Managing the Squadron

The Fam

Don't worry, I'm not ganna give ya a shpeel on how the squadron is like a family; rather, I'm just going to tell you that it acts kind of like one. Indeed, no one can raise themselves without a mother or father there to guide the way, and it always helps to have your big brother or sister to back you up on the playground. This is your fighter-group. As individuals, you are weak and without presence; you have little purpose. However, as a group, and one driven to defend one another's honor, keeping the family name alive, you become something... More. My friends, you must have family to survive; you need every individual in your squadron to make it past the first couple months of active duty. These are the people you will count on, and how you should, generally speaking, count on them:

The Leaders

First thing's first- you're ganna want all the help you can get. While you may not necessarily have the opportunity to choose an XO, or receive one for some period of time, if you can get one: take 'em. There's nothing like having the assistance of a reliable, similarly experienced member. Now, executive officers share so much in common with actual squadron commanders because, in the event the SC disappears, they are the SC. With that in mind, they should have similar levels of experience, intelligence over VEN matters and, hopefully, a fairly high activity rate. Keep in mind that XOs are held to roughly the same standard as SCs, so they're punished similarly as well. Either way, you want this person to be someone you trust, someone you think you can really pull their weight, work independently if necessary, and charge the squadron to victory wherever and whenever possible. Also, though, these XOs must be just as inventive as you; they must be open-minded and always willing to look for more work.

Often, I like to recognize this relationship as something of a partnership; while the SC is dominant overall, the XO has nearly the same authority over the members of the squadron, and often speaks for the squadron in the SC's absence. Just as the SC can be something of a cheerleader, so, too, can the XO. Remember though, an XO is more than someone to fill in for you when you're gone: they're someone to bounce ideas off of. They're only as helpful as you allow them to be; discuss medals/promotions, competitions, story-lines, inner-squadron conflicts, or anything else relevant with them. Learn more about them: communicate as much as possible. The more your XO knows, the less miscommunication and less time wasted doing something unnecessary; less frustration over all. Many times, myself included, we feel that we need to do something ourselves in order to get it absolutely perfect; don't be afraid to be less than perfect. Let your XO help you, and I guarantee you that you'll eventually do better than perfect- two heads are better than one, my friend.

A few words about the logic of "the Flight"

Say that you've got three people that you have to work with over a period of about four months, and your superiors only check-in on you occasionally. Now, given that there are so few of you, what do you think the chances are that you're going to get to know each other pretty well? Things might be a bit awkward at first, but eventually people will get comfortable around each other, probably discuss some fairly/if-not somewhat personal topics. Either way, these folks have an understanding after that period of time in such close proximity. Now, switch it up and say that you're stuck working with... Eight to eleven other people with the same amount of time. While this isn't necessarily always true (some people are just really, really good at makin friends I suppose), what's probably going to happen is you're going to get along real well with a couple of folks, maybe people of similar backgrounds, and then the rest are going to be people you know pretty well, but may not necessarily have that same level of understanding that the first group of four had. This, essentially, is the logic behind flights and flight leaders; it's just a better way to manage your group. While you'll get to know everyone in the group pretty well, the flights are able to break it up even more and provide a greater support to the individual pilot. This has some serious advantages you may want to take note of...

First and foremost: people are more likely to stick around the VE if they've made some friends; while the flight may not be the place where a career-long friend is made, it's certainly a place to start, and a place where pilots will be able to feel more comfortable in their own skin. Secondly, your pilots feel a greater responsibility when they realize their part is pivotal in the day-to-day runnings of their flight; they're more likely to come through in a clutch and willing to put forth a greater effort than those who work only as individuals. Their care for their fellow flightmates will carry them past the weaknesses of individual motivation; this, again, is what makes not only the flight, but the squadron such an elegant design of human capacity and support for one another; the whole is somehow greater than the sum of its parts.

Flight Leaders

Just like your XO, or any member for that matter, you want your FLs to be extremely active, have some experience (that way that have some wisdom to pass down to their FLs) and keen interest in the smooth operation of the squadron; often, when no other member can meet these specifications, the XO has been made the FL of one of the three flights, as opposed to the SC's wingman. FLs, in all reality, are like miniature squadron commanders; they need to manage their men, collect reports, report to the SC/XO, and actively pursue squadron activities.

