************************************************************************
Command
Guide
UCIP-Internet Academy's
Command Officer's
Guide
"Commanding Quality, Excellence,
and Fun"
Version
4, August, 2002
Prof.
Kahlia Scott (Capt)
Credits
Various
people have given their help and suggestions during this
guide’s
development and revision. We learn
from the past so to those in the
past,
we thank you. Some content was also adapted or taken from
these
sources:
UCIP SimGuide v5 by Evelyn Knight, which
itself bases a lot of its
content on earlier
versions and other documents.
Executive Officers Training Guide v1.0
by Tom Magdiarz, the
immediate functional
predecessor to this document; also, the first
and second XO Exams by
Tom Magdiarz.
Command Officers Guide v2.0 by Commodore
Daniel Brown and Commander
Suzanna Blokpoel
Command Guide V2.5 by: Commodore
Christopher Lennox and Captain
Suzanna
Blokpoel
Command
Guide v 3.1.2 by Prof. Suzanna Blokpoel (Commo.)
************************************************************************
List of
Contents:
Preface
Section
1: General Overview
1.1 Overview of
Command Positions
1.1.1
Executive/First
Officer
1.1.2
Captain
1.1.3
Notes
on other Positions
1.1.4
Structure of
Command
1.2
C.A.R.T
1.3
Basics of
Leadership
1.3.1
Leadership Begins with a
Question
1.3.2
Communication
1.3.3
The
First Thing You Do is Agree
1.4
Spreading/Delegating Your
Leadership
1.4.1
How
to Delegate/Share
1.4.2
Listen
Closely
1.5
Being
a Leader: Dealing with Others
1.5.1
Chain
of Command
1.5.2
Setting the
Example
1.5.3
Edification and
Respect
1.5.4
Earning
Respect
1.5.5
Saying “No” is Never
Easy
1.5.6
Here
Comes Real Trouble
1.5.7
Problem or
Opportunity?
Section
2: In Sim Duties (IC Duties)
2.1
CO
and XO responsibilities during a Sim
2.2
Starting and Stopping a
Sim
2.2.1
IRC
Sims
2.2.2
E-Mail Sims
2.3
Absentees/Guest
Positions
2.3.1
In
IRC
2.3.2
In
E-Mail
2.4
Plot
Starters/Mission Briefings
2.5
Away
Teams
2.6
Directing the
Plot
2.7
Position Identification
Tags
2.8
Potential
Problems
2.8.1
Slow
Sims
2.8.2
Loss
of Control
2.8.3
Time
Line Issues
Section
3: Administrative (OOC Duties)
3.1 Personnel
Duties
3.1.1
Rosters
3.1.1.1 Rosters and
Transfers
3.1.2 Accepting New
Crew
3.1.3
Accepting
Transfers
3.1.4
Sample Welcome
Letter
3.2
Promotions
3.2.1 Promotion of
Position
3.2.2 Rank
Promotions
3.2.3 Senior Promotion
Form
3.3
Reports
3.3.1
Sample IRC Sim
Report
3.3.2
Sample Email Sim
Report
3.3.3
Hybrid Sims and
Reports
3.4 Resigning/Taking
a Permanent CO Position
3.4.1
Assigning/Taking an Acting-Command
Position as a Captain
3.4.2
First
Officer as ACO
3.5 Mission
Briefings/Plot Starters: Creating
Congratulations on becoming or
aspiring to be a Command Officer in the
Confederation. If you have made it
to this point, your current
simulation abilities must be of
high quality, that fact alone makes us
even
more proud of you. Soon you will be in a position to
direct
simulations; having the unique
ability to enhance the fun for your
crewmates whom will be under your
command.
Many
years of Command Experience go into this document, however this one document
will not teach you everything about command. It takes years of experience to
master the art of a simulation, everyone is in constant
learning.
