Hi folks! It's been a while since my last blog. It seems I always get to blogging when something significant happens that inspires me to write something. This is no exception, but I'll get to that in a bit. This blog is going to be a little different. All of my previous blogs have been about DJing in SL. This one is going to be about managing in SL. Now I'll be honest with you right from the start. I've done plenty of club management in SL, and even was part owner of a club for a couple of years. That being said, I'm nowhere near as good a manager as I am a DJ. Now I'm not saying I was flat our lousy at it, I think I did some things effectively, but I also made some big mistakes. I have however, had the opportunity to look at the issue from all sides, as a staff member, as a manager, and as an owner. And trust me, the view is completely different depending on the perspective you're viewing it from. And I'll also say this... I've managed for 6 years, and owned for two - and I swear on my mother's grave I'll never do either again. Ok, let's start off with some mistakes I made as a manager.
1) Making promises I couldn't keep - This was kind of an Achilles heal for me. I did it a couple of times, and both times it cost me a valuable DJ, and nearly a friendship. This is definitely one to be careful of. Before you promise anyone anything, make sure the owner is on board, and that any other staff members that might be impacted are on board as well. If you don't, you'll find yourself between a rock and a hard place like I did with no available solution that doesn't suck.
2) Getting in the face of a good, reliable DJ over nothing - This isn't one I did often, but I did once, and again it cost me a really good DJ. All I'll say on this for now is try and always keep the big picture in mind. Know your staff, and react appropriately. If you're dealing with a DJ that's chronically late, is always missing sets, is a drama king, or whatever, then go ahead and get in his face, you're probably not losing much if he quits anyway. On the other hand, if you're dealing with a DJ who's generally reliable, causes no issues in the club, and that you consider an asset, then don't be afraid to look the other way. If it becomes a chronic problem, then sit down with the person, but be nice, and be respectful. "I've noticed you've been missing some sets lately, and I just want to make sure you're ok." Is a good way to start the conversation. See if you can find out what's going on, and what you can do to help. Maybe a lighter schedule is in order. Maybe burnout is the issue, and the DJ needs some time off. Maybe it's RL, and the DJ needs a different time slot. Whatever. This is a person that's worked for you for a while and has earned your respect, so be respectful, and do what you can to help them get back to where you both want them to be - Reliable, fun, and effective.
3) Trying to do too much - This is one a lot of managers do. When I was managing at Heroes, I was practically living in the club. I wanted to try and make sure every DJ had at least a base crowd, and felt it was my duty to be there to help with that. I tried to cover every set when somebody called out. I even filled in for hosts sometimes. On top of that I was involved in planning events, hiring staff, staff meetings, etc. Needless to say I eventually burnt out. This one is hard to solve, because clubs are almost always under staffed. Just try and have an understanding with the owner what's expected of you, and make sure you're not getting yourself into a pace that's unsustainable.
Ok, that's enough about MY personal failures (Definitely NOT my favorite topic!). To give myself SOME credit, while I certainly made some mistakes as a manager, overall I think I was pretty effective, mainly because I didn't make any of the GRAVE errors, which I'll get to in a bit (Yes I know, you HATE it when I do that, but trust me, but this next session sets the stage for the grave errors stuff), but first, let's talk about some of the types of DJs you'll be dealing with, from the most desirable to the least:
1) Annie Awesome - This is your rock star, the DJ that is super dependable, does everything right, and does it with style. This is the DJ you build your staff around, the one that gets people coming back to your club, your Hall of Fame or Hall of Fame level DJ. If you have one of these, consider yourself lucky. If you have 2 or more, consider yourself blessed. It should go without saying, but it doesn't, so I'll say it, and all in caps: DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HOLD ON TO THESE DJS! Seriously, they're unicorns. You may get them once in a while passing through your club on their way to bigger and better things, but if you get one that sticks with you for 1, 2, 3 or more years, keep them at all costs.
2) Debbie Dependable and Ronnie Reliable - These are your next tier DJs, the ones who maybe aren't quite rock stars, but they have all the other traits of Annie Awesome. They're dependable, play solid music, and don't bring drama. You can always count on them to be there for their sets, and you can always count on them to fill in when you need them. These aren't quite as rare as Annie Awesome, but they don't grow on trees either. These are the DJs that form the backbone of your club, and you should definitely do your best to hold on to them. By all means, look the other way on anything other than major infractions with these guys, and absolutely do not do things that will drive them away.
3) Spacy Suzy - This is the DJ that's kind of a Debbie Dependable wannabe. She shows up most of the time, but tends to flake out, miss sets, be late, etc. These DJs need to be coached. They're kind of borderline assets as they are, but if you can coach them up to be a Debbie Dependable (or god forbid an Annie Awesome), you'll have a valuable DJ. At some point in time though, if they're just not gonna make the leap to the next level, you'll have to decide if they're worth keeping as is, or if you'd be better off moving on.
