Who are your guides?

So if the organization isn't the hero, and your members are, what role does the organization play? What do we mean by guides?

In the Star Wars saga, the guide is usually an older Jedi Knight, like Yoda teaching Luke (the hero) what he needs to know to be transformed into a Jedi himself.

Or Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. He is there to guide the Fellowship in the tasks they need to be able to beat evil.

Your organization can play the part of the Guide. It can be the knowledgable, helpful expert that invites your members into the story.

Or your guides might be the experienced members of your organization. In the SCA they are called Peers. They are members that have spent the time and energy to be transformed into Knights, Masters, and Mistresses who are shining examples of leaders in the organization.

These experienced members help mentor the newer members on their path to transformation and will someday be replaced by their students or mentees.

This means that you have to have a clear vision of what you are transforming your heroes into and that vision needs to be clear to your guides and your organization for alignment to happen. If your experienced members are teaching different things that don't align, it can be confusing to your newer members and they might get frustrated and leave for something clearer.

So take a peek at your group or organization. Figure out what you are transforming your heroes into, and then look at your current organization and the people in it. Is your organization the guide? Are there guides already in your organization? Do you need to figure out what it means to be a guide? You will be one step closer to having an organization that is aligned and growing.