You
need to know how to recruit, talk to your crew, create missions and keep
everyone happy at the same time. Being a Command grade officer is a lot of
responsibility. We as an organisation entrust you with a group of
8
to 20
role-players to mold them to follow in your footsteps along
the
path of
command. You are their guiding light in the organisation,
you
are
their link to the fun and exciting world of Star Trek. You are
the
master
of your domain, your simulation.
This
Guide acts merely as a mini-encyclopedia; within you will find procedures used
by existing COs, hints, advice and examples pertaining to both administrative
("paper work") and simulation aspects of Command that otherwise come from
experience (or not at all). One thing that is key to remember - Is that every
command officer will have their own unique approach and methods. What works for one doesn’t always work
for another..
This
guide is formatted in sections, so that it can be referred to again when you
need it, and we recommend that you keep this and other materials in the Command
Course handy. Even if you are an old hand at being CO or XO, you should find new
information, be reminded of ideas or find slight alternatives within these
pages. Thus, regardless of your qualifications, take the time to read the entire
Guide and see the ideas presented here.
Experience: If you've got this
guide, do you really need it? Absolutely.
These
pages can only hold words; it will be up to you to gain
the
experience needed to guide a plot,
solve people-problems, and still
enjoy
being an XO/CO. After taking the knowledge-portion of the
Command
Course,
we recommend you apply yourself "in the wild" to further
your
abilities. And, you get extra
credit for it, too (by passing Proficiency
Test).
Lastly,
history is also a good teacher. The following links are to
the
previous "XO guide" and the exams
that followed it, done by Vice Admiral
Magdiarz, a former Academy
Commandant and an excellent command officer
for his
time. After you read through this Command Guide, it is
highly
recommend that you come back here
and read them as well in order to
glean
extra information.
XO Guide -
http://www.ucip.org/sf/Info/xo_guide.txt
1st XO Exam -
http://www.ucip.org/sf/Info/xo_exam1.txt
2nd XO Exam -
http://www.ucip.org/sf/Info/xo_exam2.txt
To the
Command Student......good luck.
Overview of the Command Positions,
and Command:
It is
expected that you are already familiar with the SimGuide's
description of the Captain and
First Officer. Here we explore the
command
roles a bit deeper than the simulation Guide touches upon
the
subject.
1.1.1
Executive/First
Officer
As a
character in the simulation, the First Officer is the
Captain's
hypothetical third arm and second
mind. Thus, the job covers a complex
set of
in-simulation responsibilities. When on the bridge with the
CO,
the XO
should offer courses of action and advice by asking for
information from the bridge
officers, and making expected command orders
(eg.
going red-alert when encountering hostile threat) which the
Captain
needn't
worry about (but see Section 1.4 direct orders). Unless
ordered
or
expected otherwise, the First Officer's place is on the bridge
with
the
Captain.
Another
duty is commanding the ship in place of the CO (unless the
Captain
is incapacitated or unavailable, this should be an
explicit
order).
In this situation the XO takes on most responsibilities,
notifying the CO if his attention
is required. Notification should be
given
to the Commanding Officer about incoming communication,
security
alerts,
and other important issues; minor problems need not be
reported
to the
CO if the XO can handle the problem. If the CO is
incapacitated
or
unavailable, then the XO takes all responsibilities until the CO
is
available and fit to resume
command.
There
are some Non-bridge duties which are common or expected of
the
First
Officer. These include, but are not limited to, advising
the
Captain
during diplomacy, leading away teams, ensuring the
Captain's
safety
when he must leave the ship, and keeping tabs on how the
crew
feel
about the Captain. It is also common for a CO to have the
XO
personally oversee important tasks
elsewhere on the ship, eg. moving
critical supplies into
storage.
Out of
character duties include the XO brings the crew to
attention
before
and after the simulation. The XO usually plays the characters
on
the
view-screen (preferably changes nicknames before doing so) that
the
ship
encounters. Simulations are different in the respect of what
OOC
duties
are assigned to the XO and what duties are not. (see OOC Section)
As the
Executive officer, it is key to talk to your Commanding Officer and find out
exactly what is expected of you, before you step onto the bridge for the first
time.
