WoW: things i learned from my raid leader

When asked about leadership styles during job interviews, I’m always a little stumped. How can I explain that some of my best lessons were learned while gutting imaginary beasts and demons in some alternate dimension? It’s true.

Before Warcraft, here’s how I dealt with group dynamics:

1. assess strengths and weaknesses of team members
2. divide the work among the capable
3. dismiss those I didn’t see contributing
4. take all presentation responsibilities in order to ensure effective communication of end result

…If there was any dissension amongst the group, I’d just bulldoze over it, because I had no time to try out stupid ideas destined for failure. And Goddess help you if you had to ask the same question twice. See #3.

Raiding in Warcraft is a serious team effort. One person cannot slack or it results in, well, death. Everyone has to come prepared (repaired, stocked up and forged for maximum efficiency) and everyone has to trust in their party to put forth their best effort. It takes a special kind of person to be able to lead a group of people, of differing skill levels and with unique skills to contribute, in the pursuit of one goal.

Having had the privilege of reporting to an amazing Raid Leader, Magnus, here are the things he taught me:

1. Persistence: yes, you will have to tackle this problem over and over again; you will have to scale the same wall, sap the same guard, run the same gauntlet until you can do it from muscle memory; you will try (and fail) to kill the same boss so many times that you’ll be able to recite its lines in tandem. It can be depressing and boring. Mag just doesn’t let us get down. He will point to some small thing someone did right, or to the fact that we were alive for twenty seconds longer or that we made it to the second stage with all members intact… basically, he fuels us into throwing ourselves once more unto the breach.
2. Patience: it can be so frustrating to bring a boss to his last percentage of health, teeter at the very brink of victory and then have someone disconnect, or (worse), carelessly die and drag the whole Raid with them. In my home, at my desk, I’ll be swearing a blue streak. For all I know, so is Mag. But he doesn’t show it. He’ll calmly say something like: “God that was close; we so got this” and off we go. Before every fight, he explains our strategy (it doesn’t matter that we should be able to do it blind by now) just in case we need the refresher. He takes questions, answers clearly. I’ve never heard him express impatience. That, for me, is the best thing I’ve taken from him
3. Fail and Learn: I like trying stuff out, but I will rarely dare to inconvenience others with my whims. Mag is all over the “let’s try it” attitude. One night, on the sixth attempt at a particular hard boss, when we kept dying to the same move, he says “suggestions, guys.” Our healer proposes what had to be dumbest idea I’d ever heard. Through whispers in chat, two others send me eye rolls. Mag just says, “why not?” We give it a go, it’s a disaster, unmitigated. And Mag say, well, we now that his fire gains strength over 6 seconds.” Each failure garners some new information which will effect tactics at the next pass. We forage for minor successes amongst the carnage and build on them until we hit critical mass and hit a turning point.
4. Everyone has something to contribute: it’s pretty obvious in a gaming situation that there are some players who are simply better than others. It can’t be helped. Our two main tanks are superstars and a couple of our damage dealers are simply amazing. Our healers, though? They aren’t… very reliable. But no healers means no raid and so we work with the team we have. Mag is careful to point out successes publicly and improvements privately. Our healers may not be the best in their field, but they are good team members – they bring food, cut gems, do the tactical research. It’s about more than what happens on Raid Night.
5. Humour: and this is the biggie. Keep it intact. It’s just a game, after all. If I decide to never play again, the game goes on, unscathed. The point of playing is to enjoy it and the minute you don’t, you should stop playing. Connect with your guild on a human level and it makes it so much easier to be patient, persistent, and positive.

One day, I’ll be interviewing someone and they’ll use a Warcraft example and you know what? I’ll love it. It means they can learn and can apply that knowledge in creative ways. Frankly, I think Mag would make an excellent leader, in any situation. I know he’s helped make me a better one.