BRAVE has long had to endure chastising and propaganda about the supposed plague of middle-management. And it would seem that a lot of people misunderstand where the issues lie, and what their causes are. A member of this alleged cabal Callduron, who if I’m not mistaken is currently a junior FC (and captain of BRAVE’s ATXIII team, woot!) stepped into the fray on yet another Reddit thread to weigh in. The following is the insightful response to one member:
Middle management gets used as a buzz-phrase to encourage people to feel contempt for the people who step up.
If you fall for it you’ve been played.
Who are these middle managers?
People like me, Avaren, Christopher and a couple of dozen others who are stepping up to FC. The guys who oversee us Junior FCs – Extrems and Negativelight – are super nurturing and helpful, I’ve never seen anyone upset or discouraged by either one.
The Dojo is, imo, quite stunning. I was in E Uni 5 years ago and while very professional it was so much more cold and unwelcoming. Here literally anyone who is unsure can get help with anything, I’ve been playing 6 years and I still pop in quite often to ask questions. The level of helpfulness – even flying all the way to Empire to guide people – is amazing.
The recruiters seem to be doing a fantastic job, we have a constant stream of new people.
This week I got a new and sort of important job. Everyone I’ve talked to to get help for running the Alliance Tournament team has been really really kind and supportive. Kiu did a ton of IT setup and we have our own member group in CORE for the squad with private jabber and mumble. Kite Co set up forums. Lychton and Kelnon have done everything I’ve asked. Wiros and Agonist X have been brilliant – we already have an amazing advert.
The idea that we have some sort of snarled up middle managment bureaucracy that just snaps at each other and wastes each other’s time is the complete opposite of my (admittedly limited) experience. It really is just propaganda based on a dreary 4 months old soundcloud featuring mostly people who have left.
I’m not saying it’s perfect, there’s occasionally things that grate, but for a group of amateurs doing a hobby the organisation we have here is outstanding.
The words above show someone who counters the common narrative that BRAVE is a hopeless bureaucracy. And I’d wager this attitude is reflected in most of the leadership. Sure, some complaints have merit. The lack of transparency and awareness that some feel in the organization is likely a driving force for many of these complaints. It would also seem the source for these complaints lies with the feeling that the organization at times can feel like it’s being pulled in ten directions at once. Whether this true for everyone who makes these complaints or who the exact culprits are, I cannot say.
One thing is for certain, this obsession with narrative has to end some time. We’re all guilty of throwing our hats into the ring and making unjustifiable claims about what’s wrong and what’s right, but we seem to keep losing focus on what is important. That being two things, one is keeping the group together and focused; the second and arguably most important is making sure as many of our members as possible have fun in their own particular way. Some enjoy the meta, some enjoy the constant fighting and dying, and most of us would enjoy winning once in a while. These things are what we should be prioritizing above all else. Being a newbro organization means that we’re the helping hand that helps newbros climb up to the top of the learning cliff, so that they can jump into the wider sandbox.
Hell, I’m guilty of jumping on the “BASH BRAVE!!” bandwagon on this site, but I do it because I enjoy figuring out what drives people, what makes them choose the paths they do. In reality, I’m wrong more often than I’m right, the learning process that allows me to see the truth in matters is what I’m pursuing. At then end of the day, the issues we have will only be solved by cooperation, both internal and external feedback and opinions have to be considered. No one ever got anywhere muttering to themselves all day, the same is true in EVE.
I think BRAVE and by extension HERO do have some choices to make about how they want to proceed, but the one thing they have to do is stop the bleeding of public confidence that occurs from the constant bashing. 7o