1.1.2
Commanding Officer / Captain
The
Commanding Officer is the central control person of the
simulation.
All
bridge stations report to him/her when new Information regarding
the
mission
at hand comes up; new discoveries (eg "new ships decloaking")
or
finished commands (eg "arrived in-
system" or "shields are up").
Impulsively, or in response to new
information, the Captain asks
questions (to stimulate more input)
and gives orders. This system forms
a
structure that both controls (so it doesn't get out of hand)
and
guides
the simulation. If you are just learning to CO a simulation,
have
this
"input/output" system in mind.
1.1.3
Note on Other Positions
As a
command-level officer, you should be well-versed in the
responsibilities of all other
simulation positions. It's not necessary
to be a
jack-of-all-trades to be a command officer, but a broad
knowledge is required in order to
know what to ask them and what to
expect
from them in return. If there are certain positions you are
not
familiar with, see the SimGuide and
read over the advanced Academy
guides
to become familiar with them. If in doubt, read the SimGuide
and
the
Academy Course guides; they are a good read, and will keep you
in
the
know. Remember, if you are not sure of something technical, do
not
be
afraid to find out the information ICly or message a crew member
on
your
ship; we said a CO is not a jack of all trades and should not
be
expected to
be.
1.1.4
Structure of Command
One bit
of knowledge that some new First Officers do not have is
the
fact
that only the person that has control of the bridge gives
direct
orders
to the bridge crew and senior officers. Meaning, if the
Captain
is on
the bridge, the First Officer cannot order the Helm officer to
lay
in a
new course or the Ops officer to transfer power (and
certainly
cannot
tell the Tactical officer to fire weapons!) unless expected
(or
has
permission) from the Captain. Your relationship with the
Commanding
Officer
has an effect on the extent of your control on the bridge.
The
First
Officer, while he does not have control of the bridge, can
only
make
suggestions to the Captain, and ask for additional information
from
the
bridge and senior officers. The same "control" applies to
away
missions; a First Officer, when
leading an away team, gives direct
orders
to the others. Another member of the team cannot be giving
orders
to the
other, unless it is the usual cooperativeness needed to get
the
job
done. This same one-person-in-command also applies to
chief/
assistant department structures,
eg. the Chief Medical Officer gives
orders
to the two assistants, but one assistant doesn't give an order
to
the
other unless the CMO is absent (then, of course, the
first-
assistant becomes the
acting-Chief).
The
major reason of this is because command requires that one
person
have a
plan of action, and the ability to have their immediate
subordinates fulfill that plan. If
someone else is giving orders without
the
person-in-command's permission (eg. the First Officer is
giving
bridge
orders while the Captain is on the bridge), this interrupts
the
commander's plan of what needs to
happen when.
Thus,
remember, unless you're the one in command, don't become
over-
enthusiastic to help and start
giving orders. Your idea of what needs to
happen
can easily be different from your superior's. Acting
independently will easily bring
disorder to the simulation. Suggestion
and
communication is key, if you have a suggestion you are allowed
to
voice
your opinion through the chain of command.
1.2 C.A.R.T
Characteristics and traits that
applies to both Captain and First
Officer:
"CART"
Communication:
In
character communication is key to the quality of a simulation.
An
Executive Officer is a key element
to the simulation. As an executive
officer, they receive information
that may not seem important to inform
the CO
of at the time it was received, but it may prove to be
important
as the
simulation develops. The XO and CO need to communicate so
that
the
important and non-important information comes together to see
if
there
is a congruence.
Adaptablility:
If the
plot is not going the way you planned it, try to adapt your
grand
plan to
go with the flow of what everyone else is moving toward. It
is
better
to let your crew take a plot somewhere then it is to have
you
direct
it where they do not want the plot to go.
