Exclusive Interview With President Lloenflys: Reflecting On Legacy, Leadership, & The Future

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"Exclusive Interview With President Lloenflys: Reflecting On Legacy, Leadership, & The Future"

HEM: So, Mr. President, you just announced that you aren't looking to seek another term in the Goldenblock. Could you tell us a little bit about that decision?

Lloenflys: Sure - while I am pleased to have served in the role and don’t regret the decision to run for the office, I also have determined that doing the job well requires even more time than I expected. I have had some amazing people to rely on throughout this term so far - if I hadn’t it would have been unmanageable - and I just don’t feel I will be able to continue devoting the amount of time necessary to do the job justice for an additional term.

I also don’t have a place I’m looking to take the region in another term. I had a few ideas that I wanted to try out, and I’ve put a lot of that in motion, but there isn’t a strong rationale for another Lloenflys term I don’t think. At least there isn’t from my perspective and I imagine I would normally be the one who should be most enthusiastic about that prospect if it was the right thing for me to do!

HEM: I know there have been some challenges this term, especially around activity. What do you think your legacy will be on that issue? Do you feel like you did all you realistically could?

Lloenflys: I doubt anybody ever does everything they realistically could - I’m sure I could have prodded people more directly (I didn’t do a lot of recruitment for participants for most activities, I’ve largely left that to ministers). I could have done more activity prompted or offered more options to people and seem if anything stuck. So I highly doubt I did everything I realistically could. I don’t know that I think that kind of thing would have significantly juiced numbers that much or had too much of a long term effect, however. I think right now Euro is what it is. For those of us who find a home here it’s great, but not everyone finds that home here, and they go in to do other things. I don’t know that anyone has the magic solution for what will increase that comfort and interest level for people. If I am to have any legacy, I hope it is because something exciting comes out of the European Future Commission and that the ideas gestating there are able to have an impact. It would be a very small legacy for me as the person who kicked off the commission - the real legacy would go to the idea people and whoever shepherds whatever good ideas come up into the law - but I’d be very happy with the small legacy of knowing I at least got the ball rolling in some way. That would be plenty of legacy for me.

HEM: For us older members, there seem to be some parallels to your term as First Minister in 2019. Do you see any similarities?

Lloenflys: I don’t think the decision to run was similar really - Rand was making some decisions people didn’t like at the time of my First Minister run and I was being encouraged to challenge him because of that. That didn’t really happen to this run, my rationale for even thinking about running was to ensure people had a choice of options. So at least the impetus was different. I think where there is some similarity is having to deal with some ministerial disappearances. Shuf had to leave early on as Culture minister in a time where there almost no participation in the ministry which resulted in me trying to fill it myself (a disastrous decision, if you’re ever president when that happens, dear leader, beg and plead but no matter what find someone to take the job).

Culture was a bit better off this term in that there were some potential options, but I also wanted to see something shake up that ministry a bit which is part of why I made the nomination I made. There’s a little bit of a parallel there. Beyond that I don’t know if the situations were that parallel - I think this term I have felt much more like this is a bit of calm before the storm as we get closer to F/S being a likely reality and I didn’t feel like we were in that kind of “pause” at that time so to me it felt fairly different.

HEM: Interesting! Yeah no doubt some particulars were different, I think I am struck by the activity/staffing problems during each time period, an apparent struggle to garner interest into elected roles and different positions.

Lloenflys: I think that’s fair.

HEM: I guess the challenges feel similar, if not all the nuts and bolts.

Lloenflys: Culture in particular was horrifyingly bare at the time [in 2019]. I’m really glad no ministry was in that bad of shape. This time I mean [laughs jovially].

HEM: Definitely. Do you feel vindicated by the Hezekon nomination? The term isn't necessarily getting anyone an ovation, but culture does seem to be in a stronger place than many departments.

Lloenflys: I think my biggest hope was that Hez would bring energy and new ideas, and he and I have worked a lot together bouncing ideas off one another and coordinating things already this term, with another holiday event and an ovation yet to come. I think Hez has done a great job in that role and I’m proud of that nomination. I understand why it bothered people, I think the criticism is understandable, but I think he’s done the job that I was hoping he would do to this point and I'm glad I made the nomination.

HEM: OK, I gave you a softball, so now I need to ask a tougher question: There has been talk around the water cooler about you focusing on niche projects as President like the recent legal matter, still very active on the social side, and not really drilling into the core activity challenge. Do you think that criticism is fair, or no?

