The consequences of a failure to lead vary with the severity of the situation. If guild conditions are fairly stable and the server environment is not particularly demanding, leadership failures may not be that damaging. If, however, the guild is going through dramatic change, which demands equally dramatic change in the leadership, failure to actively lead the guild through those changes can be catastrophic.



The biggest risk of failed leadership is that the guild changes so much, and the server changes so little, that the guild can no longer satisfy member’s needs to the degree required. Unfortunately, by the time it is absolutely clear that the survival of the guild is at stake it is often too late to do anything about it.



If the guild survives, it is still seriously damaged by a failure to lead. When the leadership failure is at the Guild Leader level, it is common for various officers to try to fill the vacuum. Without a clear decision on direction by the Guild Leaders this can lead to power struggles and a further deterioration in the stability of the guild as the officer’s block or undermine each other's initiatives. Key members can get frustrated with this lack of proper, needed action and leave the guild, degrading its strengths even more. And a failure to lead can become habit forming, weakening the leadership "muscles" in the guild and making it that much harder to lead in the future.



With all of these dire consequences, why would officers ever fail to fulfill their leadership responsibilities? The answer is often quite simple. Either they think they have the option of not changing, or they know that change should take place but somehow cannot execute it.



The option to ignore the requirements of the guild is never available. Leaders who think inaction is a viable choice delude themselves. They unfortunately believe they can continue to do what they like and are comfortable with, or that they can implement changes at a rate or time that is convenient. These are dangerous illusions. They often stem from the frequently intoxicating sense of power and control that comes with a leadership position. But the simple fact is that no guild has the power to overcome environment conditions. Environment conditions (members needs and desires other guilds strengths and weaknesses, etc.) are, by definition, outside a guilds control.



If a leader recognizes that he/she cannot control environment conditions, only respond to them, yet still fails to lead the implementation of necessary changes, the missing ingredient is often mental toughness. A leader who lacks mental toughness does what comes naturally, not what is needed, and does what is easy and popular, instead of what is difficult and unpopular. Poorly developed mental toughness skills can cause a leader to embrace the comfort of familiar, but flawed, actions rather than take the risk of doing something new that is actually required by the situation. Lack of mental toughness produces intolerance for friction and differing opinions, for new facts or insights which challenge the accepted view, and contributes to the misunderstanding of environment conditions.



P A R A G O N has announced its disbanding.

The result of failed leadership and elitist officers.



Chaos Incorporated FTW



Thoraxian/Leather