Respect:
Onboard
a simulation, the executive officer must support the
decisions
of the
Commanding Officer unless the decision endangers the lives of
the
crew or
the Commanding Officer. It is important for the crew to see
you
support
the actions of the CO especially in times of difficulty.
Teamwork:
The CO
and XO that work well together will complement each other in
the
responsibilities of commanding a
simulation, and result in a good
simulation environment for the rest
of the crew. Team work is one of the
main
key things.
1.3
Basics of Leadership
Leadership is one of those
challenges that can be defined in countless
ways.
For our purpose here, think of it this way:- A leader is
expected
to get
others to work together to have fun. A real leader uses
teamwork
and
respect for others to get the job done. If others think of you
as
just
the "boss", you are probably not leading. If they think of you
as
one of
the guys and everything you set out to do is getting done,
you
can bet
you're doing a pretty good job leading.
Other
Command officers currently use these skills and don't even
know
they
are doing it. Observe a successful simulation and watch how
the
commanding staff acts. Watch them
closely. They ask a lot of suggestions
and
make many suggestions, don't they? They also know when they need
to
make
orders. (Note that orders are given in the simulation, but
when
dealing
with the crew it is better to ask for suggestions and
opinions
before
making a final decision out of character.) Use the other
Command
Officers as resources. When you
face a new challenge, chances are
they've
faced the same or a similar challenge. They can help you
meet
the
challenges that you are faced.
Finally, it's important to see,
right from the start, that everyone in
command
has been down the trail you're just beginning to travel. You
can
take
advantage of their experiences. One of the easiest ways to do
this
is by
in the field work with your own simulation and asking for
advice.
Experience in the field is a must.
It will help you discover what's
expected of a leader in your
position. When you know how to be right,
it's a
lot easier to be right. The more often you can do the
right
things,
the more the other crew-- and people in
general-- will respect your
leadership.
1.3.1
Leadership Begins with a Question
Are you
good at keeping a secret? Let's hope not, at least in this
case,
because
one important key to good leadership is a good question.
Unfortunately, that's probably one
of the best kept secrets in the
World.
So let's see to it that every Command Officer is in on the
secret.
How did
that last paragraph begin? With a question, right? What did
the
question do? It led you into the
next statement. "Now, wait a minute,"
you
say, "You can't trick me that way. I didn't have to read the
next
statement." Well, that's true. You
didn't have to. But you did read it,
didn't
you? Now it's not a leader's job to get people to do things
they
don't
want to do. Not at all. A good leader gets things done by
respecting others and helping them
learn to grow through their own
Simulation experience. He provides
direct hands-on leadership when he
has to,
but always with respect toward others as a guiding force.
Let's
take a quick look at how this will work every time. Say you
need
some
help with a problem as an away team leader on a planet.
Ensign
Jackson, one of your crewmembers is
anxious for a chance to prove
himself. If you are on top of
things you will know this. Because you
know he
wants to prove himself; you can give him the opportunity to
help
solve
the perplexing problem you face on the planet. You know
Jackson
will be
anxious to help because he wants to prove himself to the
crew.
So when
you ask him to assist the ships Webmaster with the webpage,
if
he has
the experience he will jump at the chance.
As
important as a good question is, it's certainly not all you need
to
know to
be a good leader. Leadership is about relationships,
problem
solving, and achieving goals. One
skill is not going to make you a good
leader.
Each time you add a new leadership skill though, you become
a
better
leader. On a scale of 1 to 5, you need all the skills to be
a
five.
Any skill you lack makes you that much of a leader. So if all
you
can do
is ask questions, you probably have some work to do.
1.3.2
Communication
Communication has to be one of the
more important. You might think of
this as
the ability to get and give information. If you communicate
in
such a
way that people understand what you need and why you need
it,
they
respond the way you want them to. There are many skills to
communicating. We've all seen how
the "magic words" work. A "please" or
a
"thanks" is always a good idea. Using "we" or "ours" will do much
more
toward
your leadership success than "I" or "me" A smile, is also
a
great
thing to give. It's interesting-- no matter how many smiles
you
give
away, you never run out. Maybe it's because every time you
give
someone
a smile, they give you a smile right back. And, did you
ever
notice
how hard it is to stay mad at someone when you're smiling?