Lloenflys: Any criticism is fair, but I also think most criticism is based on incomplete information. I’m not overly worried about criticism. People are going to talk, and that’s fine. If people think I’m not doing my job, they’re more than welcome to come talk to me about it directly. That would probably be more effective at getting me to change direction than discussing it around the water cooler anyway. And if they think there’s something that isn’t being done that is obviously lacking, then it makes sense to say so, otherwise it’s just sort of idle chatter.

HEM: On the topic of criticism, former President Icarus gave a comment to the EBC on news of your non-intent to seek another term. She said:

"In times of low activity, the president has to carry an even heavier burden by themselves so it’s only natural to take a step back. I think this is an inherent issue we often see … that standard is constant, no matter the means and people we currently have at our disposal…. The issue is that this just continues to lead to more exhaustion and burn out, resulting in even fewer staffers and more stress for those who remain. It’s a deadly cycle that we have to break and we have to break it fast, if we actually want things to change." [comment abridged]

Do you feel expectations are too high for the Presidency and that criticism is too sharp?

Lloenflys: I definitely don’t feel that criticism is too sharp because we should hold our leaders to high expectations, but it does mean that there are a lot of people who aren’t going to enjoy many days in the presidency. People will come at you with a lot of concerns and people will say things about you that can feel very uncomfortable, but I think people also have a right to do that and that’s just part of being in a leadership role that you have to deal with. I haven’t felt that expectations are too high - no one has called for my ouster or anything like that. I do think it is a highly challenging position however and not even always in the “activity” sense. Keeping track of everything, thinking through the implications of decisions, just mental prep work can be quite draining. But I don’t know how else it could be done.

Perhaps a different leadership structure but that in and of itself could become very difficult. I don’t think the [executive] split worked like we hoped it would to alleviate some of that presidential leadership burden, so I guess I don’t know how to answer this - I feel expectations and criticism are fine where they at but also do believe it’s a very challenging role that a lot of people won’t get a lot of joy out of. Being president is occasionally fun but it’s more work than it is fun, generally [giggles ironically].

HEM: A certain former President would disagree with you but maybe the role just changed so much over the last ten years, or Pope Lexus X was just a psycho?

Lloenflys: [Guffaws like a boar] I don’t think I’ve ever actually talked to Pope Lexus so I don’t know - it could also be that I maybe don’t get as much into some of those aspects of gameplay. Who knows. I think a lot of it is in the eye of beholder!

HEM: I mean, there definitely is a tradition of people serving in the role and largely disappearing from Europeian life afterwards -- or seriously reducing their commitment. President Ervald, President Drexlore, President Peeps, First Minister DAX. Is there something about the experience of leading the region -- that you can imagine --that totally transforms how people experience Europeia and this game?

Lloenflys: I think for some people it probably requires a mental separation. You do find certain problems that don’t go away that you start thinking about two minutes after waking up and that isn’t the most enjoyable, so for those who went through a lot of that in their term I could see having a desire to just get away from it. I don’t anticipate disappearing when my term is done but I likely won’t take a formal role for bit so I guess that is my version of separating a bit

Also, some people do get worse criticism than I’ve had or particular criticism that hits harder which also might make separating for awhile more desirable.

HEM: Looking forward, your term as First Minister in 2019 was followed by an election with nearly zero candidates...until Pichtonia stepped forward, was elected, and largely became one of the most consequential leaders of the split era. Do you anticipate "a Pichtonia" stepping to follow you as President this time around?

Lloenflys: I’m not sure! I wanted to make sure people were aware early so they had plenty of time to prepare. I made the decision I wouldn’t be running again in the runup to midterm and having made that decision let everyone know so interested parties wouldn’t feel rushed (not that taking me on probably would have been much of a barrier to entry but this way they knew it would be open at least). I’m certainly hopeful several people choose to run and that whoever is elected has a great and transformative term!

HEM: In 2019, at the start of your First Minister term, you wrote an article speaking fondly of U.S. President Chester Arthur. Namely, how many historians feel he was encouraged to "be better" as President by letters written by an earnest Julia Sand following the assassination of his predecessor James Garfield.

You said, at the time: "[Arthur] represents a striving to live up to whatever role we find ourselves in, even if it is far above any station we ever expected to attain. He demonstrates a willingness to embrace the best ideas from his political opponents and, if tasked with it, to push them forward to a conclusion."

Do you feel you've lived up to that style of leadership?

