Jenny flipped a switch in the carrier to broadcast across all known (and a few unknown) Earth frequencies, and cleared her throat.

Good Morning Humans.

Given the impending, and rather clever, contest about to commence I'd like to have a discussion on what exactly it is that does qualify someone for auth. While this is not a decision the public usually gets to make, they've certainly expressed their approval or disapproval of auths made many times before, publicly or privately, and thus I assume you all have some idea of what you think makes someone deserving of becoming a crewleader, even if you haven't exactly quantified what you believe the metrics of that merit are yet.

So let's give that a go, shall we?

What qualities are you looking for? Are there upper and lower limits to those qualities? Can they be numerically determined? Do the qualifications you accept differ if the auth is to be your crewleader? A crewleader in your district? Your city?

How does your ideal differ from the minimum you'd accept? If your child was to have to join this world with no one clearly meeting the standard values you taught them to look for what would you expect them to do?

On the flip side what qualities are completely unacceptable in a crewleader? What are the dealbreakers that would make you discontent with an auth given to someone who otherwise met your ideals? How far can one stray from that before you declare them unworthy?

This decision is potentially important to your future. Even if you don't wish to discuss it I do urge you to take a minute to think about it before you cast your votes.

You know. Don't fuck it up.

Philli_stein listens to Jenny's broadcast with some interest. after some thought, he replies.

"As a crewleder, My criteria for a good auth are actually quite simple. If i would not give you a promotion to full made member of my family, and if I Do not feel you exhibit those qualities above and beyond the averaage, I will not even consider you for the position of crew leader. 

Now The fact that i would give a person that promotion does not mean automaticlly that i would be willing to auth that person. I would also want to see their leadership demonstrated. But the made man criteria (Activity, dedication, trustworthyness, etc.) is the first test for me."

Well, considering that you can't buy a HQ at lower than Made Man, it would appear to make sense that, y'know, you wouldn't auth someone who wasn't a Made Man, Mr. Stein.

Now, I'll be perfectly frank and lay my cards on the table, right here and right now. I think that the whole idea of basically using a popularity contest to choose new crew leaders is absolutely, completely and utterly horrendous. It isn't going to give new people a chance, it's going to be people with big names and big reputations who've probably worn a bold suit at least once or twice, if not more, times before. We might as well add a panel of judges and a few sequins and call it "Crew Leader Idol". In fact, I quite like the sounds of that. I may roll with that.

Anyhow. With that in mind, when it comes to approving my people to take part in this, I won't approve anybody that I don't think will be able to handle the pressure if they actually win it. I'd rather not have my people taking part at all, because as I mentioned above, I think it's a horrific idea, but if they particularly want to, the least that I can do as a responsible crew leader is try to send people who have half a chance of making it over there.

And what, you ask, is the definition of somebody that I believe could make it over there? Keep their head above water in a contest district? Well, I think that for a start, it's a better, stronger leader than I am. I think that for the most part, it needs to be somebody with a decent amount of upper structure experience, considering that they will lack the backing of the Godfather of the district, considering that they may be thrown in with people they can't get along with. It needs to be somebody capable of quickly building up and consolidating their strength. It needs to be somebody who can present themselves incredibly well, both publicly and privately, somebody with an understanding of how this crazy world we choose to be part of works. I think that to send somebody over who doesn't fully understand what they may be getting into would be like sending a lamb to the slaughterhouse. I care more about my people than that. I'm not going to send anybody that can't convince me that they are ready for the step up.

One of the most problematic things for me, is that when somebody asks for a promotion, I always start to feel a little suspicious that they are placing their own interests ahead of the interests of the crew - and this contest is essentially asking members to ask their crew leaders to let them go for a promotion, to put their own interests ahead of their crews. It seems a bad habit to put prospective leaders in. A crew leader is supposed to be thinking of their entire crew at all times, not just their own interests. The very nature of the competition contradicts my own beliefs of what makes a good crew leader.

Now, competition aside. Were I in the position of our Godfathers, and having to choose people to auth as crew leaders, I would look at a number of factors in making that decision.