It's
nearly
impossible.
How
about a good laugh? That works every time, too, especially if
you're
laughing at yourself. We all make
mistakes, and if the crew of your ship
see
that you recognize your mistakes with a laugh, they will be
quicker
to
forget them. Laugh at your own mistakes, and not the mistakes
of
others
or feelings will get hurt.
1.3.3
The First Thing You Do Is Agree
When
someone says he doesn't want to work on an IC project with
you
because
it's a lot of work, don't argue. Agree with him. Try
responding
this
way: "You're right, Jackson. It is a lot of work. That's what
the
fellas
on the alpha shift thought last month when they were
assigned
this
diagnostic. But once they got into the project, they found
that
time
went by quickly and the work was soon completed"
This
method is called the "feel, felt, found" method of leadership.
I
understand how you feel. Others
have felt the same way. But they have
tried
it, they found that...
There
are several important things happening here. First, by
agreeing
with
Jackson, you've stopped the argument. You agreed with him,
so
there's
no one for him to argue with. Then, you further tell him
that
others
felt the same way when they first started their work. This
tells
him
that he's not some kind of dummy for thinking the way he does.
Now
Jackson
is listening to you rather than arguing with you. You're
speaking his language. So it's time
to let him in on what other crew
members
discovered when they gave it a try. You'll win him over when
he
sees
how he might have misunderstood the difficulty of the work
ahead.
This
method is most used when ordering is not crucial to the
operation
of a
ship. On a ship we use orders to get things done, but ensuring
a
fellow
officer about their feelings can never hurt.
1.4
Spreading your Leadership
1.4.1
How to Share Leadership
Often a
new leader gets frustrated because he tried to make all
the
decisions himself. Once he
recognizes that others can help, his job
becomes
much easier. This is because he shares leadership. The
Commanding officer shares
leadership to the crew by assigning different
responsibilities to them. By
discussing things with the members of the
Crew,
the command staff share their leadership. Each crewmember
OOCly
gets to
voice their opinion about matters. This way the plan that
comes
out of
the crew meetings will incorporate the thoughts and ideas of
the
rest of
the crew, not just senior leaders.
There
is an old saying that, "You have to inspect what you expect."
This
means
you need to let people know that once they've accepted an
assignment they're not going to be
able to slide by without completing
it.
It's up to you to help other crew on your ship become
successful.
Besides
of that... you are only as good as your back up system ;-).
It
is
imperative that you as CO ensure the continuity of your SIM
by
training your XO and 2XO to be able
to take over from you if you have to
take an
unexpected long term LOA.
1.4.2
Listen Closely
Taking
the time to listen closely to what people say is one way to
share
your
leadership. The other crew will like it when you listen to
their
ideas.
It tells them you care. It shows them you think their ideas
are
important. When a leader isn't
listening to those he's trying to lead,
he
really doesn't know if they're following. Pretty soon he's trying
to
understand why everyone is always
grumbling behind his back. Why is the
crew
unhappy? Why did someone drop out? Often the answer is that
they
didn't
feel they were part of the action. Nobody cared about his or
her
thoughts or feelings. As a
Commanding officer the nobody would be you.
1.5
Being a Leader: Dealing with others
1.5.1
Chain of Command
In any
organisation, especially one that is based on a military
structure like the various fleets
are, there is a Chain of Command to
the top
level CinC.
Dept.
