Our philosophy has always been that to be good Guardian, you have to be the *last* one in the room who would hit that Boot button on your personal behalf. The Guardian perceives first with the hearts and eyes of others, and then, secondarily, with their own. They're intellectually empathic. 

 Here's an excerpt from the (as yet not official!) Guardian handbook, written in 1997, in the section on what we think makes a good Guardian: 

1) Maturity. This isn't chronological age, necessarily; in cyberspace, you're 100 before you turn 20. It's being able to keep your temper and respond with reason rather than emotion under duress. Having been a longtime "wizard" on a "mud" is also a good qualification. A Guardian is already familiar with what's "typical" player misbehavior.

2) Sense of Humor. The Guardian job inflicts extra stress, extra aggravation.  People with a sense of humor have quicker wits and thicker skin.

3) Sensitivity. Everything in Furcadia is electronic illusion except for the emotions and thoughts of the players. Events you read trigger very real adrenalin, endorphin, serotonin, etc. The Guardian has to read between the lines, understanding that choice of words, speed of response, and so forth, are vital clues as to the emotional state of the player, and it's all very, very "real".