Firstly, I would look at my own interactions with the individual. Is this a person who has made an effort to impress, to shine, to make a connection with the rest of the crew, somebody easy to talk to, easy to deal with, somebody who gets involved and puts the effort in to come across well? As a Godfather, you are represented by your crew leaders - that doesn't always mean that the opinions of the crew leaders are reflective of your own as a Godfather - God knows I'm sure that sometimes Solastalgia would probably love to pitch me off the side of a cliff for some of my soliloquies out here on the streets, but he's never prevented me from being honest and speaking my mind. If a crew leader is incapable of presenting themselves well, it does reflect back on the entire district.

Secondly, I would look at the work put in by the individual. Is this somebody who earns well, somebody who contributes to the family, not only financially, but what else do they bring to the table? Are they sociable, do they help to make others feel included, are they a good sponsor, strong in guiding those new to our world in reaching the standards we look for? Are they happy to come out and express themselves in the business districts and on the streets? Are they building a gun, are they putting the effort in to it? Are they committed to following the rules of the crew? Are they following instructions? All things to consider.

The third thing that I would look at, would be past history. Now, I'm not saying that were I authing, I would lean one way or the other in either only authing players with experience as a crew leader, or in only authing players who have not yet had that opportunity - I've had my lucky breaks at getting auth, I've had people put faith in me. I trust that if Solastalgia had felt that my great-grandmother, who he did work alongside, was a bad crew leader, he would possibly not have been so quick to auth me as a crew leader in his own district.

What I AM saying in this, however, is that I'd look at their tendencies. We are all different that our parents, of course, but why auth a bloodline who, for example, show time and time again that they will always manage to find themselves in trouble, no matter how many chances they get? Why auth a bloodline with a tendency, say, to suicide, to abandon their district?

It isn't the only way of judging, of course, but I don't feel it unreasonable to at least consider the reputation that any given bloodline has built for themselves. That isn't to say that I wouldn't be willing to take a chance on someone without any real reputation or someone newer to this world - if I thought they'd do a good job, my first two considerations taken into account, I'd absolutely give someone who hasn't really had a shot a go, if I felt they were the best person for the job.

I think it's pretty hard to paint a picture of a perfect crew leader. I think that to ask people to paint that picture fails to take into account that personality type plays a large part in how we act. There are many different pictures, so to speak, of a good crew leader that could be drawn.

On a personal level, what I aspire to as a leader, is to be what my crew need me to be. A protector, an advocate, a friend, a representative, a voice, somebody fighting their corner, trying to keep things interesting for them, trying to ensure the best possible experience for them. Encouraging them to work a little harder, helping them to learn to be a little better. I'm not a perfect crew leader, and I know it very well. There are always lessons for every single one of us to learn. I think that accepting that in itself, that there is always something that you could be doing better, and striving to do so, is a large part of what being a good crew leader is about.

Atrocity puffs his cigar as he takes his last puff he tosses it to the ground a steps in on the conversation

An interesting topic indeed , now I will put what I believe is a good auth.

Now as good earnings and a gun are nice it is not always essential I like crew leaders who talk not essentially on the streets though a presence is nice I mean a leader who talks to all their members it may be tough but those who try their hardest to connect and build something with their members make them feel important it is always good to remember how important even the smallest of gangsters can essentially be as important as your RH. 

Somebody who can deal with people , this is tough but you need to have thick skin and good people skills you have to be able to deal with the many problems that may spout and you will deal with quite a few people so knowing how to deal with these situations is also a big part.

Ultimately you need to know how to mix business and pleasure , teach your members the right ways of this life but also keeps things interesting allow your members to have fun and a good time to keep them active and motivated to work.

I think Ziva makes some good and interesting points.  I don't know that anybody knows how this contest will turn out as we don't yet know who will be seeking auth.  

I do, however, think there is certainly some potential for this turning into a beauty contest, or a popularity contest.  There will be popular names that will make their requests, and plenty of people who will look no further than a name they know, and vote.  I think it's incumbent on those of us who will be voting to look beyond a name, and figure out what qualities these 'nominees' will bring to the table.  Then make an educated decision.