Head -> XO -> CO -> Subflt Cmdr (if in Starfleet) -> Flt Cmdr
->
DCinC
-> CinC
Those
Sims that have either Marine Detachments or Civilians or both have to account
for those sub-chains. While the Marine Cmdr or Civilian Governor can run
separate plots for their respective people, they ultimately report to the CO/XO
of the Sim they are a part of and should provide the courtesy of informing the
CO/XO of their plot plans so the Command Team knows what’s going on and whether
anything might clash. Ie. Marine Cmdr may want to run ‘war games’ off
ship/planet but CO/XO wants to use the Marines in the main colony plot…they need
to keep each other informed.
Marine
-> Marine Cmdr -> XO
-> CO -> SubfltCmdr -> FltCmdr -> DcinC/CinC
Civilian -> Civ. Governor ->
XO -> CO -> SubfltCmdr -> FltCmdr -> DCinC/CinC
That
means that an assistant with a problem should first go to the
Dept.
Head,
if it can't be resolved, it goes to the XO. From there if
unresolved it will go to the CO,
Subfleet Commander (if in Starfleet),
Fleet
Commander etc. In the case where for instance, the
Subfleet
Commander is also the CO, the
matter will be automatically deferred to
the
Deputy.
The
chain of command will be enforced and not bypassed. There have
been
instances that a CO, for instance,
has bypassed a Subfleet Commander and
gone
straight to the Fleet Commander. The opposite has also happened
and
people
up the chain have gone straight to COs rather than work
through
the
Chain of Command.
If you
do jump the chain of command, don't be surprised if you are told
to
follow
the chain, and to take it to the right person. Anybody
found
jumping
the chain of command will referred back to the right person
in
the
chain. There is a major effort going on in the UCIP to improve
our
communications, and we need your
help in doing so. Jumping the Chain of
Command
does not help our attempt to improve communications, it
also
shows a
lack of respect to the officer being left out in the
chain.
1.5.2
Setting the Example
As you
can see, there are a lot of things for a leader to do.
Each
leader
is going to do these things a little but different from
another
leader.
And that is all right. Still, there is one thing that
every
leader
of a simulation wants to do and that is set the example!
Setting
the example is the most crucial part to your job
descriptions.
Often
the crew you lead will learn most of what they know about
Simulations and Command from your
example. You are their model of what a Commanding Officer is. Your ideals will
become their ideals, your skills you will pass along to them. If it looks like
you think you can do things in a
sloppy
fashion, the crew will soon think they can too. If you're
always
talking
about how a plan you have won't work, that's what your crew
will
think
as well. However, if you are enthusiastic, they will be
enthusiastic as
well!
1.5.3
Edification and Respect
Linked
closely with setting the example is that Command Officers
are
expected to have a professional and
respectful attitude when dealing
with
our peers in UCIP. Yes, this is a game, but we still need to
bear
professionalism in what we do in
mind, regardless of personal feelings,
especially when you get to the
level of CO and higher.
It's a
simple concept, treat people the way you want to be
treated
yourself. Your Fleet Commanders
expect you as Command Officers to set an
example
and to lead by this example. We can not ask people to do what
we
are not
prepared to do ourselves.
This
also has to do with edification, talk positive about people.
The
dictionary definition of 'to edify'
states: To instruct, especially for
moral
and personal improvement. What does it mean in practice...
Talk
positive about those on your level
and your superiors to those under
your
command and treat everyone, regardless of status or who they
are
with
respect. Think about it.. if you were to talk negative about
your
superiors to your crew. It not only
makes the superior look bad, but
also
the UCIP and you, yourself will look bad... But what is there
to
stop
your crew from talking equally negative about you to their
peers
and
those under their command? They will do as you do, not as you
say.
We all
need to blow of steam at times and are unhappy about
things
happening. That is understandable,
but don't complain down the chain of
command, to your crew. If you feel
the need to blow off steam, talk and
complain UP the chain of
command.
An
issue that has cropped up on the odd occasion that I wish to
touch
upon
here too, is something that is considered a very serious issue
of
unacceptable behaviour. A few COs
have been bashing/dissing other COs to
crew
members of that CO. Sometimes even in the middle of the CO's
SIM.
