Grand Master's Handbook

This article is part of the series:
Handbooks
Position Handbooks
Grand Master's Handbook
Master At Arms Handbook
Consul's Handbook
Proconsul's Handbook

Grand Master’s Handbook

Position Overview

While serving as Grand Master, you will assume many different expectations and roles. With that in mind, it is important to maintain focus on the many tasks at hand, and truly represent the Brotherhood to the best of your abilities. In no way is the role of Grand Master intended to involve assisting in every area of operations for the Brotherhood, nor does it include working endless hours while the general membership reaps the rewards of your hard work and endless efforts. Additionally, if you want to develop the best club on the internet, you must learn many skills that will assist your group in becoming the best. Only with a combined effort of everyone within the Brotherhood can the club become successful and live up to its expectation of providing our members with the ideal online experience.

As the Grand Master of the Brotherhood, you will assume many different responsibilities that reach beyond maintaining the basic operations of a club. The new members, active participants, and leaders all look to you for strength and stability within the Brotherhood. It is very important for a Grand Master to recognize his role as a lead communicator for these groups and to use them as resources for information and guidance. As Grand Master, people will look to you as the premier example of what the Brotherhood represents. The image that you present, as a result of your conduct, will have a direct effect on the image of the club. Overall, the role of Grand Master is filled with many unique roles and duties. Your position can be one of the most rewarding within the Brotherhood. You are now in a position to directly affect the Brotherhood’s performance and future. You can be a catalyst for positive change and provide direction for the club. Through your efforts and active leadership, the club can benefit and prosper with the lasting legacy you leave behind.

As Grand Master, what are my main expectations?

• To support and uphold the Mission and Vision of the Brotherhood, the Dark Covenant, Decrees, and Dark Side Compendium
• To oversee Brotherhood operations and general membership
• To manage crisis situations
• To promote positive relations with members and all other online presences
• To represent the Brotherhood on a regular basis with other online clubs
• To conduct a successful transition with successor
• To work as a project manager on the many tasks within the Brotherhood leadership

While serving as Grand Master, you will work with many diverse groups within and outside of the Brotherhood. Your role as Grand Master involves maintaining constant communication with members of the brotherhood and individuals who assist the Brotherhood on a regular basis. Maintaining these crucial relationships is the foundation of developing a successful club and the ideal online experience.

Difficulties of being the Grand Master

Many situations can arise that will effect your overall performance as a Grand Master. Some examples of situations and conflicts that may exist during your term as Grand Master can include:

• Conflicts between brotherhood members regarding personal issues or Brotherhood policy
• Resolving sensitive situations within the Brotherhood
• Understanding the appropriate role of the Grand Master
• Recognizing that one man cannot make a successful club by himself
• Maintaining high levels of enthusiasm and standards for appropriate conduct
• Being flexible with your schedule
• Dealing with “enemy” organizations
• Finding time to do everything that needs done
• Dealing with miscommunication

Your ability to control distractions such as these will positively reflect upon your term as Grand Master and provide you with the ideal Grand Master experience. However, the ability to diffuse any situation involves the further development of many necessary skills. Some suggestions for developing these skills are as follows:

1. Lead and motivate by example. While Grand Master, always strive to represent the highest ideals of appropriate conduct for all members of the brotherhood. Since you are the foremost representative of the Brotherhood, people will tend to model their behavior after the example you provide.
2. Utilize your Dark Council. Use the Dark Council to review the progress and operations of the Brotherhood to make certain that everything is being accomplished. This makes for a great forum to discuss issues within the Brotherhood, as well as to delegate tasks amongst council members.
3. Stay consistent. A large responsibility of being a Grand Master involves the ability to maintain impartiality. In order to be successful and impartial, you must stay consistent with decision-making and judgements of members’ behaviors. No respected leader is ever accused of being a hypocrite.
4. Be Accessible. At times, problems or situations can be resolved with immediate intervention. Being easily accessible allows a Grand Master to build better relationships with all members of the Brotherhood, and in turn, will put you in a better position to assist with any Brotherhood conflicts.
5. Learn from your mistakes. Nobody is perfect, so recognize that not everyone will make the right decisions all the time.
6. Recognize your own personal shortcomings and strive to improve in those areas. For example, if you have problems managing your time, make sure you are delegating tasks to the appropriate councilmen or chairmen, and continue staying organized with the assistance of a daily planner or calendar.
7. Take a personal interest in members. Keeping members motivated is a constant battle. By taking a personal interest in the different activities of the members, the Grand Master will be better suited to encourage the efforts of Brotherhood members and can better motivate them to be active contributors in the Brotherhood.
8. Help others solve their problems. To encourage friendship and accountability within the Brotherhood, assist others with solving problems. Provide advice, but don’t intervene to solve the problem for them.
9. Delegate responsibilities and tasks, then trust the outcome. Delegation is the key to success with any organization. The ability to delegate, and accept the subsequent outcome, is essential for the successful management and operations of the DB
10. Utilize your resources. Dark Councilors, Consuls, Proconsuls, Council Assistants, former Grand Masters, esteemed elders, committee members, and even general members are all great resources that are readily available to assist you on a daily basis.

