The Duty of Leadership

This was a very interesting post from one of my comrades from the New Pacific Order. I was amazed that this phenomenon does not only happen in real life, but in online communities as well.

Communication breaks down in all online discourse, especially in stratified communities like ours. Human language is deeply nuanced, and its complexities are often lost in the mind of the reader. What one may read as a playful comment, others may read a cruel remark, cold cynicism, etc. It is a matter of familiarity. This is exacerbated by the hierarchy presented by an alliance. New members are often left in awe of older, more highly decorated members of the group. The new members may be talented, or have creative new ideas, but they are afraid that their place in the structure of the group is too unimportant to interrupt what they perceive as the greater workings of their superiors. This is true in all hierarchical groups, large and small.

For example, I was the Emperor of a 50 nation alliance for some time. I did my best to be a warm, friendly dictator; I tried to work personally with members at all levels, tried to stay among them, to keep myself grounded. But the trappings of office and the duties inherent in my position set me aside from other members. Despite my best efforts, many still felt an air of institutional coldness. My Officers understood. They had been with me since the beginning; we were friends. What young nations perceived as a cold and distant leader, they still knew as their wartime brother, their comrade-in-arms. Keep in mind, this was a small alliance by most standards... I can only imagine the effect is multiplied in a group as large as the Order.

The cruel truth is that this is the burden of leadership. One cannot lead transparently. No matter a leader's desire to be among his people, to retain humanity and earthliness, the nature of hierarchy does not allow it. Inevitably, leaders become separate from the day-to-day. The key is to accept that this is the fate of the powerful, and use it to your advantage. The aura of mystery which envelops you is a natural result of the perceptions of others, not any particular actions on your part.

Accept your burden, but be mindful not to be swept up in it. Though you may feel estranged from your earthly bonds, or your underlings may view you as though atop an insurmountable fortress, you *are* human. You have the same secret weaknesses buried within you that exist within every other human. So do not despair; you cannot help but be human. Your people will understand. They know the truth, even if they are not conscious of it.

Obviously this is not a suggestion that communication between leaders and regular members should not be constantly examined and improved, rather that it is impossible to perfect such communication, especially online. Don't let it eat away at you. Your work will speak for you, and even if they do not hear your words, they will feel your hand. That is the duty of leadership.

- Nihilist Dandy

This happened in my previous job as well. An employee starts out as a development engineer, the management is impressed with his contributions that the employee gets promoted and was assigned management tasks.

The new manager adjusts to his new role, but since he also was once a development engineer, he thinks he can change things, he thinks his management style will be more "suitable" for the engineers. After all, he was once in their ranks and he knows what the engineers want in a manager.

Time goes by, the new manager is torn between the demands of the upper management and his "duty" to the engineers. At first he is annoyed, dismayed, and finally he feels powerless to change things. The engineers slowly begin to distance themselves to the manager, and thinks that another one was "sucked into the system".

That is the reality of leadership.