Journeyman Joe - These are the DJs you get from the DJ groups generally. They tend to stick around for a few weeks/months, then move on to greener pastures. The tricky thing about Journeyman Joe is that he can look like any of the above 3 classes (yes, even Annie Awesome) while he's there, and sometimes it can be hard to know if somebody's going to stick with you, or bail on you the first time he does a set with < 5 people. All I can tell you here is to have a good interview process for hiring. Find out if he's worked long term at clubs, or just generally drifts from one to the other on a routine basis. These guys are what they are. You'll see a lot of them, and while you don't necessarily need to get rid of them, you don't have to bend over backwards to make concessions for them either. Any time you hire a DJ from the group, consider him to be in this class until he's been with you for at least 6 months (and I'd say give it a year before you get comfortable).
Entitled Ernie - This is the DJ that comes in thinking he's gods gift, and that the club should change to accommodate him. I'm not talking Annie Awesome here, you should make as many concessions as you can to keep her. Nope, this is the guy that comes in off the street, is nothing special, and thinks he deserves special treatment. Off slot sets (ex: 3-5 rather than 2-4). Days you're not open. Some other DJs time slot. Etc. Best never hire this guy in the first place.
Drama King Dick - These are the absolute worst. These are the ones that are decent to good on the stage, but behind the scenes they are pure chaos. Fights with staff members. Fights with management. Doesn't get along with his host. Bitching, whining, and crying over every little thing. Always pointing the finger blaming someone for something. Cut them loose. They're not worth it.
Ok, so let's get to the GRAVE errors I've seen managers make. These are the ones that push staff out the door (and guests with them), and will soon get you an empty club if you don't correct the situation.
RESPECT!!! - This is a really big one that I see a LOT of managers make - Thinking putting the title "Manager" over your head instantly earns you respect. It doesn't. Respect isn't something you get from a title, it's something you earn, and a big part of earning respect is showing it to others. Before you start jumping up and down screaming "I WANT SOME RESPECT!" get to know your staff. Do you have any Annie Awesomes? how about Ronnie Reliables? These people deserve YOUR respect. They were keeping the club going long before you showed up on the scene with a little manager's title and a big attitude. Get to know your staff. Talk to them. Keep them in the loop. Seek their advice. EARN their respect, don't demand it.
Not Knowing the Staff - This is another big one. Big Manager Mike joins the show, swinging a big stick, ready to clean things up! And maybe the club needs some of that. The problem is, he doesn't know the Annie Awesomes from the Drama King Dicks. Or just doesn't care. "THE RULES APPLY TO EVERYONE!" he'll scream. They don't. The only "rules" you need in your club are Show up for your sets, and don't cause drama. If you have some problem staff, then by all means implement some rules like "everyone must check in such and such a time before your set" or no huds allowed to keep down lag, or no country music allowed. But know who you need to manage, and who you don't. Annie Awesome KNOWS she's Annie Awesome. She knows what she's doing, she can get another job in 5 minutes, and she's not gonna put up with any shit. Ditto Ronnie Reliable and Debbie Dependable. Be very, VERY careful implementing and enforcing rules. You don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Trying to Manage SL like RL - This one, sadly, is almost universal. Here's what happens when you open a club - You put up a building, you hire some managers, then you hire staff, and then you pay the staff oodles of money to work for you. Right? Oh wait, you DON'T pay them oodles of money? What? You don't pay them ANYTHING? Oh, well surely you're the only club in SL right, so they have nowhere else to go? See, this is the problem here. This isn't RL. You're not paying these people for their services (and no tipping them 200l isn't paying them), and nobody is doing this because they need to eat. They work for tips, and they're doing this because it's fun. Getting picked at, publicly bereted, and ruled to death isn't fun. Be careful if you want to come in swinging a big stick, showing your authority, and cracking skulls. Pretty soon you'll be swinging at air, because there will be nobody left to swing at. Always remember that the ONLY incentive people have to work for you in SL is because it's fun. As soon as you make it NOT fun, you'll be managing yourself.
Micro-Managing - Ok, SOME DJs need this, particularly new baby DJs that are just learning the craft. These guys need some hand holding and some guidance, and you will need to guide them along into becoming full-fledged adult DJs. Your Spacy Suzy's may fall under this umbrella too. You know who DOESN'T fall under this umbrella? Yup, you guessed it, Annie Awesome, Ronnie Reliable, and Debbie Dependable. Seriously, these people have probably forgotten more about DJing than you will ever know. They don't need you nit picking them telling them they need to say this or do this or remember this. Not offline, and CERTAINLY not during sets. The club hired these guys for a reason, so cut them some slack and let them do their thing. They know what they're doing, how to win over a crowd, and they don't need you getting in their way and putting up roadblocks. Be a facilitator, not an obstacle builder.
