Guide to Command
Departmental Head
Captain
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Command roles, primarily heads of staff and the captain, are vital to a fully functioning station. It is important to make sure there is a command presence aboard the station at all times, but it is also important to make sure that your command staff is competent and confident in their knowledge of their respective department and in their ability to lead. Nobody likes a Com Dom.
Running Your Department
If you are a head of staff, you will be expected to take responsibility for your department and help them operate at maximum efficiency. Head of staff roles are among the hardest jobs on the station. If you aren't confident in your abilities to lead or are not well versed in your department, consider spending more time in the department itself and learn more of the ins and outs.
Know your workers. One of the most important steps to efficiently run your department is knowing who is in your department. Check the crew manifest as soon as you can and see how well staffed you are (or aren't). Look for names you recognize and people you can trust (or distrust).
Make sure people are doing their work. Employees standing around isn't inherently a bad thing unless something needs doing. Make sure they are doing what needs doing, when it needs to be done, in a timely manner.
Fill in if need be. Sometimes, as a head, you will have to step in and do some work with your workers so that the department can keep up. If you're a head of staff, NT gives you lovely shinies that can help you do your job. Don't let them go to waste.
Keep an eye on comms. This is especially true for the CMO, the CE, the HoS, and the captain. Situations can change very quickly and it is crucial to make sure you have all the information you can get when making decisions like going to red alert, or opening the armory.
Naughty Employees
It's simply a fact of life that people don't like to work. This remains true on the station. Sometimes, people just don't want to do their job. As a head of staff, it is your job to either make them get to work, or if they are too unruly, to demote them. Every head of staff has a console in their office that allows them to demote employees. If an employee is causing trouble, despite numerous warnings, bring them to your office and demote them. It's for the best.
Sometimes, your workers will also be on the run and won't report to your office for demotion. If they don't respond or report for demotion in under 5 minutes, they become wanted under Space Law. Security can remotely set someone's ID to be demoted, so ask a sec officer or the AI for help if need be.
Tips for Not Being a Com Dom
There are few thing people hate more than a bad command team. It puts the whole station at risk and can ruin the game in some scenarios. Here are some tips to prevent you from being one of those command members.
- Know what you're doing. You should spend a lot of time in your department and only become a head once you believe you are ready. A bald head of staff is a disliked head of staff.
- Act confident. You should act confident, even if you aren't, but be careful not to be TOO confident. If you're reading this guide, you probably don't know everything there is to know about a department. Be confident in what you know, but listen to what your coworkers have to say.
- Communicate. Communication is key. If your department doesn't know your voice, you aren't doing your job. Make sure people know what needs doing, when, and how. A silent command member is usually a disliked command member.
- Speak directly to people. While comms is very useful, if something really needs doing, point to someone, walk up to them and ask them DIRECTLY to do what needs doing. This usually ends with them doing what you ask instead of hearing it over comms and simply saying, "Someone else will get it."
- Be approachable. If people don't want to talk to you, they usually won't. Don't be intimidating and be ready to answer newer employees' questions.
- Be polite. It might seem small, but saying please and thank you goes a very long way for becoming a memorable and respected command member. And if your employees did something good, TELL them they did something good. Whether that's delivering the science disks to cargo in record time, or setting up the solars without being asked, let them know they did well.
- Let your employees know who's in charge. This does not mean you should be an egotistical asshole. It is important to be kind and polite with your employees, but sometimes, they need to be reminded that YOU are in charge and what you says goes.