We've already discussed what to do if you suddenly find yourself thrust into the limelight as a guild leader, and how to handle potential drama within the guild.
Now's a good time to discuss changes within the guild and with the game that can affect the guild.
No MMO operates in stasis, that is to say they are constantly changing with updates, expansions, class balance and the like. It's important for you as the guild leader to be aware of these changes and how they could affect your members.
New Content
If you're an endgame guild this change is going to be especially important to you. New content means more challenges to tackle and avenues to explore. There's usually new instances that come with expansions, and being the first on a server or game to tackle them could be important to your guild. And chances are if you're an endgame guild you'll have no shortage of people looking to tackle the new content.
For players not quite at endgame, or even nowhere close, new content will often mean a jump in your own gear as endgame players get new gear and pass on their old. They'll oftentimes sell them or if you're in their guild they may give it to you or sell it at at reduced rate. I've seen guild members sell an item to a guildie at half of what the item was worth, and I've personally always tried to encourage that among my members with a "get guildies geared" philosophy.
Often new content will also have a level cap increase, meaning there will be more quests available to do and level up with. Unless you're just gung ho to tackle that newest instance give your guild a few days to discover all the nuances of the expansion and perhaps level up some before moving on. Some instances require a certain level or an attunement series of quests so this info may need to be discovered and shared among the guild.
Class Balance
Almost the 3rd rail of MMO's, a game that gets it right is RARE. Chances are your game is going to periodically update it's class balance by tweaking stats, skills, talents, or what have you. This month's OP class could be next month's bottom-of-the-barrel. This is going to be important to every player of the game, regardless of whether they are in a guild or not.
Be sure that you thoroughly test it out and understand it's impact on your guild and your groups. That rogue who was tanking every run might suddenly find himself squishy and unable to tank, leaving your groups to find an appropriate replacement if one is not already available. Your top dps might find themselves nerfed. All sorts of things can happen with a class balance, you will need to be on your toes and adjust accordingly.
PEOPLE
One thing you'll notice if your guild stays active long enough, there will be a river of people flowing through your guild. People have a wide range of priorities and finding that perfect fit in a guild isn't the easiest thing to do. Sometimes the flow of people will be positive, growing your ranks and possibly enabling your guild to do more, and other times it's going to be negative, and you may feel like your guild is hemorrhaging members. Most of the time those leaving and those joining are going to be small in number. A guild member might invite a friend or two they got interested in the game, or someone may quit the game entirely.
Occasionally whole groups of people might leave. I've personally had the majority of my officers leave to form their own guild, taking roughly half of the active membership with them. Sometimes a players priorities and goals simply aren't going to be in line with the guild's. They may even blame you personally as their reason for leaving the guild.
In the end, don't let change get to you. Things are never going to remain the same. If you've got a core group of members that all share the same goals and want to remain together, chances are your guild will be able to withstand almost any storm that comes it's way. The Black Tower, my guild on RoM, has held together for over 2 years now, and is still growing and going strong.
May you be as lucky as I have been.
