[WikiEN-l] Admin / experienced user flameout - how do we talk people down off the ledge?

[Fred Bauder]

 Fred
>
> I failed my first try, and could have failed my second if I hadn't
> made a serious effort to ameliorate a negative perception from taking
> a stand earlier.
>
> The edge of the knife that we must balance on is both being willing to
> take stands, and be open to feedback from the community and from other
> admins if we take the wrong stand.  Balancing there all the time is
> very hard.  Being willing to admit you're wrong on something and still
> come back the next day willing and ready to make a hard call on its
> merits is not easy.
>
>
> --
> -george william herbert
> george.herbert at gmail.com
>

To tie this back to the original post: It is this sort of insight that
enables a person to continue to participate and contribute over long
periods of time. That sort of insight has been developed by people who
have participated in the give and take of making decisions, some of which
have worked out, while some have not. So how can we, in a practical way,
socialize administrators in the skills involved in continuing to
participate effectively in an important project when everything isn't
going as you might like. This happens in all large organizations.

I keep thinking that stories of our adventures are relevant. That's what
happens in other social situations, building the culture of how
difficulties are coped with. Stories of successes and disasters; I'm
afraid most of that lore has been closely held by insiders and not widely
shared in the administrator community, as much of what when on was
confidential for one reason or another.

We'd like people who get into trouble to work through it and continue to
contribute on a long term basis. That is a different path from someone
getting into trouble, then we're done with them.

Fred