Effects of the Position

The Grand Master plays a vital role in the overall success of the Brotherhood. When his tasks are performed well, consistent communication is achieved within the Dark Council, the clans, and general members. With the aid of a strong Dark Council, the Grand Master is able to dedicate more of his efforts toward improving structure, motivating members, and organizing comprehensive goals and strategies for the Brotherhood. In addition, the Brotherhood will see an improved level of activity, growth and communication. Finally, all areas of Brotherhood programming will be improved because the Grand Master will be more accessible to provide insight and advice to councilors, clan summits, and general members. The success of the brotherhood’s recruitment, structural management, public relations, and leadership education programs are all dependent upon the strategic leadership and planning of the Grand Master. The Brotherhood may suffer numerous consequences because of an irresponsible Grand Master. First and foremost, the Brotherhood may become inconsistent in all areas of programming. With an unorganized and unmotivated Grand Master, the education of members on the importance of leadership and involvement within the brotherhood will be lost. The relationship between the different areas of the club and other various resources may become jeopardized. The Brotherhood could become negatively represented on the internet because public relations efforts will be nonexistent. Finally, the Brotherhood will lack direction for the future, which will result in the poor planning and organizing of events or programs. This lack of planning may threaten the long-term status of the Brotherhood, create conflicts within the membership, or increase levels of instability.

As Grand Master, you should take pride in your position. Now that you are the lead spokesman of the Brotherhood, you can improve many Brotherhood-programming areas, and more importantly, are charged with upholding the ideals of the Dark Brotherhood. This, above all, is the ultimate expectation of every Grand Master.

Position Organization

The Brotherhood is an extremely complex organization to operate, and one man cannot be expected to manage it alone. With this in mind, your most valuable source of assistance is the Dark Council. In order to have consistently successful events and projects, these activities require excellent planning that is performed well in advance. Therefore, in order to be a consistently successful club, someone has to plan in advance. The Dark Council is charged with this basic expectation.

A great deal of flexibility is permissible with the composition of the Dark Council, but there are several standard members that are suggested to be involved: the Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master, Master at Arms, Headmaster, Seneschal and Herald. The following is a brief summary of some expectations for all those positions:

• Deputy Grand Master: perform the duties of the Grand Master in his absence; in charge of overseeing all clans; reports to the Dark Council on the functioning of each clan; holds meetings with all Clan summits to assess the progress and goals of each leader; upholds and is familiar with all Brotherhood policies, decrees and practices; assists in the facilitation of Brotherhood goal setting and position transition; coordinates inter-club affairs of the Brotherhood
• Master At Arms: develops and maintains Brotherhood policies on promotions, awards, transfers, appointments, competitions and new members; assists new members in their initial joining responsibilities; works with clans to standardize the promotion and award standards; keeps eye over appointments to ensure that Summits know all relevant information about appointee; approves competitions for practice within the Brotherhood; ensures that integrity of the promotion and award systems stay strong.
• Headmaster: trains all new members in the basic tenets of the Brotherhood; ensures that new members are assigned to clans and given contact with their leaders and envoys; develops new course work for the benefit of the brotherhood; ensures that there are resources available for members to gain assistance in learning skills necessary to advance in the brotherhood; regularly reports to the Grand Master and Dark Council on the progress of new initiates and the pace of growth in the Brotherhood.
• Herald: oversees all aspects of Brotherhood graphic advancement; works with members in creating personalize Grants of Arms; controls the system for customizing lightsabers; responsible for keeping the Brotherhood endowed with an appropriate digest of Star Wars news.
• Seneschal: develops and maintains the Brotherhood communication network; is charged with assisting council members in finding new and innovative ways to do their jobs; build new systems to assist the Brotherhood in everyday affairs; maintains the Brotherhood message boards.

