Recognitions for Wave 4 are due by 11:59 PST on September 30th. That is only a few days away.
There have been lots of events recently, between Magic, Riftbound and other games. Take a moment to recognize the many contributions of other judges. While we may think contributions have to be big splashy things that happen only at events, they don’t have to be. Exemplar is about recognizing behaviors we want to encourage, and those happen at all levels of organized play, and all levels of the program. It can range from helping a store set up their first prerelease, to writing a format guide, to presenting a well put together conference presentation, to exceptional pre-event communication. Excellence can take many forms. If it made an impact on you, it counts. You can find directions on how to submit a recognition here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/exemplar/how-to-submit-a-recognition/ and guidelines on writing a good recognition here: https://blogs.magicjudges.org/exemplar/recognition-guidelines-2/https://blogs.magicjudges.org/exemplar/recognition-guidelines-2/
For this wave, we want to highlight this recognition of Arya Barrieau written by Chris Hrichishen:
Arya, you excel in so many ways but I’d love to take a moment to highlight your mentorship and the unique way you blend empathy, humility, and a desire to help others grow. Over the last few events I’ve seen you make the effort to explain not just what you’re doing as a lead but also the why, including in cases where things didn’t work out the way you expected. I’ve seen you go out of your way to give people opportunities to grow and flex new skills as well as working hard to provide them feedback afterwards. You genuinely care about the development of judges on your team and are quick to offer mentorship while never seeming like you are talking down to the folks reporting to you. I’ve learned a great deal over the past few events, especially on the LCQ at the last RC, and among the things I’ve taken away from your leadership is being honest and genuine is vastly more impactful than just trying to appear perfect.
They get a pass on that.
This time.
Investing in the development of other judges, whether its at a large event, your LGS, or online is definitely something we want to highlight and encourage others to do. We work best when we help each other be best. The *WHY* is a very important aspect of what we do. Knowing how to do a thing is good. Knowing why we do the thing is even better. It builds a scaffolding that allows for better retention and a deeper understanding. Why is often more important than What.
I also want to highlight the “…provide[s] feedback afterwards”. When was the last time you got feedback after an event? When was the last time you gave constructive feedback? Providing meaningful feedback is hard. It takes time, and is not always well received, so when someone takes the time to invest in you, it is a sign that they care about you and your performance.
Until next time, stay awesome