Credit where credit is due!

Here's a business tip from the Harvard Business Review: LINK to original article

The article is short, barely more than a paragraph, but it speaks to something every cabal manager must do, which is to give public thanks and appreciation (credit) to the people in his or her cabal.

The people in a cabal work for for that cabal. They are perhaps roleplayers who create content to entertain the people in the cabal. Perhaps they are PvErs who have set up a dungeon run, or organize some way to get people through the content.  Maybe they're social leaders who set up a fun way to get people into voice chat and who provide a way for people to enjoy the game together.

Regardless, these people are the people in your cabal that you, as a cabal manager, are strongly encouraged to "pay".  Of course, we're not talking about money changing hands, or even in game loot. No, that's not what these people are "working" for. There are far easier ways to get loot than to work on creating group content.

They want credit.  

They want their contributions, work, organization, and planning to be acknowledged - preferably in public.  Sure, the people who were entertained by their efforts are likely to say 'thank you' and that's part of the equation.  However, as a cabal leader or officer, you should be very grateful for these people, and you should make sure they (and everyone else) knows it.

So, say something in cabal chat to thank them.  Consider posting something on your cabal forums. Jump into voice chat and make sure to tell them thank you - and be bold about doing so where other people can hear it!

Sometimes it's complex trying to assign credit when several people collaborated on an event. Make sure that you're appropriately congratulating the people that coordinated on it - AND - make sure you're focusing on group success over individual contributions.

Suboptimal: "Thanks Fred! Good job Velma! I hear that Shaggy and Daphne helped, too."

Better: "Thanks folks, that was a great event! You got a whole lot of people through the Halloween content. People seem really happy.  Nice work!"

In the prior case, perhaps some people feel like their contributions are being marginalized, and you might make the very human mistake of forgetting someone on the team.  The latter example reinforces teamwork, and stresses the results, rather than who did what.

Also, don't forget to recognize the effort that people put into an event or initiative even if it flops. Maybe it was just at a time that wasn't convenient for people, or the event itself didn't appeal to the player base. Some events are just not going to work - people aren't perfect - occasional failure is just a part of life. Be sure to appreciate the attempt - this encourages people to take risks AND it encourages these same people to try again and improve.