[Issue 46] [Interview] A Leader's Perspective

[Night-Sisters 2,139]

 

Leading a clan isn't easy. 

At the outset you have to gather enough friends to start the darn thing, which, of itself, is not a simple task. If you can manage that, you still have to create an attractive clan page, manage any conflicting personalities within your player base, conduct weekly (or bi-weekly) training, set up wars, get all your players to show up for said wars at the correct time, handle further recruitment, make sure banter on your clan page doesn't get out of control, and still somehow maintain an active presence in-game.

Intimidated yet?

Today I have conducted interviews with three different clan leaders and asked them to speak a bit about the tricky business of leading a clan. 

So. Allow me to welcome @The_Little_Cousin from clan "Revengers" [R], from clan "Superia" [sP] and @M4ShermanUSA from clan "Madness" [MAD]. 

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: Hello! To start off, please introduce yourself and tell a bit about your clan.

 

@The_Little_Cousin: .Hello, I am The_Little_Cousin, leader of Clan "Revengers" [R], I've been leader of the clan for about 1 year now.

 

: My name is Ben and I am 16 years old. I started playing Tanki Online two years ago. I find it a very interesting game and I quickly fell in love it it. One of the reasons why I fell in love with Tanki is my friends. I met lots of great friends in this game and lately (1 year ago) I heard about clans and I came on idea of making my own one together with my friends. That is how Superia was created. We started training and new players started joining the clan so we improved quickly. And we came where we are today and I am proud of all that I have achieved together with my clan

 

@M4ShermanUSA: Hi there, I'm M4ShermanUSA. I am the leader of clan "Madness" [MAD]. I've been leading the clan since January of 2015 and we're a close knit group of Tanki players who like to have fun together. 

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: How did you become the leader?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: I created a clan with some friends when I was Major which was called "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division" [s.H.I.E.L.D], inspired from a Marvel TV Show.

Well, it wasn't working because members were inactive and there was no means of contacting them. So after having a long discussion with Jeron Assassin, the ex-leader of clan "Assassin Brotherhood", we decided to merge our clans to form "Shield Assassin" which brought new members to the clan. After some months, I found a random clan on the eSports forum and had a clan war with them. Afterwards, the leader came to me and asked if we could merge as he was no longer interested in leading and it was difficult for him to maintain order in the clan. I approved his decision and the newly formed clan was entitled "Revengers" [R] 

 

: I came on idea of creating clan and I also have experience of leading teams from other games, so I decided to take a lead over the clan. Of course, my friends helped me as much as they can so we managed to run clan successfully

 

@M4ShermanUSA: I joined clan All in or Nothing in November or December of 2014 and didn't like the leadership so I and five other members left to form Madness. Originally Poklakni was the leader, but after about a month he decided that the role was too much work and passed it to me.

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: In your opinion, what is the most difficult aspect of being "in charge"?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: Maintaining discipline among members and to make hard decisions such as kicking a member in the case of misbehavior. You must be really calm to be a leader. 

 

 

: The most difficult part of being "in charge" is being responsible for decisions you have made. Sometimes it is really hard to make the right decision for everyone. But if you listen and talk to the players and ask them for their opinion, it will make you a way easier to accept right decision

 

@M4ShermanUSA: Managing the clan members personalities and the conflicts that can arise between them as well as members of other clans and random players.

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: And what have you learned from this experience? 

 

@The_Little_Cousin: How to keep calm in a fight between members...and being a clan leader I wanted to do my own clan design. So I've learned how to use Photoshop and various other software as well as website to keep a good organization in the clan.

 

: With my clan I experienced a few problems from which I learned to always listen to people in your clan. They told me their opinions and we started solving our problems together. I found listening and helping each other in a clan is really important

 

@M4ShermanUSA: You don't have to be the best player in the clan, you have to know how to lead...also, everyone is different in personality as well as playing style and skill level. As the leader you need to know how to manage those differences withing the group.

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: For you, what is the best thing about leading a clan?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: It's to have my members together as a family...as close friends who take care of each other.

