Thinking about an AGM in Mexico

[JCarson 744]

I am entering my third season as GM of the Mexico City Kings and during both my previous seasons I have not had an AGM.  I am not sure as to why, but I never sought one out.  I have been thinking about the topic some and here is what has crossed my mind. 

 

First, I spend a lot of my time trying to teach my players how to navigate the league, well at least the first gen players.  I am not sure I want to also teach somebody the art or science that is GM’ing.  That could be seen as selfish, but I do have limited time and I am protective of it. 

 

Second, I have the complete opposite thought, if I had an AGM that was familiar with things they could be a large help in the locker room in keeping players organized, earning and focused.  I potentially could be causing the issue that I am concerned about in my first thought. 

 

Third, what if I get someone I don’t mesh with? Personality conflict is not something I deal well with.  I tend to get frustrated and get kind of rude. Which is not something that would go well in a VHLM locker room. 

 

I promise there are a lot more thoughts mulling within my mind on this topic, but I also don’t need to write a novel to get the TPE for a VHL.com article so in the name of efficiency I am going to limit my musings to those three points.  

 

Anyone who has been a GM before, how have you found the AGM experience.  Was it good, was it bad.  Help me decide, should I get an AGM. 

[LucyXpher 1,572]

Not that I have a ton of GM experience, but having two fantastic AGMs the past two seasons has been a big help and I think I’ve been very lucky that both were very capable and didn’t require much of me in terms of teaching them how to fulfill their role.  As a result, both were very helpful and made my job that much easier.  
 

What I have learned, I think, is that the ideal AGM candidate is someone who is pretty self motivated to learn the role and won’t require much of my time to teach them. I think your reasons for and against are spot on— especially in the M where players will require more time and energy to manage. A good AGM can be super helpful with player management, keeping the locker room active, and helping to keep players informed and active as well.  Conversely, an AGM could easily become one more person to manage if they don’t take as much initiative and that could end up feeling like more work.  Like I said, both AGMs that I’ve had have been excellent in this regard and made my job easier.  
 

I think personality is definitely a big consideration and was a big reason why I was excited to have Ace as AGM last season since we’d already been chatting before and I was confident we could work well together.  But I think having well defined expectations and role boundaries might also help avoid any personality clashes if you’re concerned about that.  
 

I’d definitely recommend it since I’ve had a positive experience, but I would say it’s probably best to get to know someone a bit first to see if their personality and expectations would match yours.  But if you find a good one, it can definitely be a big help!

[jacobcarson877 2,559]

Now I haven't had many AGMs, mine was simply perfect first try, but I've witnessed many AGMs, through Calgary and San Diego in particular, and the things that stick out about who did and didn't make it are very obvious.

There are 2 groups of great AGMs. I haven't met anyone who was a great AGM who didn't fall into one of these groups:

"I want to be a great GM". They are asking for tasks, they are answering questions on their own, they're keeping the GM accountable. They're asking questions, and proposing hypotheticals without worry about being wrong. They just want to know how to be a GM. You don't really teach them. You never word dump on them or anything. You just end up answering enough questions, and they take enough initiative that they simply become a GM. And these ones usually get scooped up pretty quickly.

"I am happy with and commit to being an AGM". This is the sort of person who never really wants to be a GM, whatever their reason, but they are controlled and deliberate with their efforts as an AGM. They start and engage in conversation, they become a part of the team, and sure maybe they do the press conference. But their role is more to be a constant part of the identity of the team, the team's biggest fan almost, rather than a GM 2. There's a ton of GMs, myself included, and probably you too, who don't necessarily want or need a second GM. But, I like knowing that I don't have to be the only one starting conversations and engaging with the team, and its brand. I don't have to be the only one pushing the narratives that I want to put out. I simply don't have the skills or the energy to put out all that content. @Aimee  and @Triller are amazing examples of this. @Ricer13 is somehow the perfect mix of the 2 styles. I would say @Garsh and @animal74 probably fit in this group too. You know when you see them in an LR that conversation will be had, and vibes will be excellent. It tends to be our older folks that make up this group, and that would probably jive with your style ya old fart.

And the last thing is if you don't like the AGM market, you don't have to hire anyone! Keep an eye out on the JST, see who is posting great forum content, and see who you might connect with! You don't NEED an AGM, and sometimes picking up someone who won't fit well actually hurts their chances of sticking around. So be patient and see what happens!

[Ricer13 2,823]

Personally, I love having an AGM. Just another voice in the room. Somebody to bounce ideas off of when it comes to trades, draft picks, etc. Another person to help with draft interviews and to help teach these first gen players. I live a busy life as many know and having an AGM allows me to have somebody there to help out if I’m busy. 
 

It’s crazy in some other leagues. In the PBE on the Vandals team, they have the GM, AGM and a council of so many people to help make decisions. I haven’t even played my first game for them and because of my sim league experience they have me helping them with draft selections as part of their council, which is crazy. That interactive culture makes it way more engaging and I will always be on the side to encourage that. 

[Garsh 1,195]

Hire Jacob -> slowly push work onto Jacob -> ?  -> profit

[jacobcarson877 2,559]

19 minutes ago, Ricer13 said:

Personally, I love having an AGM. Just another voice in the room. Somebody to bounce ideas off of when it comes to trades, draft picks, etc. Another person to help with draft interviews and to help teach these first gen players. I live a busy life as many know and having an AGM allows me to have somebody there to help out if I’m busy. 
 

It’s crazy in some other leagues. In the PBE on the Vandals team, they have the GM, AGM and a council of so many people to help make decisions. I haven’t even played my first game for them and because of my sim league experience they have me helping them with draft selections as part of their council, which is crazy. That interactive culture makes it way more engaging and I will always be on the side to encourage that. 

I will absolutely agree that the LR experience here is often way behind that of other leagues. I haven't quite placed the missing link yet. I know in the minors it's definitely longevity and length of commitment, but still enjoying doing my research.

[Ricer13 2,823]

1 hour ago, jacobcarson877 said:

I will absolutely agree that the LR experience here is often way behind that of other leagues. I haven't quite placed the missing link yet. I know in the minors it's definitely longevity and length of commitment, but still enjoying doing my research.

Yeah I’ve found the SHL and PBE to be a lot better especially at the lower levels. SBA is just bad lol