals to a higher standard. We can hold each other to a higher standard, while at the same time, being kind and understanding to each other, not cold and businesslike. You can explain to someone in a friendly and humble way that they are not doing what is expected of them and they need to step to the plate or give someone else a chance. These are volunteer positions, but they still need to be done, and in a professional and dedicated fashion. When we make you a staff member we are not only asking you to help us, but we are also asking you to represent us and to be responsible for us. There is no shame in stepping down from a staff position, nor is there any shame in being removed from one. Sometimes you don’t have the time to do what’s asked of you as a staff member, sometimes you don’t want to and that’s ok. Moving forward we will be less shy about asking staff members to step down if they are not doing everything that’s expected and because these positions are volunteer, we will do this compassionately, not coldly. For this one time I will be re-evaluating staff positions on all levels to decide if I want to make changes before the New Year begins.

I could not be more proud of the organization as a whole, and this December has opened my eyes to many things and has given me realization that we don’t just have to settle for things, but instead can expect a high quality game, shared by good people. I am excited for the next few years. We are going to strive to be an even kinder organization of people, and we are also going to strive to do a better job, for you the player.
Thank you!

Id like to take a moment to remind everyone of this post and encourage you all to re-read it for everyones benefit.

For most of the last six months I have been proud of the way Knight Realms members have been embracing a friendlier more accepting attitude and demeanor. There were a few incidents at the last event where people lost thier cool, or said things they should not have, or acted in a way that was less than inspiring. I am willing to believe that perhaps this was because it was the first HOT weekend of the year, and by the time the weekend portion started, over a hundred players had already been playing in the extreme heat for three days. Sometimes extreme temperatures will force people to let down thier guard. Lets move forward being mindful of this and continue to do better. If you think about saying something mean and unnecessary, stop yourself and don't. In the end it is you who will suffer the most from your own ill tempered words. Do not put me in that situation where I have to hear about these things; its is not fair.

On the upside, I do think that it was six days of extreme heat taking its toll on people, and so I look froward to everyone taking advantage of this reminder to better themselves and in turn better our entire community. Your smallest actions or restraints, if done as a kindness, can help to maintain and grow stronger a community of friendly, fun people who enjoy a beloved and exciting hobby together. You are the ones who shape this social organization and make it what it is. Choose to make it something to be proud of.

Thank you!