The L2J Code of Conduct describes the standard for all conduct in the L2J community. Leaders however, are expected to be held to a higher standard. This document provides a set of guidelines and explains to all members the high standards of conduct that leaders in the L2J community should be held.There are several people who held leadership positions in L2J over time – from the founders to the more recently added role of Initiates Leaders. Our community depends on the drive and inspiration of many people who start or lead project teams focused on a particular end goal. We expect anybody who takes on a leadership role to meet this higher standard of conduct.

Leadership By Example

We expect leadership by example. In L2J, leadership is not an award, right, or title; it is a privilege. A leader will only retain his or her position as long as he or she acts as a leader. This means that they act with civility, respect, and trust in the ways described in the Code of Conduct. But it also means that their contributions are sustained, significant, and reliable for the period that they lead. Leaders in L2J are not autocrats. Leaders in L2J can not and will not stay leaders only because they got there first. Their role stems from shared recognition and respect from their team.

Respecting L2J Processes and Principles

The Code of Conduct does not only apply to leaders. It applies to leaders more. Leaders show more patience, more respect, and more civility than other members of the L2J community. As leaders, they represent their team and, ultimately, the whole L2J project. Leaders do their best to act in accordance with the L2J governance principles and structures and work within the system to change them.

Delegation

A virtuoso is judged by their actions. A leader is judged by the actions of their team. A leader in L2J knows when to ask for help and when to step back. Good leaders know when not to make a decision but to delegate it to their team. The best leaders balance hard work in the community. Of course, leadership does not mean that leaders delegate unpleasant work to others. Instead, leaders balance hard work on their own — leadership by example — with delegation to others and hard work on their own. A leader’s foremost goal is ensuring that their team members and team succeed.

Credit

A good leader does not seek the limelight but aims to congratulate their team for the work they do. While leaders are frequently more visible than their team, leaders in L2J use their visibility to highlight the great work of their team members and others.

Conflicts of Interest

A leader notices when they are conflicted and delegates decisions to others on their team or to other teams or Inner Circle. When in doubt, leaders publicly ask for a second opinion. They realize that perceived conflicts of interest are as important as real conflicts of interest and are cognizant of perceptions; they understand that their actions are as tainted by perceived conflicts as by real ones.

Keeping the Personal Personal

No team is an extension of its leader’s personality and leaders’ personal feelings and desires will diverge from the interest of their teams. When acting in their capacity of leaders, leaders should not ignore their own beliefs, feelings, and principles but must hold the interests of their team and the L2J community above their own convictions. Leaders make difficult choices but are careful to act in the best interests of their communities. They work with established processes in the community and delegate decisions to others who can.

Stepping Down

The L2J Code of Conduct discusses the importance of gracefully stepping down from a position. This is particularly important for leaders, who are responsible for decisions or specific processes – for example, if your participation is needed to reach quorum during a council or crucial decision ballot.

If someone in a leadership role does not have time to fulfill their role temporarily, they should warn their team as well as the rest of the Inner Circle in advance. If an absence becomes extended, they should step down from their leadership position until they have more time to follow through. Similarly, leaders should step down gracefully — as described in the Code of Conduct.

When someone takes on a leadership position in L2J, they are making a commitment to step down gracefully and to ensure that others on the team can easily continue where they leave off.

If you’re occupying a leadership seat, this essentially means you’re essential for certain decisions, then extended absences should be very carefully managed, and you should consider stepping down or at least nominating a stand-in while you will be away.

Retirement to the Elders Council

If your stepping down is a final disengagement from the project, either by a declaration of you or by council or community realization your absence cannot be a ‘blocker’ for the further existence of L2J, but your experience and perspective could be of benefit to those in the new leadership places. So, in the same spirit that many communities and cultures all around the globe consider to grant the oldest members of a group some sort of leadership as in a senate is it that we will think of you as a member of the Elders Council.

This will be a way to demonstrate our respect and gratitude to the veteran team members as well as possibly a way to seek their guidance for their descendants and maybe ask for some special favour or assistance.