EVE Search - 5 things every CEO should do to be successful in EVE

James 315 wrote:

EVE has had a lot of amazing leaders, and a lot of amazingly terrible ones. What separates the good from the bad? How can good leadership help keep an alliance together--or cause an entire coalition of alliances to fall apart?

Ever since I seized control of a small chunk of highsec, people have been asking me for advice on how to be an effective leader in the context of EVE. (Okay, maybe not a lot of people, but enough to warrant a post.) As with so much else in this wonderful sandbox game of ours, many lessons can be applied to other contexts. Have a look, and offer your own insights. I'm sure they'll be great.

1. Become a leader for a reason.

If you want to become the leader of an EVE organization, you should first consider what you want to accomplish. If your only goal is to gain authority for its own sake, something is wrong. Leaders motivated only by getting titles tend to be failures--which doesn't help their ego in the long run anyway.

2. Level with people.

Even though they've given you authority, the people you're in charge of aren't idiots. A good EVE CEO will tell the truth to the members of his alliance even when things are difficult. Perhaps especially then. Remember, everyone in EVE has access to outside sources of information. If you aren't an honest source of info, your corp members will increasingly rely on others.

3. Keep the game enjoyable.

When players take on leadership responsibilities, they can fall into the trap of turning the game into a full-time job. For most people, this is made worse by the fact that administrative duties are among the most soul-crushing activities available. When the game stops being fun, you'll stop logging in. When your alliance is in danger, things will be even less fun, and you might--as so many alliance leaders have in the past--abandon the game when your alliance needs you the most.

4. Stay connected to the troops.

In larger organizations, the CEO will rely more and more on a small number of top-level advisors. This is natural, since it's impossible to lead a large group without delegating. But there's a danger of isolating one's self and losing touch with the grunts on the front line. When that happens, they'll look elsewhere for leadership. Meanwhile, your view may be skewed. Without knowing the experience of the average soldier, it will be difficult for you to know what they're capable of and what to ask of them.

5. Have confidence but admit when you're wrong.

Few things will put people off more than a leader who stubbornly refuses to admit an obvious mistake. A failure to admit and correct a mistake is another mistake. No one expects you to be infallible. However, don't go overboard in the other direction. If you're constantly changing your mind, you can't lead anyone.

Well, there you have it! If you follow these five simple rules you will probably be better than a good percentage of the corp and alliance leaders in EVE. What other advice would you offer people in positions of power? Smile