RT0510- P05.02.02

Assembled Delegates,

the following proposal is presented to the delegates and the chair for
discussion and vote.

**********

NAME: Proposal to change the manner in which players are prepared for
command and administrative roles in ASR. (PO5.02.02)

AUTHOR: Scott J. Lusby

SUMMARY: This proposal provides a means through which new command and
administrative players are aided as they adjust to their new roles in
ASR.

RATIONALE: We have always had some sort of training and/or guidance
system for new players when they join ASR...but we have lacked any
formal training for one of the most critical jobs in ASR: command. In
the past, we have relied on the new command players learning 'on the
job,' with perhaps an informal offer of help from another
administrative player in ASR. However, no formal consistency to this
arrangement has ever been established...and the results have therefore
been mixed as to the degree of success to which 'untrained' command
players have discharged their duties.

The creation of appropriate documentation that spells out the specific
responsibilities of unit, fleet and branch command, coupled with a
mentor program manned by experienced command players, would give new
command players the resources they need to succeed.


PROPOSAL: This proposal is made up of two parts- documentation of
responsibilities, and creating a mentorship program.

1. Documentation of Responsibilities
------------------------------------

Three individual documents would outline the responsibilities of the
following positions in ASR:
a) Unit Command (geared towards CO/XO at the least);
b) Fleet Command
c) Branch Command

These documents should not seek to teach an administrator HOW to run
his/her command, but rather simply to spell out what duties are theirs
to perform.

This would give the new command administrator a clear, detailed
picture of the task that lay in front of them.

Changes: Two such documents exist in the ASR Library- a 'Command
Player's Document' written within the past 6 months, and a 'Branch
Billet Descriptions' document, written about 3 years ago. These docs
will need to be studied and perhaps edited to suit our purposes here.
A third document outlining the specific duties of the Fleet Commander
and his/her staff would need to be generated.


2. Creation of a Mentorship Program
-----------------------------------

As any teacher knows, it is not enough to simply hand a new student a
worksheet on a foreign topic and say, "OK- go to it!"; such methods
are bound to meet with limited success. Good teachers serve as
guides- they do not give answers, but guide the student to find the
answer for him/herself; they encourage questions, and offer
constructive advice. Such is the role of a mentor in society.

ASR will supplement the existing/new documentation with a Mentorship
program of its own, which will now fall under the authority of
Armstrong Lunar Base.

The Commandant of ALB would seek and confirm experienced command
players and administrators to serve as 'mentors' to new command
players or administrators, and assign an appropriate Mentor when a new
command administrator is named- an experienced unit CO for a new XO,
an experienced fleet commander for a new CINCFLEET, etc. Much like
the proposed GM role for new players, Command or Administrative
Mentors would be responsible for showing the new command players the
ropes: they would help interpret and lay out the responsibilities of
the office in question; they would coach and advise on common
practices and courtesies not covered in any documentation; they would
be available for advice and counsel, and offer constructive criticism
when needed. This Mentor would serve as a calming influence on the
new command administrator, who is often initially overwhelmed at the
task placed at his/her feet, and a guiding hand as the new
administrator gains confidence in his/her own ability to do his/her
job.

Changes: ALB becomes the center of the Mentorship program, the heart
of the Command and Administrative Training Program, instead of the New
Player Training Center. As such, ALB continues to exist, and
continues to provide critical training, as it always has- just with a
different focus.


CONCLUSIONS: By coupling clear and detailed documentation with a
formal Mentorship program, ASR can gain a consistency in the quality
of its command and administrative personnel it has never had before,
making it stronger where it needs to be- its leadership.