Work Together with Your Officers
The following message is from Mistress Katherine Barr, East Kingdom Seneschal, and Sandi Donner, SCA Regional VP of Operations.
Greetings to the Kingdom.
I would like to discuss officer relations within the East Kingdom.
The Kingdom Officers are responsible for protecting the Kingdom, assisting the royalty, and are also here to help you, the Local Officers. However, this is a two-way street and must have the Local Officers’ assistance as well. In no way should it be viewed as a Kingdom Officer versus Local Officer venue. We need to work together.
So, how do we do this better? Here are a few guidelines.
COMMUNICATION! All officers (Kingdom, Regional and Local) are to be using their officially provided accounts. That said, check your emails. Regularly. Like, at least every few days.
COMMUNICATION! If a Local Officer has a problem getting a report in, let your Regionals know. If you are given an extension to get a report in, get it done by that time, or communicate why you can’t. Likewise, Kingdom Officers should communicate, either directly, or through their Regionals, if the reports are not received, and be understanding when extensions are requested. Kingdom Officers should help, not just reprimand.
COMMUNICATION! If you sense a problem rising within your group, let your Regional, or if necessary, your Kingdom officer know. If an issue is brought to a Kingdom Officer, they should work with the group and/or reach out to other Officers to help find a resolution. Trust me, it is much easier to handle a situation before it blows up and have the Regional or Kingdom Officers offer any guidance they can at the lower stages.
COMMUNICIATION! If there is a problem, ask for assistance from the Barons/Baronesses of a group. This goes for all levels of officers. Most of the time, the Barons and Baronesses can help in getting officers to get the reports in or can liaison with a Kingdom Officer if needed.
UNDERSTANDING! We are all volunteers. ALL OF US. The Kingdom Officers understand the time constraints and the fact that the local officers are volunteers as well, trust us! However, the Kingdom Officers also need to be cognizant that we have signed up for a more time-intensive position and cannot compare our time spent to that of Local Officers. Conversely, the understanding from the Local Officers of the time constraints of the Regional and Kingdom Officers is also appreciated.
APPRECIATION! A “please,” “thank you,” or a “well done” goes a long way. Every officer in the Kingdom should use those phrases – they really help.
Let’s all work together to make the Kingdom run smoother for all.
Thank you.