Public Disgrace - This one also happens all too frequently. Never, EVER chastise one of your staff in public, or during a set in which they are working. It's ok to get in their IM about an immediate issue "Hey, do me a favor and try and avoid the political comments, we've had some complaints about that! Thanks!" is ok, but not "OMG., how many times have I told you this is a no politics ZONE?! Do you even READ the Notices I send out?!! I swear if this continues.... blah blah blah). And honestly, if you ever do that in public chat, you should be fired as a manager on the spot. This goes back to the Respect thing. If you want to get it, try giving it first.
Being Heavy Handed and Bullying - This one is kind of an all of the above. These are the managers who lead through intimidation, flex their muscles whenever possible, swing big sticks, crack skulls, etc. These are the ones that berate you in public, kick you out of the club for the smallest infraction, and generally create a hostile environment in the club. If you have one of these working for you, I hope one of your Second Life goals is to manage a greenhouse, because that's what you're going to be left with before too long.
A Final Note to Managers - Always try to keep in mind that nobody ever came to a club to see a manager. Clubs exist for one reason, to get people into them, and while your efforts behind the scenes may be contributing to getting people into the club, they have nothing to do with keeping them there. That's 100% on the staff, and if you're running top DJs and hosts off with heavy handed policies and big stick swinging, you're going to be left with 2nd rate DJs and not enough staff to staff your events. The vast majority of your role should be scheduling, filling holes, helping build the club infrastructure, and helping to resolve any conflicts that might arise. It should not be harassing the staff and nitpicking them to death over minor rule infractions. If a situation should arise where you need to confront a staff member over a serious or chronic issue, then by all means do it, that's part of your job. However, don't SEEK OUT these confrontations. Always ask yourself 2 things 1) Who is the person involved, and 2) Is this issue really any big deal? Now if you've gotten to know the staff, you should be able to answer #1 easily. #2 may be a little tougher. If the DJ in question is Drama King Dick, then yea, cut him no slack on any issue. But if it's Annie Awesome or Ronnie Reliable, the answer to #2 will change. These DJs (You can put hosts into these categories as well) are the ones that keep the butts in the seats. If the issue is that Annie Awesome played 1 country song in a club that features rock, then take a deep breath and look the other way. For one, she's Annie Awesome. She knows FAR more about DJing than you do, and she probably had a good reason for playing the song. Maybe she's doing a set on Artists that have played multiple genres. Whatever. Just assume she has a good reason, because she almost certainly does. Always keep in mind, your job is to minimize drama, not create it.
Something for Owners - That's about it for the managers. I don't really have too much special advice for owners, other than to say all of the above applies to you, and one other thing. STAY INVOLVED. Don't make your managers your attack dogs, they're trying to earn the staff's respect, and if you're using them as a hitman, it will be impossible for them to do so. Deal with as many issues yourself as you can, and use the same principals of walking softly and showing respect for your staff that you should be expecting your managers to use. Also, never, EVER let someone else become the face of your club. If your staff starts to become more familiar with your GM than with you, you're gonna be up shits creek some day when your GM decides it's time to move on and open his own club. What do you think the staff will do? Stick with you? Nope, you've become just a faceless figure head to them. They're all gonna go with Gentleman Jim the GM, because he's always treated them with trust and respect, and you're just a dark figure hiding in the corner. Don't take this lightly, I've seen this happen.
Ok, I think I'm gonna end this one here. I was going to go into some personal examples, but honestly, they'd just be reflections of what I've already said above. Seriously folks, managing in SL is a thankless job. You need to have a ridiculous amount of patience, a ridiculous amount of time, and an extraordinarily thick skin to do it effectively. Now, by effectively, I mean promoting the best interests of the club. You can come in swing your big stick, cracking some skulls, and cleaning house, and think you're doing a great job. More than likely though, all you're doing is weakening the club, and costing it valuable staff which leave along with the Drama King Dicks you wanted to get rid of. Walk softly, talk to people, get to know them. Explain your reasons for doing things. Don't be afraid to make exceptions for your Annie Awesome and Debbie Dependable. And always, ALWAYS earn respect by giving it first, not by demanding it. If you do all of this, you're probably well on the way to being a good manager. And probably to having a stomach ulcer too, but that's one for another blog <wink>
As always...
XX- DJ CherryBomb -XX
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