But let
me make it VERY clear: That sort of behaviour is TOTALLY
unacceptable. You don't have to
like someone, but you DON'T talk
negative about a CO to that CO's
crew. To give an indication of how
unacceptable it is, Starfleet
Command has stated that if a CO is found
to have
been doing this, to expect punishment along the lines of
resetting the time frame for next
promotion consideration and/or
restrictions on awards for the
CO.
Like I
said above, if you as Command Officer feel the need to
complain
or blow
of steam.. do so UP the chain of command, NOT down to your
crew..
and NEVER to someone else's crew. It is extremely bad
form.
1.5.4
Earning Respect
When
you first become a commanding officer, there are certain
things
that
are likely to happen. After everyone has congratulated you,
someone
is
likely to try to see if she can get some special attention from
the
new
leader. Perhaps she is a good friend and all she wants is to
be
promoted sooner then the minimums,
"just this one time." You know the
promotion minimums are in place for
a reason but she is a really good
friend:
you enjoy your friendship, and you want to keep it that
way.
Look
what happens if you give in to this request. First, you're going
to
feel
bad. You knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but you did
it
anyway.
Then you're going to possibly answer to someone above you as
to
why the
promotion took place. The other crew might find out and
become
unhappy
about how you played favorites. This individual is not
respecting you as a leader, or as a
friend, and is using you selfishly.
On your
simulation you must take into account the best interests of
the
crew.
If you do a favor for one person, a favor will often be
expected
from
the others. Set you policies and stick by them.
1.5.5
Saying No is Never Easy
Even
though it isn't easy to say no, this does not excuse you from
doing
so when
necessary. No one likes to say no, especially to a friend.
Still.
If that's the correct response, it's what a good leader will
say.
It is
your responsibility to gauge when a situation is right or
wrong
and
make the call. In a battle, if an engineering officer asks to run
a
Level
one diagnostic on the systems, this would result in a no
response.
You as
the Command officer on the ship must make the final call and
be
firm in
your decision.
1.5.6
Here Comes Real Trouble
Occasionally a crew will discover
that it has a real "wise
guy"
that is always causing trouble. This isn't the guy who likes
to
toss in
a joke once in a while. It isn't the crewmember who moans
and
groans
when they have to do an assignment. The troublemaker is
the
crewmember who constantly pushes
the newer crewmembers around. Maybe he
thinks
it's okay to always argue with the Department Head or to make
fun
of
everyone else's opinions. Chances are that this is also the guy
who
always
says, or wants to say, "No," and doesn't want to do much
of
anything.
It
won't be easy to take action. Other crew may laugh at his antics.
If
you
read their laughs to mean they like having every
simulation
interrupted, you are wrong. It
won't be easy, but in the interest of
your
ship and your crew, you will have to take action. If you want
the
others
to follow your leadership, they're going to need to see that
you
can
take care of the tough jobs as well as the easy ones.
Fortunately, we don't run into much
"real trouble" in UCIP. The people
who
join the group know up front what the group is all about and what
is
expected of them, they want to be
here to have fun. Most are not joining
because
they are looking for trouble. Still, it can happen that you
get
faced
with someone accused of doing something wrong to someone else.
You
can not
let it pass. You must take a stand. If you don't you'll
always
know
you should have, and it will bother you a lot. Even more
important,
what
will happen to your ability to lead? The other guys are going
to
see
that you walked away from a serious problem, rather than facing
it
the way
a leader should. Whatever respect you've earned up to that
point
will
quickly disappear. They will see that you don't have the courage
to
do what
you know is right.
What do
you do? The answer to this question is tough. The actions
to
take
won't always be the same. Still, there are certain things you
will
want to
do just about every time. Begin by taking a good, hard look
at
the
facts. Be as certain as you can that you know what really
has
happened. Be certain that the
problem is real. Does he admit it? If not,
who's
making the charges? Do you really believe the charges are
true?