Lloenflys: You have just won my heart for asking me a Chester Arthur question omg - I hope the answer is yes. If someone comes at me with something, even if my first thought is I don’t like it, I try to look closer at it to see if there is something in it I didn’t immediately see. I hope my nomination of OD to try to learn more about the RMB/RP community and see if there were opportunities to integrate them is an example of that - I think it is, because I thought it was a good idea, and wasn’t part of my original plan, so frankly I stole it and put the person whose idea it was in charge of it.

Now OD has had a rough five weeks with illness and so I don’t think that has gone the way either of us would have hoped, which is just how life works out sometimes, but I hope that this is the kind of thing that 2019 me meant. I think it is [laughs] and honestly I still think it is a good idea. You are never as smart as you think you are, and if other people who you respect have ideas you disagree with, there’s probably something to them even if you don’t recognize it right away. Even if you don’t ultimately embrace those ideas remembering not to dismiss them out of hand based on an initial instinct is I think important. I hope I continue to remind myself of that not just for the rest of this term but for the rest of my life because I think it is a good approach to things generally!

HEM: Any final thoughts on your term, or thoughts about the region in general?

Lloenflys: I wanted to run because this place is special to me and the opportunity to be involved in its leadership in any capacity is special as well. I’m honored people gave me that chance, and as difficult a job as it can be I am grateful to have had the chance to take on the role. Hopefully I don’t cause a massive scandal in the next five weeks [cackles like a witch until he begins coughing] I can handle being remembered as mediocre or uninspiring but I wouldn’t want to go down as an actual villain!

HEM: Thanks for your time, Mr. President.

##​
 
This is awesome!!! A lot of interesting points raised here to mull over and it is great to hear Lloen's perspective on his time as president so far. Also, reading your discussion about the dire state of culture/the region in general in 2019 is reassuring in a way because it puts our current situation in some context and makes me feel less pessimistic about the chances of coming back from it.

I think it is [laughs] and honestly I still think it is a good idea.
But HOW did he laugh??!!!!!
 
Fantastic interview.. I wasnt here in 2019 so I can't make comparisons to previous terms but always fun to see historical parallels. Glad to have resident historian HEM on the case..
 
This is awesome!!! A lot of interesting points raised here to mull over and it is great to hear Lloen's perspective on his time as president so far. Also, reading your discussion about the dire state of culture/the region in general in 2019 is reassuring in a way because it puts our current situation in some context and makes me feel less pessimistic about the chances of coming back from it.

I think it is [laughs] and honestly I still think it is a good idea.
But HOW did he laugh??!!!!!
It was a very fun interview. I am also excited you noticed I changed every "lol" from Lloen into a more specific form of laughter :p

I think the region is still on MUCH better footing than early-mid 2019. We definitely experience cycles, and there's always something to learn from the past!
 
Thanks for conducting this interview, HEM!

I doubt anybody ever does everything they realistically could - I’m sure I could have prodded people more directly (I didn’t do a lot of recruitment for participants for most activities, I’ve largely left that to ministers). I could have done more activity prompted or offered more options to people and seem if anything stuck. So I highly doubt I did everything I realistically could.
I just wanted to highlight this answer from Lloen, because it came across as someone who is talking about a term that has already passed, not somebody who still has half a term left. That combined with several answers about how much Lloen is not having fun this term made this a rather melancholy read, I must say. Lloen seems to identify the issues the region is facing, but this interview did not inspire a lot of confidence that he's all that committed to being the one who will turn things around.
 
Thanks for the interview HEM and the insightful comments Calvin.

I will say I know what it feels like to be halfway through an executive term and feel lost. I had very little interest in running for another term as FM, but it seemed nobody else was stepping up, so I threw together a campaign that my heart wasn't in.

I respect Lloen for saying he isn't in the next term, but like Calvin pointed out, I would encourage him to make a big push for that end of this term success and to leave a legacy of following through on campaign promises.
 
A wonderful interview! Thank you, HEM!
 
There seems to be some concern that since I was speaking of this term in something of the past tense (which, frankly, is just how my mind works when it comes to comparing terms or thinking about work that has been done - that's just how my brain is organized I guess) and because I'm not running for re-election, that I plan on phoning it in for the rest of the term. I want to just make it clear that my approach to the second half of the term is no different than it would be if I was running again - there's still plenty of fun stuff left to come in this term, and I am most definitely not checked out. If I wasn't interested in staying in the role and finishing out the term, or thought that I wasn't able to stay interested enough to do the job, I would resign and turn the keys over to Kura. Anyway, since a couple of people had mentioned worrying about that, I wanted to address it.
 
Good interview! And I think the historical insight adds a lot to it, well done.
 
Agreed with everyone else. This was a really good interview and it was a fun read!
 
