Rōnin

Outsiders Don’t See the Benefit Members are motivated by more than just player development. In fact, many would argue that player development might be one of the least favored goals. The VHL claims to have an array of job opportunities and prospects available to any member, but when those paths are continually blocked or denied, simply building a player isn’t enough. I’ve always been one to believe that our members are our customers, our employees. So, let’s look at some data from the Harvard Business Review - it shows that 88% of employees give some or heavy consideration to benefits like health benefits, bonuses, job growth and flexible hours. It is more competitive than ever before to hire and maintain employees because of the number of opportunities elsewhere. If you don’t make the rules of the game visible and fair, you’re going to have poor results, and people will look elsewhere. Bad Staff We’ve all heard that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses. So, look at your turnover rate by team — in fact, by commissioner, manager, or mod — and see if there isn’t a trend. Are members fading or quitting because a commissioner continually ignores them? What about favoritism being given to those promoted to manager ahead of others who have been longing for a chance? Look at the utter disastrous wake of destruction the mod team has caused since the beginning or the COC change in Nov. of 2021. According to Forbes, 42% of workers stated they had left a company because of a bad boss. The problem is, even when bosses try to be good leaders, there’s often a disconnect between how employees want their managers to act and how employers think they’re supposed to act. The number one thing that members want is appreciation of their contribution. So if you want members to stick around, focus your retention efforts on training staff to be better at soft skills — showing appreciation, communicating so that members feel like they know what’s going on, and being empathetic to your members concerns. Not being selectively empathetic either – every member should matter. The good news is that the VHL does have leaders who demonstrate these skills, so all is not lost. But remember, tone bleeds down from the top. Toxic Members There is a group of members who lie in wait here, tired of doing media (far above it), and for some reason – angry. It’s the kind of smell that hangs in the air like rotten fish, and these are the members who are critical of others when they do media – when they contribute. These are the members who call others cringe. Maybe they’re jealous of the attention that others receive? Maybe they just hate their own life and want to cause pain in others? Whatever the reason, mold spreads, and soon enough, it gets everywhere. The problem is that these toxic members have stature in the VHL, and they’re allowed to walk the line of bullying others with little to no repercussion. Ultimately, it is because they are favored over others that they get away with it, and for what? Because they were here from the start? Because they put in time talking on Discord and now your friends? What about the impact they cause on the others, the hurt and pain they give out in backhanded compliments and passive aggressive statements? Why should they go unchecked when others are drawn and quartered for missteps? It's hypocrisy at its finest, and it will continue so long as the silent majority remains timid and lets the loud minority rule this playground. Bottom Line I took a run at this league 3.5 years ago for this very topic, and the retention rate is even worse today. It’s a matter of where priorities lie, and people will always tell you where their priorities lie in how they spend their time. There is still time to fix this mess but it’s going to take a lot of tough conversations and hard work to do it. And to that I say, good luck.

This is the finale for the Ask Tate press conference thread, and more importantly, an ode to our longtime producer @Phil. There will be one more episode coming, get your questions in by using the link below: Enjoy the show!

Love hearing that story, and it's so true!! You rock

Dear VHL Members, I am going to do one final podcast where I answer any/all questions from any/all members. Feel free to post any questions below and you will be tagged once my retirement podcast is posted. Thank you in advance!

Hello all, I will no longer be taking questions for my podcast series in this thread. I plan to answer the remaining questions before one last AMA, which I will add the link below (once I get there). Any questions in this thread, beyond this post, will not be answered by me, thank you! Sincerely, Tate

1. What type of person(s) would you describe yourselves as? 2. What are your thoughts on rigging in the VHL. Do you think we ever had any? Do you think it’s possible for riggery to happen now? 3. Favorite breakfast? 4. If you could have any type of animal for a pet, what would it be? 5. If we could expand the VHL by one team in each conference, what city would you decide to put the teams in? 6. Favorite feel good movie?

There will be mostly cryptic titles for my shows from hereon out, deal with it.

Today I would like to try something difference. Rapid-fire questions! Go! Beatles or Stones? Lebron or Jordon? Federer or Federer? Scotty Campbell or Thomas O'Malley? Aidan Shaw or Daisuke Kanou? Gretzky or Ovechkin? Messi or Ronaldo? Vacation or Stay-cation? Hotel or Air B'n'B? Classic or Alt Rock? Guitar or Piano? Favourite era of the VHL? Least favourite era of the VHL? WWE or MMA? The Rock or John Cena (for WWE and for acting lol) Hope this stimulates some content for you

Claim 2 of 2 (length)

F - Ryan Vidot @CowboyinAmerica

F - Perry Laperriere @Bobcat

F - Hulk Hogan 2 @CowboyinAmerica

Love that opening song! Keep up the fiction writing, always best to focus on what drives your mind

G - Brandt Fuhr @Bobcat

D - Jerome Reinhart @CowboyinAmerica

Thank you!

Well, here it is, my first day back to work from vacation and I spent literally all of my time off taking care of my sick son. Holy crap, my kid has never been this sick before, and I had to cancel a trip I had booked out of town to stay with him. It’s been reminiscent of when he was a newborn – sleepless nights, lots of vomit, and lots of crying. Poor fella. The good news is that we made it through last night without a single throw up. Hopefully this means we’ve turned a corner. Nice start for Fuhr, and Vancouver. I’ll take the shutout, and I do hope it’s a sign of things to come this season. I do feel as though we have a real chance at taking it all home this season, and there is no better feeling than being able to bet on yourself with confidence. I really like our chances. I appreciate everyone reaching out, the more I think about it, the more I believe that this will be my last player here. But don’t worry, I’m going to make the best of it. (190 words)

1. Why is patience a virtue when the early bird gets the worm? 2. What’s the line between a creative or funny player name, compared to a name that is deemed offensive? 3. How could the Wicked Witch of the West ever bathe if she melts in the water? 4. Why do you think it is called a building when it is already built? 5. What is something city folk would be surprised to learn about when it comes to farm life? 6. If you could merge two animals into one super animal, what animals would you choose? And yes, mechanical upgrades are allowed.

D - Brian Payne @Bobcat

Solid advice from a true Gem, thank you @Gaikoku-hito

Posting early cause I'm going on vacay. @Phil helped produce this episode, but Phil my man, it's a mess. Probably not worth the listen overall.