We'll see how it turns out.

Now, as to what makes a good leader? 

Actions.  Somebody who expects, from his people, only as much as he's willing to put into it himself.  Somebody who sets a good example, and remains loyal to those from whom he demands loyalty.  I could go on for days, but I think you get the point.  

Now, this should be interesting.

Blaise stood by and listened to what several people had to say regarding what made someone good enough for auth. When no one else seemed to have anything to add to the conversation, she decided to add her thoughts to the mix.

What do I think people should have if they want to get authed? The first thing I believe people should think of is, “What can I bring to the table that is needed right now?” I think people who want auth just for the bold suit and HQ is setting up for failure. If you fail to plan, plan to fail.

Besides being in good standing in their current headquarters, they should have working knowledge of the family structure, and the various tasks needed in order to keep things flowing.  People can set up without this knowledge, but they will need to find people who have that experience. This can be tricky when the community goes through quick changes and you are scrambling to find someone capable to help you. Some people can take up initiative better than others, and a leader needs to know what to do in each case in order to get the desired outcome.

Street presence - if someone desired to know your stance on various issues, would the person be able to do so by listening to what you had to say? There is no set number of conversations that need to take place for someone to have this trait, just a feeling of knowing what the leader is about.

Objectivity - if a leader is easily influenced without doing his/her own investigations on issues, this type of leader can get into trouble, and the family pays the price. Also, would the leader be able to punish family members that he/she has a more casual relationship with than others? Or would these sort of leaders let things slide because of "friendship"? That may not get them killed, but it’s a good way og gaining a lot of disgruntled members once they see the double standard in play.

Protection - in some ways, this is a given because it's the main reason why we join organizations - to protect ourselves from wayward shooters who would otherwise gun us down if we did not select one organization to join. As Ziva said, it would be difficult for a crew leader to send one of his/her members out to be slaughtered if they had no means to protect themselves from any dangers. Even though Telkin stated that the authed leaders would have the full backing of the family that they came from, I can’t help but to wonder whether it would be another nationwide war if we had people from the other 3 cities all going to war with each other because of what transpired in New York.

I would expect all of the above qualities from a crew leader, but that would just be the ideal. What would be the minimum that I would expect? I would expect that everyone in the family would have the same opportunity to advance both in rank and position, provided that they do the work for it. I think it would be crushing to someone's morale if no matter what someone did, he or she would never be able to advance and a leader's "friends" got all of the things and flaunted that they did nothing to deserve such.

I would be less inclined to care if the leader's actions did not affect me directly.  This can change depending on what position I hold in the community; if a leader set up in the same district that I was also a leader in, I would have to care obviously.  If my child or other descendants came and no one met the bare minimum standard, based on past experiences I would expect them to go back to the old country and wait for another opportunity. I don't mind settling for less than ideal, and try to help out as much as possible, but there is only so much you can do.

Regarding authing controversial bloodlines, I think it would be wise to pay closer attention to the recent descendant to see if they have the same tendencies as their ancestors. Also, why did their ancestors do what they did?

Telkin, I would rather see someone who hasn't been authed before that has a "clean" record in their ancestral line than someone who is known to be a troublemaker. Those will always hold preference in my book for auth. Also, I know it’s not always good for the same ancestry setting up again and again, but what if they are good for the community? Their leadership could have a positive effect on less experienced leaders, to make them want to do more.

Listening to Telkin, Ziva couldn't help but think that she really did like Telkin better when he was in the process of being kidnapped with a sack over his head by a gang of beavers with, basically, super powers. Always an argument in the boy! Still, she had a lot of time and respect for him, and all joking aside, she enjoyed their outings onto the streets - he always came with strong points and a lot of belief in what he was saying.

A smile on her face, as he finished talking, she offers him a cigarette before taking one of her own out the box, lighting it up and inhaling deeply.