There seems to be some concern that since I was speaking of this term in something of the past tense (which, frankly, is just how my mind works when it comes to comparing terms or thinking about work that has been done - that's just how my brain is organized I guess) and because I'm not running for re-election, that I plan on phoning it in for the rest of the term. I want to just make it clear that my approach to the second half of the term is no different than it would be if I was running again - there's still plenty of fun stuff left to come in this term, and I am most definitely not checked out. If I wasn't interested in staying in the role and finishing out the term, or thought that I wasn't able to stay interested enough to do the job, I would resign and turn the keys over to Kura. Anyway, since a couple of people had mentioned worrying about that, I wanted to address it.
I get this... but the overall tone of the interview felt very resigned to things as they are.

I hope the next election will have competing visions that show more excitement for our future and what we can accomplish with what we have.
 
There seems to be some concern that since I was speaking of this term in something of the past tense (which, frankly, is just how my mind works when it comes to comparing terms or thinking about work that has been done - that's just how my brain is organized I guess) and because I'm not running for re-election, that I plan on phoning it in for the rest of the term. I want to just make it clear that my approach to the second half of the term is no different than it would be if I was running again - there's still plenty of fun stuff left to come in this term, and I am most definitely not checked out. If I wasn't interested in staying in the role and finishing out the term, or thought that I wasn't able to stay interested enough to do the job, I would resign and turn the keys over to Kura. Anyway, since a couple of people had mentioned worrying about that, I wanted to address it.
I get this... but the overall tone of the interview felt very resigned to things as they are.

I hope the next election will have competing visions that show more excitement for our future and what we can accomplish with what we have.

I try not to let criticism get to me but I’ll be honest, this kind of comment is frustrating to me. Part of my platform was saying “hey we need to take a look at the future of the region” and I put together a group of people to kick off that process - which I don’t think is something that can be done in one term - to start looking through ideas. I picked a culture minister who I thought would add some energy and a different view on things than we’ve had for awhile. I tried to pick ministers for FA, WAA, and Comms who are innovative, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. I tried adding a cabinet minister dedicated to looking at a group of players who play differently than most of us do and asked him to engage with them to find out if there were opportunities to integrate them that we had missed (I don’t blame OD for getting sick but he did and that hasn’t really worked out). But hey, apparently I’m resigned to things as they are.
 
There seems to be some concern that since I was speaking of this term in something of the past tense (which, frankly, is just how my mind works when it comes to comparing terms or thinking about work that has been done - that's just how my brain is organized I guess) and because I'm not running for re-election, that I plan on phoning it in for the rest of the term. I want to just make it clear that my approach to the second half of the term is no different than it would be if I was running again - there's still plenty of fun stuff left to come in this term, and I am most definitely not checked out. If I wasn't interested in staying in the role and finishing out the term, or thought that I wasn't able to stay interested enough to do the job, I would resign and turn the keys over to Kura. Anyway, since a couple of people had mentioned worrying about that, I wanted to address it.
I get this... but the overall tone of the interview felt very resigned to things as they are.

I hope the next election will have competing visions that show more excitement for our future and what we can accomplish with what we have.

I try not to let criticism get to me but I’ll be honest, this kind of comment is frustrating to me. Part of my platform was saying “hey we need to take a look at the future of the region” and I put together a group of people to kick off that process - which I don’t think is something that can be done in one term - to start looking through ideas. I picked a culture minister who I thought would add some energy and a different view on things than we’ve had for awhile. I tried to pick ministers for FA, WAA, and Comms who are innovative, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. I tried adding a cabinet minister dedicated to looking at a group of players who play differently than most of us do and asked him to engage with them to find out if there were opportunities to integrate them that we had missed (I don’t blame OD for getting sick but he did and that hasn’t really worked out). But hey, apparently I’m resigned to things as they are.
I am sorry to have struck a nerve but it was this bit in particular that rubbed me the wrong way:

I think right now Euro is what it is. For those of us who find a home here it’s great, but not everyone finds that home here, and they go in to do other things. I don’t know that anyone has the magic solution for what will increase that comfort and interest level for people.

I don't know what's going on behind the scenes of the administration, but I want the president to be a cheerleader - someone who champions our community and interests and encourages involvement. I do not think a "take it or leave it" attitude, which this comment implies, is going to rally the troops. The midterm address similarly did not highlight any achievements or chart a path forward for the remainder of the term - perhaps that is supposed to come from the individual Cabinet members. I agree tha there is no silver bullet for the problems the region currently faces and said as much during the election, but I strongly believe the job of the president is to inspire hope and confidence, to drive things forward... Whether intended or not, the communications from the top all feel rather blasé at a time where things clearly continue to need a kick in the pants.