 

: The best part of leading a clan is to see how much people improved while they were in the clan and happiness after we have fought an excellent battle. Teamwork is what bring us together and make us much stronger as a team. In good and bad times, you always have someone in clan who stand near you, listen to you and is ready to help you. Definitely, having fun and enjoying to play the game we love is one of my favourite parts of leading a clan.

 

@M4ShermanUSA: I actually enjoy it. It's a lot of work and you spend more time on the forum planning and organizing with other clan leaders than playing, but I find it rewarding... and the players of Madness seem to appreciate it.  

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: What kind of skills and character traits are you most looking for in new recruits?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: Here's the Requirement & Agreement to join Clan "Revengers" [R]

 Minimum Rank "General"

 XP/BP & Light Format equipment M3

 Skype Account, microphone & speaker

But even if a recruit has all those requirement he/she may get kicked from the clan on the first day that he/she joins the clan. We want polite people who are not offensive and can maintain good communication and friendship with my actual members.

 

: I am looking for smart, kind and brave players. I search for players who are unpredictable and tricky on the battlefield. Players who are able to give a really good fight and take care for some seriously epic actions on battlefield.

 

@M4ShermanUSA: Good XP/BP skills because we are primarily an XP/BP clan. However, we have recently decided to open that up to any combo, so a strong garage helps, but it isn't mandatory. Mainly we look for good, friendly, fair players that can get along well in a team situation and interact well with current members. This is a game after all. 

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: How important are co-leaders to the function of your clan? What makes a good co-leader?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: The clan co-leader helps the leader organize clan events as well as to replace the leader in its daily task during their absence. Clan co-leader is responsible to keep members updated about clan events. Only one leader can't take care of clan, so team work is the key to success

A good co-leader is someone who inspires the members and maintains good communication with the clan...a person who's really friendly and can take good action in any case, even in the absence of the leader.

 

: Co-leaders are a very important part of my clan. Co-leaders are my right hand. Wnenever in trouble, they always stand on my right side and help me run clan anf trainings. They are players who I can always ask for any kind of help and with who I can share and discuss about every important decision about clan. In my opinion, a good co-leader is someone who supports you, is responsible and ready to help, is ready to listen to the clan and train clan when leader is away. He is someone who really care about clan as much as the leader and share his own opinion and suggestions with leader. Good co-leader is trust worthy and responsible player.

 

@M4ShermanUSA: Extremely. A co-leader needs leadership ability, thoughtfulness and to provide input...the ability to think of the clan first, and they need to be calm, cool, and collected at all times. 

 

 

 

@Night-Sisters: And last but not least, what advice would you give to those who are currently attempting to start their own clan?

 

@The_Little_Cousin: Clan leading is not for everyone, it requires lots of time and skills to organize and maintain a team together. I would recommend that a newbie clan leader join a Newcomers clan and learn about the functionality and many facts of eSports before attempting to create their own clan. 

 

: I suggest them to gather a team of players and train regularly. Share your experiences, make own tactics, put them in practise and play with other players. Play with each other, find out what your players likes playing and let them play what they love playing. Stick together as a team and help each other and you will achieve success. Good luck!

 

@M4ShermanUSA: Image is everything. Your image being what others see and think of you and your clan.  Perception is reality. Not what you are, but what people perceive of you. If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying. The ones making mistakes are trying. And those who are trying and failing are the people who are growing. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Lhamster

[Supernatural 2,053]

Ben!! :)

SP ftw

[Hadi_destroyer_2 119]

hhh nice interview

[MandolinMarc 874]

Well done! I used to be a clan leader myself; I led the Tier 2 clan Sun Warriors. I came upon the clan's forum page at the rank of WO3 when I was looking for a very well organized clan, which is exactly what I found. The leader, @Nick_Furry, was remarkably dedicated, level-headed, and logical, and clan trainings became something I looked forward to a lot. It was my first experience going beyond casual gameplay of Tanki, or of any other online game for that matter. I was also starting to meet other players and befriend them, something I certainly didn't expect when I registered for Tanki.

