On Being A Seneschal.

[arontius]

…..I’ve had a ringside seat over the past few days for an issue through which Their Excellencies and THL Angharad (Baronial Seneschale) have been working. The details aren’t important in this conversation. The important thing for this is that I had the chance to sit on the periphery of this issue and observe the interactions of all involved and have gained some insight on what life has been like for Angharad for the past couple of years. I was involved in the discussion to a degree, but was not really part of the overall solution. It also gave me a little insight in what my life as Seneschal will be like for the next few years. I came away feeling a little more empathy / sympathy for Angharad. It was interesting.

…..The job of Baronial Seneschal is a rather tough one. Not so much due to the workload involved, but mainly in how they liaison between the working forces of the Baronial Officer Corps (and the Baronial Populace) and the wishes of Their Excellencies. The job is mainly a behind-the-scenes one. The way I’m seeing it, those who have done their job the best have been those who are fairly invisible. Making sure that the Barony complies with all Kingdom / Society laws, that the Barony is being fiscally responsible, that reports are being submitted, etc.

…..The job of Baronial Seneschal in Dragon’s Laire is even tougher than most. Dragon’s Laire is a large and active Barony. There is always a lot happening. Even more so than that are Their Excellencies Cedric and Brighid. They are an amazingly dynamic and active couple. They are everywhere doing everything. It is nearly impossible to keep up with Them. Don’t get me wrong here. They are highly intelligent, highly motivated to do the right thing for Dragon’s Laire and her populace, and incredibly nice people. In fact, They are two people I consider to be my very best friends.

…..So why would I say that it is difficult working with them? Part of Their personality is the ability to solve problems, and solve them FAST. Watch them in action sometime, it is amazing. But don’t get too close, you might get wind burnt. :-) Over the past couple of days I have watched them deal with a problem expeditiously and with a firmness that that allowed for the best solution. What they did worked well, with as little ruffling of feathers as possible. And the fact that it remained invisible to the rest of the world was just an added bonus.

…..The question I basically had for myself was that when all was said and done was that I found myself holding my head up and spinning it around like some hoot owl going, ‘What just happened?’ They had solved the problem so fast that I had barely the time to think it through. If an issue comes up in the future and it’s solved before I even have a chance to look at it, will I feel any kind of resentment? I suppose that it will depend upon the situation. But it made me really stop and think about how this Seneschal job is supposed to work.

…..I suppose in one way this could be considered a good thing. I could spend the next couple of years signing EIF’s, chairing the Business Meetings and sending a couple of paragraphs of verbiage to Countess Daedin every quarter and remain blissfully ignorant of my surroundings. In fact, that has some appeal after the hard work of the past few years. Their Excellencies could run the whole show and I’ll be Their lackey behind the scenes.

…..That would be the easy way out. But I suppose that it would be irresponsible to the Barony as well. I should be engaged. But I should also allow Their Excellencies the clearance They need to run Their show. That is the feudal game we play.

…..One of the things that worries me is that I do consider Their Excellencies to be close personal friends. I don’t ever want to come to a point to where that friendship comes into question. I should be prepared to back out completely should I see that happening. In fact, I plan a sit down in about six months with Them to make sure that all of us are happy with how things are going and if the situation needs to change. They might end up happier working with someone who is not a close personal friend. Business is business, and sometimes a working business relationship works far better than friendship when dealing with issues that require objectivity.

…..The one saving grace in this, at least in my mind, is that Their Excellencies and I have at times held very opposing positions, have argued our points passionately, and have still remained good friends. I think that this is a good sign that we can work well together.

…..So I’m pondering how best to balance this all out between the differing positions on how to be a Seneschal. Anyone out there with experience on this subject have some words of advice? How do you deal with the juxtaposition of leadership between the Business Leader (Seneschale) and Baronail Leaders (Their Excellencies)?

…..Aaron / Arontius.

Comments

[countess-e.livejournal.com]

Been there, so done that. My very first job in the SCA was baronial seneschal, and while there was a vertical learning curve it taught me a lot of useful lessons.

From what you're saying, it seems to me you've already got a pretty comprehensive handle on the job, its potential pitfalls and the interesting balancing act you have to pull off. The seneschal and the baronial roles are really quite different in practice, but they can *look* similar from the outside and sometimes keeping other people's perceptions from causing problems can be an issue.

However--here you are dealing with a pretty well clued-in populace and a baronial couple who are down to earth and blessedly unstuck on themselves. There's already regard and respect in your relationship, and you know going in that you can disagree constructively. That and remaining open and honest with each other are (in my mind) the big issues, and you've got a head start on that.

Given what you have to work with, and what I know of your abilities, I look forward to good times in DL.

[andras120.livejournal.com]

First of all, I agree 100% with *countess e* She has, as usual, struck right to the core of the situation.

I was Seneschal of Aquaterra with friends as Baron and Baroness. We spoke extensively before I took the job about their perceptions of how to be a seneschal (fortunately Her Excellency had previously been), the direction and care of the Barony and how to interface with each other in the decision making process. Several things came out of these discussions and I'll share them with you...

1) The office of Seneschal doesn't have any real power over the people in the Barony, including the officers. Kind of strange, but you're really more a steward than even a manager.

2) The B&B are in charge of "the show." The Seneschal is in charge of making sure the Barony functions administratively and complies with the myriad laws and regulations. The two responsibility sets are not the same.

3) The B&B also are usually the ones who deal with "personal" issues within the Barony...I think it's just the way the dynamics work. However, the seneschal must absolutely be in the loop in this process as sometimes the "private" stuff involves legal issues...both mundane and/or SCA.

4) Everyone else gets the credit when things go well. When they don't, the seneschal gets credit...and that's the way it should be.

I empathize with you, Aaron. However, I have every faith in your ability to work well with our B&B, mostly because all of you desire only the best for the Barony and are intelligent, caring, responsible people.

The Barony has been served well in the past and will continue in this same direction with you as Seneschal.

[monkeyjunk.livejournal.com]

Thanks Aaron for posting this. The Countess and The Master have put it all so well, that I have nothing to add.
I wanted you to know though that I am in the very same situation, and cycled thorugh the same thought process in approaching taking on the job.
After a bit of adjustment, things feel like they have settled very nicely into place. I hope the same for you guys.

[bumblebee2006.livejournal.com]

I think wind burn will be the least of your worries.

[angharadalbanes.livejournal.com]

You and I should talk more about this privately. For now, I would say that Countess E. and Master Andras have pretty much nailed it. Heed their wise words.