In that same frame of mind, FLs are actually a kind of "third in command." Since these individuals are leading three of your members each, they actually have a great deal of pull in how things get done. Thus, if you'd like things to get done in a much easier, efficient manner, you need to keep those FLs involved in certain conversations. In stories, for instance, if you're actively communicating with them as far as storyline and conflict, they can communicate that to their flight and make a more cohesive story. Or- if you've got something new that you'd like to try, if you teach your FLs, the FLs can, in turn, teach their flight members. They improve your efficiency tremendously, so you need to make sure they stay involved, even if they don't do it themselves.

Now, usually, since these FLs are pretty new, you may need to keep on their butts about how, exactly, they do their job. Their responsibilities are fairly simple, but, again, very important. They must keep track of their members by taking weekly reports and, at the end of the week, forwarding a report to you. It's their responsibility, in the event that someone doesn't report, to know the whereabouts of that member. If one of their FMs goes missing for a week, they need to be messaging and e-mailing to see if they're still around; that's not your responsibility, it's theirs. This also prevents the need for an AWOL check every month, which, in my oppinion, are kind of shameful in appearance and send a bad signal. In these reports, you also want the FL's take on how his flight is doing: is there any tension in the group? Are there finals coming up in the next week at school? Has someone been doing a phenomenal job and needs some recognition? Make sure you get a weekly opinion of the situation- never let it be reduced to "here, here, not here..." Keep that FL in the loop and see what type of ideas they have- ask for their help frequently and exchange ideas. These members, after all, are showing potential to become SCs or XOs; you never know when they might come up with a great idea! And it's fun to get to know 'em too- they're a part of your command staff.

Their only other big responsibility is to post- both on your squadron topic and the squadron story. These FLs need to be the folks pushing everyone else to post. If they're getting the job done, other members won't feel so alone in posting. So- lead by example, basically. I know it sounds like a lot to push for these things from your FLs, but if you do so early, it'll make a difference in the long run and become a lot easier to do in the future.

Flight Member

Alright- we've reached the most basic unit of the squadron in terms of responsibilities. Their main duties include posting on stories, sending in reports, and taking part in competitions. Seems pretty simple right? Well- it's not, lol. Your FMs, usually, are pretty young and, just like you, very busy. So, when things start going wrong in the levels above, if they're busy and things aren't looking up, they may just bug out. These folks are the ones who feel least necessary to the system when they first join, so you need to fix that before your men start disappearing. How? Just remember that though their responsibilities may be few, their goals and talents are many. One of the first things you may want to find out about them are those two things, actually- what do you plan to accomplish here and what are you good at? Where can we use you? Find out what they like- we need to be getting them involved in every facet they may happen to enjoy: that's our job. We command them in a squadron and make sure that they're performing certain duties for us, but if we really want them to stick around, we need to also make sure that they're being exposed to all the VE has to offer. By doing that, we create interest and a continuous fervor to do more. Once they really become a 'part' of the VE, they really won't want to give it up. So, there's a couple places we can start out, but I'll list areas where they might like to get involved a little later:

1. Communication- keep your FMs in communication on both ComNet (your squadron topic especially), and IRC (use your squadron room- that's what it's there for). The more you folks talk (the entire squadron, that is), the better you're going to get along and the more united you'll be in the face of competition.

2. Assignments- if someone has a special skill: use them. If you've got an experienced Flight member, even, try to give them a special assignment. Those assignments could be just about anything, but writing a story, creating NPCs, running a squadron meeting, starting a personal story or reffing/running a competition, etc will make a big impact on their view of their own roles in the VEN. They may not be an FL, SC or XO, but it doesn't mean they're not capable of the same things. We accept the responsibility of organizing and keeping things running- we're administrative, but your members can try these things as well.

3. Goals- Remember, if someone wants to move up the chain: try to give them the necessary materials to do so. That means letting them know what type of tests they need to take and getting them involved with activities that might build the necessary skills to achieve that position. How do you do this? Check up on 'em! Really, you're probably going to fall into the conversation in just speaking with them (thus, communication is so important), but if you don't- maybe tell all of your FLs to check up on their FM's goals so that they can give some helpful tips? Whatever works best for you- everyone has a differant approach, but make sure that people are on the right path. Just like every person moves through differant phases in real life, Flight members have their own cycle of phases: the squadron is only one of them.

Other things to get involved with: IRC RPG, VET, VEDJ, VEEC, VENA-staff, gaming competitions (several throughout year, even between clubs), story competitions, administration; really, whatever comes to mind when they mention their talents, interests or goals. However, all of the other items that Kadann has produced for us here, like the First Galactic Band, the Imperial Center, the Stock Market, Pay-Per-Click: they're all ways to make the VE a lot more exciting and you can create an atmosphere where people involve themselves with those features.