 

As the clan grew, Nick invited me to become a co-leader since he saw that I shared many of his organization traits as well. A month or so later, he suddenly decided to leave the game, without an explanation. He forewarned me of this and worked hard to ensure a smooth transition for the clan, and in the Spring of 2015 I became leader. It was incredible to be at the head of this group of players that I loved, but at the same time it was a lot of work. When I got home every afternoon, my Inbox would have at least 15-20 new PMs to respond to; applications, questions, requests to play in a clan war, clan war requests, etc. It soon became apparent to me why Nick decided to leave... leading a clan well is a huge responsibility.

 

We went on a 9-0 streak in clan wars before getting our first loss which was tough to handle. Later that spring I tried to shift my leadership style from pure organization to a looser, more laid-back style. I wanted the clan to be more like a family and less like a group of tankers in training. But when the summer rolled by, I decided my time with the clan was done, and I stepped down and gave leadership. The clan later closed and re-opened a few months ago, but it isn't quite the same as when we were all little Warrant Officers.

 

After CSW I began to meet more and more players and become involved in more and more aspects of the game. But I'll never forget the clan that started it all ^_^

[applications 993]

Well done! I used to be a clan leader myself; I led the Tier 2 clan Sun Warriors. I came upon the clan's forum page at the rank of WO3 when I was looking for a very well organized clan, which is exactly what I found. The leader, @Nick_Furry, was remarkably dedicated, level-headed, and logical, and clan trainings became something I looked forward to a lot. It was my first experience going beyond casual gameplay of Tanki, or of any other online game for that matter. I was also starting to meet other players and befriend them, something I certainly didn't expect when I registered for Tanki.

 

As the clan grew, Nick invited me to become a co-leader since he saw that I shared many of his organization traits as well. A month or so later, he suddenly decided to leave the game, without an explanation. He forewarned me of this and worked hard to ensure a smooth transition for the clan, and in the Spring of 2015 I became leader. It was incredible to be at the head of this group of players that I loved, but at the same time it was a lot of work. When I got home every afternoon, my Inbox would have at least 15-20 new PMs to respond to; applications, questions, requests to play in a clan war, clan war requests, etc. It soon became apparent to me why Nick decided to leave... leading a clan well is a huge responsibility.

 

We went on a 9-0 streak in clan wars before getting our first loss which was tough to handle. Later that spring I tried to shift my leadership style from pure organization to a looser, more laid-back style. I wanted the clan to be more like a family and less like a group of tankers in training. But when the summer rolled by, I decided my time with the clan was done, and I stepped down and gave leadership. The clan later closed and re-opened a few months ago, but it isn't quite the same as when we were all little Warrant Officers.

 

After CSW I began to meet more and more players and become involved in more and more aspects of the game. But I'll never forget the clan that started it all ^_^

"When I got home every afternoon, my Inbox would have at least 15-20 new PMs to respond to; @applications"

 

Wow people were really that interested in anwsering questions about me?

 

 

But

 

Ben stop lieing ._.

[Anonono 1,233]

Well done! I used to be a clan leader myself; I led the Tier 2 clan Sun Warriors. I came upon the clan's forum page at the rank of WO3 when I was looking for a very well organized clan, which is exactly what I found. The leader, @Nick_Furry, was remarkably dedicated, level-headed, and logical, and clan trainings became something I looked forward to a lot. It was my first experience going beyond casual gameplay of Tanki, or of any other online game for that matter. I was also starting to meet other players and befriend them, something I certainly didn't expect when I registered for Tanki.

 

As the clan grew, Nick invited me to become a co-leader since he saw that I shared many of his organization traits as well. A month or so later, he suddenly decided to leave the game, without an explanation. He forewarned me of this and worked hard to ensure a smooth transition for the clan, and in the Spring of 2015 I became leader. It was incredible to be at the head of this group of players that I loved, but at the same time it was a lot of work. When I got home every afternoon, my Inbox would have at least 15-20 new PMs to respond to; applications, questions, requests to play in a clan war, clan war requests, etc. It soon became apparent to me why Nick decided to leave... leading a clan well is a huge responsibility.