Grand Master’s Check List

• Immediately Following Election:
  • Meet with the former Grand Master and discuss the state of the Brotherhood, any ongoing projects, the status of the Dark Council and Clans as well as all other pertinent information
  • Meet with council members and clan summits to discuss brotherhood goals and objectives for the upcoming months
  • Review Grand Masters handbook
  • Inform Star Chamber members of your recent election to the position and organize a time to discuss Brotherhood goals and objectives for the upcoming semester
  • Review the Dark Covenant, Dark Side Compendium, Decrees and policies of the Brotherhood
  • Notify the former Grand Master’s Praetors, Magistrates and Royal Guard of whether they will be retained or not
• Within Two Weeks of Election:
  • Organize and assist in the facilitation of a Dark Council Meeting to discuss matters
  • Set personal goals for your term as Grand Master
  • Review the handbooks of all subordinate positions
  • Meet with each Dark councilor and Summit member individually to discuss their progress
  • Assist with the transfer of various councilors and committee members
• Weekly Tasks:
  • Respond to all mail within 24 hours
  • Conduct weekly Brotherhood meetings
  • Write a Grand Master’s report
  • Coordinate efforts of the Dark Council through a project calendar and frequent emails
  • Meet with relevant project leads to discuss progress
  • Attend events and necessary meetings
• Monthly Tasks:
  • Review Brotherhood and personal goals
  • Gather and process internal reports from all positions
  • Plan for and review next month’s Brotherhood calendar
  • Review subordinate positions for awards and promotions
• Semesterly/Quarterly Expectations:
  • Contact Star Chamber Members to inform them of Brotherhood progress
  • Plan and coordinate small competitions
  • Evaluate subordinate position holders, give advice and set goals for improvement
  • Supervise the completion of appropriate projects and tasks
• Annual Expectations:
  • Write and release a State of the Brotherhood Address
  • Complete a Brotherhood-wide vendetta

Grand Master Decrees

The Grand Master has full authority over all policies and procedures within the Brotherhood. Due to that, his decree section spans many different areas outside of his position. The Grand Master has responsibility for every general decree within the Covenant that does not specifically fall to the job of a Dark Councilor. This shows that the Grand Master retains structural control over the Brotherhood. Here, within this manual, are the general decrees for the position of Grand Master itself. For the general decrees that the Grand Master is in charge of, please refer to the Dark Covenant.