Lets clarify on your need to correct my comment on needing to be a Made Man first. The clarification from the Gods given in the coffee shop, according to you, was that you can buy a HQ at wiseguy - IF you have made the required age and have acquired the required reputation with our local drug dealers. You can buy one, if you've made the requirements but your crew leader hasn't given you the actual promotion yet. So basically, you can, but you're gonna be going rogue. There is no reason why a crew leader who is authing somebody would not given them their made man promotion, if it was available, before they authed them. If you trust somebody to run a crew, especially with all the extra strength it gives a person, there is no way on this earth that you'd not trust them enough to make them a Made Man. So okay, technically I was wrong, but in practice.. you're not going to get authed before you're Made.

Now, you might call the fact that I would TAKE INTO ACCOUNT a persons history when judging whether I would be making the right move in authing them, and I quote, "extremely obtuse and narrow minded", but I find that a fairly gross misunderstanding of what I was actually saying in that. First of all - you wanna tell me that it's narrow minded judging people from my own evolving and considered opinion, over time, is narrow minded? Then fine. I'm narrow minded. I can only judge people from my own experiences of someone. If my experience of someone is that they are consistently a twat and they never do enough to convince me otherwise - personally, I think that that is more on them than it is on me. You KNOW that I am a person willing to give people chances. So don't give me that sack of bullshit. A bad history doesn't prohibit anyone from being trusted by me, it just might mean they have to work a little harder for me to shorten their leash. If they can't convince me that history won't repeat itself - and if their current conduct had consistently been contradictory to their history, it would eventually convince me - then in my opinion - it would be a dangerous move to give them auth.

Now then, your point about backing. All I'm going to say on this, is the following: If somebody leaves my crew for their own reasons, and is unable to convince me that them doing so is in the interests of the people that they are leaving behind, I would not lead the people who put the crew first in jeopardy afterwards. If my Godfather wishes to, I'll follow him and that's his business, but that's my view on it. One of the reasons that I resent this competition is that it makes crew leaders look like the bad guys if we say no, so we pretty much HAVE to let our people go for it if they want to enough. But just because I have to do that, doesn't mean that I have to support it afterwards if they can't come and speak to me about it in a manner that makes me see a clear benefit for the rest of my people.

I agree though, on your point about campaigns. I still say that "Crew Leader Idol" is a horrendous idea, but it may at least bring some amusement to our streets.

The lovely Ziva dances up to Ragnarok.

I see the beginnings of a beautiful bromance here.

But yes. Great things to accomplish and stuff! But first, I think I'm gonna have a little nap. Thinking about accomplishing great things has me all worn out.

I too have broken many pubic hearts in my time Ragnarok, I know the feeling of regret only too well!

First of all; let me say how delighted I am at the explosion of street activity over the past day or two and I'd like to thank you for starting an engaging topic, Jenny; no doubt you'd be at the top of the polling lists if you did not have your own obligations in the Suburbs!

I'm reluctant to actually answer the question of 'What make a good auth?' and it's for the simple reason that, as much as I have very dearly held, forthright views on this topic; I don't wish to put words in people's mouths. You see, I have a vote and I don't want to waste it - instead of telling the prospective Leaders what they want to hear, I would much rather pose one or two difficult questions and have them tell me what they believe!

Ragnarok I think that you will come to find that Cab is absolutely fucking lovely. I'm team bromance. All the way.

Cantona I'm pretty sure if you're breaking that area you're doing something wrong. All angles I can imagine that being possible from are not anatomically correct for related activity. I'll send you some prostitutes over to demonstrate, as I seem to be running an infinite number of prostitution rings. Thanks for your thanks and kind words. I have no ambitions to lead a crew though. I'm having enough trouble keeping the citizens of Earth in line.

This speech was mainly in the hopes that people would consider qualities rather than just personal relationships when casting their votes. While I am not entirely sympathetic to the crew leader idol arguments as I think a great number of auths are chosen in precisely that manor, albeit with only one vote cast, I do see how this kind of competition can easily end up operating that way, and hoped to try and persuade some to think about their choices further.