I am excited to see what the Europeian Future Commission has to say, but those are long-term solutions. Europeia needs some juice right now.

I will also happily add that Hez is doing a great job (I can't speak too much to the other ministries).

Maybe it's sour grapes - I did, after all, lose the last election. But I can't help but feel disappointed with the talking points.
 
I don't think it's sour grapes, but I do think we view a lot of things differently. In any case, I'm unlikely to change your mind, and you're entitled to your view as is anyone else. And as promised in the interview itself, I'll consider what you said here because criticism is always worth reviewing.

Also the quote above makes it look like it's from HEM and he probably doesn't want to be associated with the sentiment I was expressing lol might want to adjust that if it can be done (although the quote feature can be a bit of a gremlin).
 
I mean, it's an interesting discussion because it also pokes at the root of the point I was trying to make with the comparison to 2019. Lloen also inherited a tough situation then (worse than today, quite significantly) and helped stabilize the ship, but also largely didn't have a vision out of the molasses. That only came with the election of First Minister Pichtonia.

This observation is not intended to be a slight, but there is a leadership style that is going to have the executive drive to be Sisyphus and push the fuckin boulder up the hill -- damn the torpedoes! And other people who have leadership styles that are more contemplative, advisory, mentoring. At the end of the day, you can't ask people to be something/someone they aren't, but something to keep in mind as the election gears up and we evaluate the prospective candidates.
 
I mean, it's an interesting discussion because it also pokes at the root of the point I was trying to make with the comparison to 2019. Lloen also inherited a tough situation then (worse than today, quite significantly) and helped stabilize the ship, but also largely didn't have a vision out of the molasses. That only came with the election of First Minister Pichtonia.

This observation is not intended to be a slight, but there is a leadership style that is going to have the executive drive to be Sisyphus and push the fuckin boulder up the hill -- damn the torpedoes! And other people who have leadership styles that are more contemplative, advisory, mentoring. At the end of the day, you can't ask people to be something/someone they aren't, but something to keep in mind as the election gears up and we evaluate the prospective candidates.

I don't disagree with this, and definitely don't take it as a slight. I almost said something related to this in my original response to Sopo but decided it was more than really needed to be said, because I don't want to get involved in a back-and-forth over my leadership style with Sopo or anyone else in this thread (because ultimately that isn't really the point of what Sopo is getting at anyway). But I agree with pretty much everything you wrote there lol.
 
I am also excited you noticed I changed every "lol" from Lloen into a more specific form of laughter :p
My favorite was "[Guffaws like a boar]"
I'd genuinely love to hear him do that. I think it would make my day
 
Interesting interview. It's always hard to be an executive leader during a slump when many of the factors, both causal and mitigating, are largely out of your hands. I know many people in this thread have been Presidents during similar times -- so I'm sure they understand, as well!
 
Interesting interview. It's always hard to be an executive leader during a slump when many of the factors, both causal and mitigating, are largely out of your hands. I know many people in this thread have been Presidents during similar times -- so I'm sure they understand, as well!

It is a little like US Presidents and the economy - you'll get too much credit if it goes well and too much blame if it goes poorly :hype: but that's what you sign up for when you run, because the buck has to stop somewhere! But yeah, the hope is that having fun events helps, and obviously if I have ideas that I think will drive greater turnout I'm going to try to implement them. But hopefully that's something we are all thinking about, and if someone runs and has a brilliant plan to turn activity ruts around I hope they get all the support they need to implement it and all the credit in the world for succeeding at it afterwards. I do think we all want the same thing, ultimately!
 
Interesting interview. It's always hard to be an executive leader during a slump when many of the factors, both causal and mitigating, are largely out of your hands. I know many people in this thread have been Presidents during similar times -- so I'm sure they understand, as well!

It is a little like US Presidents and the economy - you'll get too much credit if it goes well and too much blame if it goes poorly :hype: but that's what you sign up for when you run, because the buck has to stop somewhere! But yeah, the hope is that having fun events helps, and obviously if I have ideas that I think will drive greater turnout I'm going to try to implement them. But hopefully that's something we are all thinking about, and if someone runs and has a brilliant plan to turn activity ruts around I hope they get all the support they need to implement it and all the credit in the world for succeeding at it afterwards. I do think we all want the same thing, ultimately!
It's giving Biden "I did that" gaspump stickers!
 
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