What is
the proof? Try to give the accused crewmember the benefit of
the
doubt.
Did he know what he did was wrong? If not, explain why the
action
can't
take place again. Get a commitment from him not to do it
again.
Make
sure that he knows what actions you'll take if it does
happen
again.
Maybe
she says she doesn't like a certain rule. Let them explain
while
you
listen carefully. Try to understand what they're saying and why
they
feel
this way. Then explain why the rule exists and why it's
important
that
everyone in the crew do his or her best to obey the rule. Maybe
you'll
convince him. Remember to use the
"feel, felt, found" method, which has
been
proven to work. If he won't agree to follow the rule, or if
he
breaks
the rule again, consult the person who is next on your Chain
of
Command. It may be necessary to
bring the Subfleet Commander (if in
Starfleet), Starfleet Commander or
the DCinC or CinC into the situation
if it
becomes difficult.
Hopefully the crewmember that is
causing the problem will do what is
right
when you face up to him. But be careful not to spill all
the
details
to everyone you see. It's no one else's business. If the
problem
is
really serious, though, everything changes. Remember that you are
not
all
alone. If you have a problem that's too hot for you to handle,
use
your
resources, and go up the Chain of Command. Maybe the other crew
on
the
ship can help. Again, you may want to confide in those officers
who
you
report to, including the DCinC and CinC. Use the chain of
Command,
it is
there to help you.
1.5.7
Problem or Opportunity?
If you
can learn to view problems as opportunities, you will be well
on
your
way to success as a leader. Don't look at every simulation
or
activity as being littered with
problems. View them as activities filled
with
opportunities. You can not demonstrate your leadership skills
if
you
never get the opportunity. Does that mean you want people to
argue?
No, of
course not. But when it happens, and it happens in the best
of
organizations and ships, you have
the opportunity to be a leader.
Every
leader will get his share of criticism. You might want to think
of
it as
the spice of leadership. After all, the right spice can turn
a
humdrum
meal into something special. So, if you're getting honest
and
accurate criticism, you will want
to be thankful. Criticism should help
make
you a better leader.
If
you're getting heavily peppered with criticism, there may be
a
problem. You need to ask yourself
why. Maybe you need to ask another
Command
officer or your superiors for help and advice. But you
don't
want to
object to useful criticism. Without it you might never know
that
something needs changing. If
criticism is unfair, you have another kind
of
opportunity. Most likely your critic thinks he is being very
fair.
You're
going to have to find out why. This is where the questions
we
talked
about earlier can come into play again. Ask many questions.
Find
out why
he feels this way. Let him talk while you listen closely. If
you
discover, while listening, that
there is some truth to the criticism,
address
it positively. You'll be a better leader because of it.
Perhaps
you can enlist the crews' assistance in solving problems;
the
crew is
a resource you have to use. In solving a problem, both of
the
people
involved will grow as a result.
2.1 CO
and XO Responsibilities During a simulation
The
Captain of a simulation has these responsibilities:
Controlling the beginning and ending of
the simulation, or in
Email the
plot.
Giving in-character direct orders to
bridge crew and senior
officers
Speeding along the plot during slow
times (with the use of ACTION,
and in Email with
logs).
Communicating with crew members in
private for behind-the-scene
orders (e.g.asking the
Science Officer to find tetreon
emissions).
Keeping all officers involved in the
current plot, if someone is
not involved find
something for them to do.
Evaluate information that is received to
find possible effects on
the
simulation.
The
First Officer's responsibilities are:
Assisting the Captain during the
beginning / ending phase of the
Simulation. In Email
helping to steer the plot.
Requesting in-character input from
bridge crew and senior officers
and evaluating if the CO
needs to be informed about the
information or if the XO can
handle the information.
Making in-character suggestions to the
Captain.
Taking in-private requests from the
crew, taking care of what s/he
can and presenting what they
cannot to the Captain.
Taking command of Away
Teams.
2.2
Beginning and Ending a Simulation