 

We went on a 9-0 streak in clan wars before getting our first loss which was tough to handle. Later that spring I tried to shift my leadership style from pure organization to a looser, more laid-back style. I wanted the clan to be more like a family and less like a group of tankers in training. But when the summer rolled by, I decided my time with the clan was done, and I stepped down and gave leadership. The clan later closed and re-opened a few months ago, but it isn't quite the same as when we were all little Warrant Officers.

 

After CSW I began to meet more and more players and become involved in more and more aspects of the game. But I'll never forget the clan that started it all ^_^

It was a boss clan, aye?  :D 

 

Good article, Night-Sisters. Great to see a wide range of topics being discussed in the TO Newspaper.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Anonono

[S.P.A.R.T.4.N 1,495]

great article as always sis'...but i am bit offended you didn't come to interview DARKFIN or me or anyone from TFK.. :(

 

[slycleaversmart 1,154]

Nice! In my not so long yet lesson prone leadership of Don't Tread On Me The biggest thing I learned is that you can't let just anyone in. In the beginning I let anyone who applied into it. However now we are Teir 2 and have wars with good clans I have done some serious work and revised my clan. We have become a force to recon with. All because I learned a very important lesson.

[slycleaversmart 1,154]

great article as always sis'...but i am bit offended you didn't come to interview DARKFIN or me or anyone from TFK.. :(

 

 

XD Too bad so sad. I am not though :P

[SEBASCECE 41]

well done guys love the answers Ben i am glad that u are our leader bro congrats u just earned all my respect Bravo!!! GO SUPERIA!!!!!!

[Night-Sisters 2,139]

great article as always sis'...but i am bit offended you didn't come to interview DARKFIN or me or anyone from TFK.. :(

 

 

You guys moved clans, and I didn't realize it.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Night-Sisters

[Dawn.of.Legend 1,432]

Nice interview guys.

 

Spartan- Bruh calm down.

[MrAssasin 587]

Pro ben. He is the best leader ever.

[slycleaversmart 1,154]

You guys moved clans, and I didn't realize it.

Lol I have a clan.

[M4ShermanUSA 926]

As always, great article @Night-Sisters. Well put together and informative.

[generalpotato_PRO 1,076]

Awesome article Sis!! :D

[spike_tanker12 20]

go madness!! :) nice article btw sis

[r_snowleopard0512030 66]

He is someone 

 

Too many people assume that most if not all players on tanki are male. Even some of those adverts you get when your battle is loading are gender-specific. There are girls here too! :angry:

 

 

Other than that, great article Night-Sisters, I love reading the interviews

[r_snowleopard0512030 66]

There are girls here too!

 

And women. 

[Time 57]

Awesome interview!

[The_Little_Cousin 910]

I love this interview  :wub:  :wub:  :wub:  :wub:

The_Little_Cousin: Maintaining discipline among members and to make hard decisions such as kicking a member in the case of misbehavior. You must be really calm to be a leader. 

 

 

GreatBen100: The most difficult part of being "in charge" is being responsible for decisions you have made. Sometimes it is really hard to make the right decision for everyone. But if you listen and talk to the players and ask them for their opinion, it will make you a way easier to accept right decision

 

I dnt know why but I knew  at least 1 stuff will match xD

SP Rock :D Edit:

Revengers too :D (rofl) Pakistani xD

 

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by The_Little_Cousin

[The_Little_Cousin 910]

Am wondering why non leader's had meant the fact that they really want to RUN RUN RUN :D xD

[A_U_S_T_E_R_I_T_Y 382]

Great interviews Sis.

Just wanted to say, please make this a kinda series coz every leader has different points to come forward with.

If you continue this effort, be sure to interview , leader of Regicide[RG]. His clan beats the crap out of pro russian Community Clans. :D

[Night-Sisters 2,139]

Really, you guys would be interested in more clan interviews?  :ph34r:

[Cruelty 476]

Nice interview. Keep doing good job ;)