Welcome to the seventh edition of the Lead The Way column, where we explore how community members would proceed after a controversy if they were leaders. In this edition, we will focus on the topic of rebuilding after controversy.

Designed by Master DS

Controversies within armies are issues that can drag down the army’s reputation, so the leader should make decisions to fix this. A leader must realize how much something like this can affect the army and bring it back to its standards. However, depending on the situation, this can be easy or simple.

A recent controversy is the exposé of the Rebel Penguin Federation. This incident has created a lot of discussion in the community, and, of course, the image of the Rebel Penguin Federation is tarnished.

RPF’s Defense Statement

It is important for a leader to commit to rebuilding the army after such an unpleasant incident. Club Penguin Armies reached out to a few members of the community to see what they would do if they were leaders and had to overcome a controversy.

How would you proceed if your army were going through a controversy?

Runa, Help Force: Well, I think it depends on the type of controversy. Is it multilogging? Is it a person affiliated with the army who’s the cause of the controversy? Those questions are confidential to determine how I’d react. Though, for the sake of this, let’s go with a case of an affiliated person controversy. I’d likely question the person themselves to see their perspective on the situation they are in. Get inside opinions and perspectives from the people surrounding them who could’ve been involved, as well as other pieces of evidence, then compile the stories to see if they overlap in any sense. Depending on what the dispute is about and the severity of it, it decides what actions are taken. If they were found guilty or innocent, in the opinion of myself and other higher commands, they would be disciplined accordingly, and a formal post explaining our stance in the case would be released.

Kiltanon, People’s Imperial Confederation: Ultimately this is a very complex question, as there are a multitude of variables to consider regarding the controversy.

If it was an internal controversy regarding members of the army, I believe the first step should always be to address the issue(s), acknowledge and accept blame (if liable), and to take appropriate action against those involved.

Once those involved have been sanctioned, to whatever degree applicable, troops should be made aware of what has happened, if appropriate to tell them. A healthy dialogue should be promoted if needed, where people are able to ask questions and get a better understanding for what has happened. Regardless of the situation, transparency is a necessity.

If the incident had happened with members inside my army as well as from foreign armies, I believe sufficient communication should be made between leaders and those involved to resolve the issues, again leading to sanctions, and addressing the army as mentioned above.

All armies will go through controversy at some time, but their handling of them defines their success afterwards.

steax, Rebel Penguin Federation: Firstly, I would cry because as I am not a leader, I would not be qualified to lead. I would put the blame on whoever promoted me.
Secondly, I would trust in God that my problems would be fixed. “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” 1 Peter 5:10

miffy, People’s Imperial Confederation: well i think it’d depend on whether or not its an internal or external issue — though the first step would always be launching a thorough investigation and interviewing all concerned/affected parties so i can get a full picture before acting, since i wouldnt want to (for instance) ban 5 people only to realize there was no wrongdoing

Zekrome64, Void Troops: The first thing I would do is inform my army that the matter is currently being investigated, after which I would assess the situation and conduct an investigation. It is critical to hear both sides of the story, gather evidence and facts, and then take the necessary action.

What changes would you make to the army to prevent this from happening in the future?

Runa, Help Force: Depending on what the person was involved in the controversy for and their role in the army, I’d likely get to know the person better before accepting them into the army, staff, etc. Better training within the team, so we can better identify and tackle the issue(s) beforehand. I’d add better security, more questions asked, things considered, etc.

Kiltanon, People’s Imperial Confederation: Again this depends on what the controversy was, but in general we should seek to educate our troops and remind them their actions have consequences; not only within the army but depending on the severity, their actions could cause them to be isolated from the community.

Alongside this safeguarding methods, if not already in place, should be implemented, with troops knowing if something is wrong they can talk to a higher up regarding it.

steax, Rebel Penguin Federation: This would never happen again because as a competent leader, I would ensure all of my staff were terrified of me and they would never dare cross me again. I would also publicly shame those involved so no one would dare to try anything similar in the future.
I would be very diligent into making sure the next staff I hire would be fit for the position, including never crossing me and if they did so they’d be fired on the spot which does not limit to questioning my decisions if peanut butter and jelly do go with bananas

miffy, People’s Imperial Confederation: any change would have to be made both to amend the issue and to identify where i as (hypothetical) leader failed to address it before it got to the point of controversy. whether this be the firing of staff followed by an update to staff guidelines, or creating a space where people can more easily come forward to myself with such issues before they reach the point of controversy. unfortunately not all problems can be dealt with preventatively, especially if they occur outside of a server, so in those instances it would just be about developing a quick and efficient method in dealing with them when they are brought to my attention

Zekrome64, Void Troops: The first change I would make is to update the rules to prevent the controversy from occurring. Furthermore, the most important thing to do is to take accountability and train staff to handle these situations in accordance with the rules.

What strategies would you use to convince army members not to leave the army?

Runa, Help Force: Communicate openly and be transparent with the public outside and within the army to rekindle any trust lost. Communication is needed in any relationship, even between an army and its leader. When you’re transparent with your members and explanatory about the situation, it makes it easier to understand. I can’t force people not to leave, but at least if they see the honesty and sincerity, it’s more likely they’ll trust us. If there are any positive and happy experiences and memories from army members, they could share them to show who we are and our strength, collected from this experience. We’ll show them that we’re listening and we’ve heard their outlook on the controversy. This won’t confirm anyone deciding not to depart, but there’s a higher chance of them staying.

Kiltanon, People’s Imperial Confederation: Ultimately, troops leaving the army shouldn’t be the priority. If the actions were severe enough, the army should take responsibility and be held accountable, and losing troops is a part of that.

However, troops should be made aware that (hopefully) the army prevented and stopped the issues which led to controversy as soon as possible, and that the leaders will attempt to foster a positive environment going forwards.

Again, this all depends on the type of controversy and what happened, I am just speaking very generally. Everything should be treated on a case by case basis.

steax, Rebel Penguin Federation: If the un-loyal subjects decided to leave my army I would be upset about it and cry very hard (full on sobbing if you will) as I could not stop them from leaving of their own accord, however for those that believe in following my orders willingly and to the fullest extent of my rules and ordinances I’d grant them a cookie and mercy from my wrath, but for overall keeping the army together, I will turn to Hebrews 10:24 and 1 Peter 2:9
Meaning that we are meant to get together and stir up love, good works and overall share in jolly and goodness together aka those in my army and I are just simply meant to get along as we are a chosen people, Priesthood a holy army for God that he chose to bring together for his good works, thank you Jesus Almighty one 🙏

miffy, People’s Imperial Confederation: just being open and honest with both staff and troops, both about the situation and how i have handled it, as well as being open to feedback. people don’t just leave because of a controversy, they leave because of how it was handled.

Zekrome64, Void Troops: There are no strategies I could use in this situation, but I would be transparent with them and take accountability.

It seems that we received some interesting answers from the community members! All (or most, if not all) of them have detailed and well-justified answers regarding today’s topic, rebuilding the army after a controversy. A controversy in an army may not be harsh and high-impact if leaders know how to handle it. What do you think? How would you handle a controversy in your army as a leader?

Alex
Reporter-in Training

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