Guide to Leadership

Leadership is a challenging skill to develop but it is among the most important for both role-play and for driving the round forward. Unlike in most SS13 servers, where roles and departments do their jobs with a very long leash, factions on Desert Rose 2 tend to be small and cohesive, needing organization to get anything other than basic duties done. A terrible leader will allow his faction to be confused and ineffectual, a decent leader will achieve goals efficiently, but a great leader will inspire the players under him to enjoy working toward a common purpose.
The following guide is generic and may apply to any faction, but obviously leadership will change to fit a faction's flavor and circumstances. A Legion centurion is expected to be far harsher than the town sheriff, for example. This page includes simplified concepts from real-life management and leadership studies so this guide may even be helpful outside the game.
== Fundamentals of Leadership ==
=== Management vs. Leadership ===
Management and leadership are separate though related concepts and both apply in a military setting. Management is generally practical as it makes sure an organization has what it takes in terms of resources, personnel and planning to accomplish a goal. The goal itself is set by the leaders, who inspire and motivate their subordinates to follow them no matter what. To take an example from the Fallout universe, Caesar himself is more of a leader dictating the path the Legion should take, while Lanius is more of a manager who formulates the battle plans. There can be a great deal of overlap between management and leadership and it's usually helpful to have both capabilities. The main thing to take away is that management is technical and meticulous while leadership is artistic and sweeping.
=== Functions ===
==== Planning ====
Leaders/managers set objectives, establish strategies to achieve them, and come up with plans to coordinate assets toward their purpose.
==== Organizing ====
Leaders/managers determine which tasks are given priority, who does what, who reports to whom and who gets to make decisions.
==== Leading ====
A leader motivates people, resolves internal conflicts, influences those under him, decides how people should communicate, and resolves behavioral issues.
==== Controlling ====
Managers must make sure objectives are met, monitor performance, compare it with set goals, and take action to get things back on track.
=== Roles ===
==== Interpersonal ====
Figurehead: You are socially, legally and ceremonially responsible for those under you and are looked up to as a person with authority.
Leader: You provide leadership for your faction and manage the performance and responsibilities for everyone under you.
Liaison: You must communicate with others inside and outside your faction, using your contacts to your advantage.
==== Informational ====
Monitor: You look at recent developments in the wasteland and monitor your faction's effectiveness and well-being.
Disseminator: You communicate potentially useful information to others within your faction.
Spokesperson: You represent and speak for your faction to outsiders.
==== Decisional ====
Entrepreneur: You create and control change within your faction, solving problems by coming up with and implementing new ideas.
Tactician: When something unexpected comes up you must take charge, as well as mediate disputes.
Resource allocator: You apply your faction's resources where they can be best used.
Negotiator: You take part in and direct negotiations within your faction, where necessary.
=== Skills ===
==== Conceptual ====
Conceptual skills are those used to understand and handle complex situations. As a leader it is important to realize how acting a certain way will affect the response of other factions and how it will affect other goals. This is looking at the entire chess board and is crucial for higher-ranking leaders.
==== Human ====
Human skills are those letting you work well with others, on a one-to-one basis and in a group. They're extremely useful–charisma permitting–at any rank to get the best out of people through communication and motivation.
==== Technical ====
Technical skills are job-specific knowledge and techniques, ranging from combat tactics to medicine. These tend to be the most important for lower-ranking leaders who need to direct the minutiae of operations or train the rank-and-file.
== Leadership Styles ==
=== Coercive ===
The most military and autocratic style, it boils down to "Do what I say" as the primary objective is immediate compliance. There are often cases which call for command-and-control such as a serious issue needing immediate response or a breach in discipline, and it can justifiably be used to break recruits into a role where obedience is needed. It sets a clear direction in an emergency and helps to soothe fears. However, it's very grating–especially in non-military contexts–and the lack of input from subordinates may lead to inflexibility and mistakes. A leader who relies on this must have initiate, the drive to achieve, and self-control.
=== Authoritative ===
Empirically the most successful style of leadership, it consists of a visionary showing the way and setting expectations. It is especially effective at engaging and energizing followers as it lets them know the path forward. The authoritative method, while also highly suitable for military use, differs from the coercive style in giving time to explain thinking and allowing subordinates choice and latitude in achieving goals.
=== Affiliative ===
The "People come first" style, the leader commiserates with followers by paying attention to and supporting their emotional well-being. The focus in this is to encourage harmony, smoothing conflicts and calm down stress. While effective in this and permitting role-play opportunities there comes a cost in productivity as one might expect. Also in a military context it may be seen as weak.
=== Democratic ===
Full information is shared with one's peers and everyone's opinions are gathered before a final decision is reached. It helps with gaining trust and team spirit as everyone feels part of the decision process. However, it obviously is slow and inefficient and it can potentially lead to a split over a contentious issue. Obviously it does not suit a military context at all though it may be appropriate in town meetings.
=== Pacesetting ===
The leader sets himself as an example and pushes others to reach his level. It's highly useful in training as well as in achieving results, but is highly stressful and exhausting for everyone involved in the long run.
=== Coaching ===
The leader desires to unlock others' potential by opening their hearts and giving a direction to achieve. Recommended only for followers who genuinely want to improve.
=== Laissez-faire ===
The opposite of the coercive style, a minimum of oversight is provided. May make you look trusting but also makes you look lazy, so use this only on people who are self-motivated and already know what to do.