Attention council members (suggestions from those you lead)

We always hear things out, evaluate, and more often than not we allow things to move forward even when we have already seen the scenario play out the same repeatedly...then we bear the blame when things don't work out...we always hope that one of them pans out...

does this mean I can assume I will be allowed to be nominated for offices in the future, and potentially hold that office?

I only have a moment presently, but I would like to weigh in on what I find bothersome. If you look at a normal every day organization, you have a person in charge of the different functions. You do not see 1 person holding several functions. That is too much for any one person. Especially when they have a life outside of the organization to handle as well. If a position has been unmanned for a certain amount of time, it should be refilled by someone who is interested in it and not pushed onto someone who already has their hands full. There is no glory in accumulated positions until there's nothing left for anyone else.

It can be so frustrating to see what feels like the same ideas, the same tries, the same projects, start and be abandoned again and again. Especially of you feel like you're in a group getting blamed for them not working out. I definitely understand that. That's a definition of insanity after all, right? To do the same thing and expect different results?

The thing is... even if everything about a project plan looks exactly the same on paper, it's entirely different because there are different people involved. There are a lot of reasons a project may not be wise to try, but I hope that ideas won't be rejected solely because "we already tried that."

I don't see how ryujin's answer can be understood to mean there are no opportunities for 'employment'. Everyone who has an office now used to not have one.

Ideas are always given time to be correctly implemented, have different people give it a shot. Some have been failing for years now. It's also good to know when to quit.

dwagoonie wrote: I only have a moment presently, but I would like to weigh in on what I find bothersome. If you look at a normal every day organization, you have a person in charge of the different functions. You do not see 1 person holding several functions. That is too much for any one person. Especially when they have a life outside of the organization to handle as well. If a position has been unmanned for a certain amount of time, it should be refilled by someone who is interested in it and not pushed onto someone who already has their hands full. There is no glory in accumulated positions until there's nothing left for anyone else.

In most organizations you don't have people quit shortly after taking office without even training someone to fill in for them...most of the folks we have allowed to take on some of these other offices discover how much time is needed to really commit or that they're way over their heads and they bail on us, leaving us to try and piece together what they were trying to do, then to fill the position again...those of us with multiple offices have them, not as some sort of greedy/selfish power grab, but as a substitute figure head until someone capable and willing comes along that won't run off the moment things get really tough and the hate mail messages start flying in....that all said, longevity is preferred because it shows true commitment...any idea how many thousands we have seen over the years that have come storming in all excited, rush through their training, then start making demands before eventually burning out and blaming us?

"In most organizations you don't have people quit shortly after taking office without even training someone to fill in for them...most of the folks we have allowed to take on some of these other offices discover how much time is needed to really commit or that they're way over their heads and they bail on us, leaving us to try and piece together what they were trying to do, then to fill the position again"

... perhaps before someone actually takes on the position, they get a view of what they will be doing. Before they decide, they get a list of what is expected of them. They get an idea how much time is put into it. Then if they feel they can't hold that much responsibility, you see who else is interested and do the same with them. Perhaps more than one person to fulfil that position so it isn't all on one person.

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"...those of us with multiple offices have them, not as some sort of greedy/selfish power grab, but as a substitute figure head until someone capable and willing comes along that won't run off the moment things get really tough and the hate mail messages start flying in"

... You have knights. You have some who care about TOJO. Maybe instead of giving someone a position, you can delegate the tasks to those willing to take them as assistants to that position. I have no idea about 'hate mail' but I do know that damage control can be limited to listening to the person sending them only a few time and trying to resolve the issue, then letting them go.

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"...any idea how many thousands we have seen over the years that have come storming in all excited, rush through their training, then start making demands before eventually burning out and blaming us?"

... I keep hearing "blaming us". It is the higher ranked individuals who call the shots, is it not? There is no 'blame' there, that is you doing what you can with what you have and needing to think outside the box for better solutions. Don't let people rush through so fast. Remind people this is a temple and not a competitive race rushing to sit in the throne (this is from my own assumption based on what you are saying). Delegate to assistants in the positions. Knights of good standing and even apprentices of good standing can assist with the small stuff which would keep them excited without burning anyone out. If an individual holding a position that decides how the temple runs gets overwhelmed, that is what assistants are for. That is where small stuff can be shuffled down to those in good standing and willing to help. It would also give others an idea of what all goes into this site and how it is run on a daily basis. Knowing leads to understanding. Yes?

Just some ideas that came to mind while writing this. I'm sure there are a ton of other options that would help you to help us. Structure doesn't have to rely on the few holding up the building.

ren wrote: I don't see how ryujin's answer can be understood to mean there are no opportunities for 'employment'. Everyone who has an office now used to not have one.

Ideas are always given time to be correctly implemented, have different people give it a shot. Some have been failing for years now. It's also good to know when to quit.

I politely disagree. RyuJins comments make it sound like you must be within the temples inner circle in order to be considered for an office. I have yet to receive a clear yes or no, but instead am receiving long winded answers that happen to mention the higher ups get all the blame.

Who has been gone for months and is still showing as holding a position? I'll update the FAQ and set their status as Inactive.

If I'm forgetting an open position let me know. We need a System Administrator. Ren works too many hours at his paying job and does not have time to repair the site. We need someone who can work with a Linux Server and Joomla. It would be great if such an one is a member.

Do you really believe we haven't tried any of those ideas before?

There was a span in which the council was completely hands off of all the offices...we left it to the knights to run totjo...from get go it became chaos as the knights began to experience what the council had previously...most of those knights left and never returned...then the council got blamed for "not being there"...when previously the council was blamed for being "too over bearing"...whether we engage fully, partially, or not at all, we get blamed for something that some faction perceived as being done wrong.

There is no "inner circle", if one is capable and willing then they may be considered for a position...

In any setting a new hire is not immediately given all the keys...they have to earn them and prove responsible and loyal enough...loyal as in they're not going to make a mess of things and run...we have had that happen seemingly every other year....

Even the most trusted hard-wearing office holders can burn out. They are difficult to replace. No amount of fresh ideas and goodwill can make it happen. They have to be good at it. Most new blood burns out at the first 'realize you can't please everyone' stage... And there are many more stages after.