Section 3.01 The Dark Council

• Decree 3.01.GM – Grand Master
  • Decree GM.001 – Position Description of the Grand Master
    • Practically, the Grand Master is the leader of the Dark Brotherhood as a whole. He retains power over all aspects of the organization, including the structure, the members, the policies, the communications, and the activities. The Grand Master is charged with maintaining the day-to-day affairs of the Brotherhood while at the same time working to achieve prosperity through invention and innovation. The Grand Master is the head of the Dark Council. He chooses who sits on the council and serves as the communications facilitator for them. All authority for Councilor positions is derived from the Grand Master, and when they do not perform, the Grand Master is expected to compensate. The Brotherhood’s leader must keep a good relationship with the Clans and regular members.
    • Fictionally, the Grand Master is the leader of the Brotherhood and is chosen for life by a committee of his peers. He has sweeping dictatorial powers over the Brotherhood and all positions and powers are granted by him. He serves as the keeper of the Dark Hall and Governor Plenipotentiary of Antei. The Grand Master also holds the title of "Dark Lord of the Sith" but ascends over all three Dark Jedi Orders (the Sith, Krath, and Obelisk). Current and former Grand Masters are the only individuals throughout Imperial Territories who are afforded the title of "Lord." The Grand Master is also afforded the title of "Darth."
  • Decree GM.002 – Director of Dark Brotherhood policies
    • The Grand Master retains full control over all policies and practices of the Brotherhood, excepting those that are specifically forbidden from him by the Dark Covenant. With this control, the Grand Master becomes the director of policies and is charged with ensuring that each policy is intact and enforced. In this, the Grand Master oversees the upkeep of the Covenant and the Decree system. He is in charge of approving new dicta set forth by the Brotherhood leaders and must adjust policy where and when needed.
  • Decree GM.003 – Promotions to and within the Elder Class
    • The Grand Master has the full authority to elevate members to any rank within the Brotherhood.
  • Decree GM.004 – Awarding Elite Stratum Merit Awards
    • The Grand Master has the full authority to award any Brotherhood medal to any member.
  • Decree GM.005 – Maintaining communication with the Brotherhood
    • The Grand Master is the primary communications facilitator for the Dark Council and the members. One of his primary responsibilities is to ensure that there is a free flow of information to the leaders of the Brotherhood as well as to the members. In this, the Grand Master must hold frequent meetings, conduct email discussions, create and update a monthly calendar, encourage the use of committees for growth and development, and work to settle any communication breakdowns that may occur
  • Decree GM.006 – Maintaining quality control within the Brotherhood
    • The Grand Master has the final editing authority of the content of the Brotherhood. With this, he is essentially a Quality Control Manager for the Dark Council, Clans, and Brotherhood as a whole. The Grand Master is tasked with ensuring that Brotherhood plotlines can co-exist. He sets the overarching story of the Brotherhood and must factor in developments of the positions within. Further than that, the Grand Master must ensure that the quality of presentation of the Brotherhood is held to a high standard. With this, the Grand Master will require documentation of ideas and policies and ensure that the documents contain the information relevant to the task, project or decree. The Grand Master will also make sure that major Brotherhood works are free from error and are neutral between warring factions of the Brotherhood.
  • Decree GM.007 – Oversight of all clan command appointments
    • The Grand Master retains the authority of oversight in all clan command appointments. The position of Consul is personally appointed by the Grand Master. All other positions require consultation and approval before they are allowed to be filled. Currently, the Grand Master will only ask to specifically approve of the Proconsul position and will require at least some form of notice of all other appointments. The Grand Master will generally follow the wishes of the Clan command staff.
  • Decree GM.008 – Authority on all projects relating to the Brotherhood
    • The Grand Master is the high authority on all projects that relate to the Brotherhood. In this, the Grand Master must approve of changes to any structure, policy and procedure as well as any major events that will affect large numbers of members.

Other Resources

Practical Leadership

While serving as Grand Master, the Brotherhood will look to you for guidance and direction. Effective Grand Masters are respected leaders that instill confidence in those around them. As the top representative of the Brotherhood, people outside the club recognize you as the leader of the organization. Your image and behavior play a tremendous role in how others perceive the Brotherhood. The following are principles of sound leadership that can help you during your tenure as Grand Master.

1. Appear to be neat, organized and disciplined
2. Act appropriately for different situations and Brotherhood events
3. Maintain a positive attitude
4. Work to further develop your written and verbal communication skills
5. Make an effort to talk with everyone in the Brotherhood on a regular basis and avoid aligning yourself with one particular group
6. Motivate others by recognizing outstanding contributions and efforts by individual members
7. Remember that people tend to support what they help to create
8. Realize that one man cannot successfully run the Brotherhood alone
9. Delegate duties and responsibilities to Dark Council and Clan Summits on a regular basis
10. Learn how to manage your time in order to balance school, work responsibilities and other interests (i.e. organize a to do list, do not procrastinate, prioritize, schedule time for planning every day, etc.)
11. Avoid burnout by developing a strong support network of close confidants
12. Pursue regular activities outside the Brotherhood (i.e. exercise, hobbies, etc.)
13. Make a conscious effort to spend time away from the Brotherhood-take a break
14. Do not try to do all the work yourself!

Tips for Successful Dark Council Meetings

• Meet regularly and frequently
• Follow a regular agenda
• Meet privately, not secretly
• Plan Brotherhood events (i.e. review Brotherhood calendar, consult previous calendars, plan agenda for upcoming meeting)
• Follow a business meeting format
• Discuss sensitive issues affecting the Brotherhood
• Plan upcoming meetings

Tips for Effective & Efficient Brotherhood Meetings

• Follow the same written agenda for each meeting
• Speak only when required
• Be authoritative, not the authoritarian
• Keep meetings to a one hour time limit

Document(s)

Grand Master's Handbook (.doc)