"Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Las Vegas! It’s good to stand here today in front of talented and ambitious young people. With all of you in attendance the future is bright and our symposium is off to a fantastic start. I am confident that you leave here with insights that propel you further into the life of questionable entrepreneurship. You will meet experts in the field, attend workshops and engage in public debate to uncover the secrets to being a Godfather in this world we all cherish."

"But learning from others only gets you so far. The most valuable lessons on your path, you learn from yourself. Self-reflection is key to your ambition and ultimately your legacy. Godfathers don’t leave legacies, people do. Simply put; your first insight is that being a Godfather means shit in today's world. The title is a gold-plated container. It looks fancy, but what is carried inside is what counts. And on average that is very disappointing."
 

A raised hand in the audience caught Max' attention and he motioned for one of the assistants to turn the spot on what looked like a lean, but strong man. The man quickly followed the attention with a question.

"If being a Godfather by default does not mean something anymore, how do we attribute value to them?"

"That’s an excellent question, sir." Max responded. "In short, they make a difference and that’s where value emerges. Let’s expand on that by looking at a few categories that allow us to rank our inner Godfather, rather than look at past performers. After all, we are not here to judge the past, but to shape the future."

Some of the venue assistants push a large board onto the stage. On it were the several categories Max had announced. The spotlight focused on the first as Max started to explain.

Social Skills

• +1 if you’re a person that connects well with others. You don’t need to be a joker, but showing natural interests in those around you will help build a following. This doesn’t build loyalty by default, but genuine interest and participation sets you on the right path.
• -1 if you consider your inner circle final. Don’t be afraid to let new people in and push others out.
• -1 if you’re being bad to people without reason.

Wisdom

• +1 if you bring wisdom to the table. It goes beyond knowledge as it includes the insight on how and when to utilise knowledge and ability. Being wise also means being able to instil this in others.
• -1 if you think you're safe as long as you play into the demands of others.

Curiosity

• +1 if you are curious about what happens around you. The moment you stop being curious is the moment you stop learning. The world evolves and you are at a standstill. This really taps into the question whether Godfather is a reward for achievements or an opportunity to do more. If paranoia is the reason for curiosity, don’t count any points.

Vision

• +1 if you communicate ideas on how the world should be improved. A common goal that people believe in creates a sense of belonging and energises the people, yourself included. People are happy when they see an opportunity and play a part in it. People grow fat or restless lingering in the status quo. If boredom doesn’t kill you, then the unhappiness of the people will.

Strategy

• +1 if you set things in motion for your ideas in such a way that they become feasible. A plan without smart execution is just that and its benefits will never be reaped. For both Vision and Strategy counts that it doesn’t have to be evident beforehand. Obviously, it can be very strategic to not show your hand.

Politics

• +1 if you are able to navigate diplomatic relations. In this world you need to work together, even if you’re the top dog. This often means finding the middle ground or at least making sure people feel heard. Ignoring the needs of others quickly triggers rebellion.
• -1 if you consider it diplomatic to decrease your influence and power in order to remain “friends” with others. Considering purging your own without very clear reason and in the process hurting your own position is an absolute weakness.

Ethics

• +1 if your climb to the top goes hand in hand with human decency for as far as possible in a cutt-throat world. There’s good reason to remove competition, but consider whether you’re a butcher or a Godfather. Under-performing on this topic wouldn’t be such a societal problem if your fellow Godfathers-to-be wouldn’t allow you to get away with it.

Dare

• +1 if you are ready to defy the odds for a cause you believe in. Regardless of the result you, yours or their kin will feel more proud because of their action than living mindlessly in inaction.

Warfare

• +1 if you efficiently plan and execute on wartime plans.
• +1 if you are the one that actively chases targets to make the difference for your side.
• +1 if you are a proficient hitter and called in for a first wave, but -1 for thinking you’re good at war because of it.
• - 1 if you tend to avoid the battle hoping others will solve the issue for you.

Leadership

• +1 if you organise yourself and those around you in such a way that inspires people to grow and be viable business assets.
• +1 if you train the future generation to become your equal or better without fear.
• +1 if you realise Loyalty is a two-way street.
• +1 if you practice what you preach.
• -1 if your presence or lack thereof in the world dulls the people working for you, negatively impacting the sense of excitement in the community.

"The observant people will notice the total points don't fit in a common scale of 1 to 10. And that's great for people with your ambition. You need to be able to work with shifting boundaries and references. The world evolves and you need to be able to adapt to it. The ability to fight wars or the lack thereof makes a far bigger impact dependent on the circumstances you live in. This goes for most of the other categories too. The list is a perspective which might reflect you or not all. If it doesn’t perhaps postpone your claim to Godfather, because you are probably not what people need. Admitting to that probably is a bigger accomplishment than taking Godfather itself. That said, the list is not perfect either. It should change based on the times as well. Hence my question for you."

"What skills or character traits should our next Godfathers have or absolutely be without?"

Skidmark, you are probably the last person I would have picked to have the ball in their hands. Your handle is weaker than Illuminatiated's and a curse upon whatever dweebs gave him that name. Seeing you being listed as one of the starters of this team is frankly amazing. I was going to say, who are you to question the Jersey Stripper himself, the BricktownCL fearing, Fareham surviving, HeadCoach, but as you've managed to make the team, a minor miracle itself, so maybe you should? 

As for this ranking system, you lost me at "being bad to people". 

My inner Godfather is, was and always will be

don't fucking do it

too much effort

DING DONG!

Skidmark, if that is your real name, it is just a coincidence that I spend time in the laundry room. There was nowhere else for my office to be based due to the HQ filling up so fast. Don't try and label me. 

Jester rides his unicycle into the discussion and rips a 360 for good measure to get everyone’s attention. He pushes a liliripe out of the way on his cockscomb as he thinks about how to portray his thoughts.

”A very informative and we’ll thought out presentation you had, steampunkmax. Thank you for taking the time to explain your opinions. Me? I’m gonna be far more brief. I’ve had kin that were godfathers in the past. Really it was through attrition rather than ambition. They fought and survived until it was a logical choice, but certainly not something they aspired for. They would tell you in their journals that they didn’t like it. It’s a lot of work, stamping out a lot of fires and at the end of the day you almost certainly betray someone’s trust. Frankly, that stings. I’ve never been a guy that plays for power as much as a guy that plays for the sense of community that you get by working with people. So - to hurt people doesn’t feel good.”

“Im going to suggest that taking the mantle suggests an unreasonable love for the life of crime. Simply put, there’s not enough reasons to be a godfather in the current climate, in my opinion. It costs too much, takes too much time and doesn’t pay enough. Just my opinion. I may be wrong - but I doubt it.”

As Climax went through her day, she heard a familiar voice off the corner of a busy street with a small crowd gathering in the vicinity. As she had some time to kill, she decided to investigate and saw SteampunkMax, one of her associates, addressing his audience. She listened diligently and even nodded in agreement to some if not most of his points. As he went through an exhaustive and impressive list, she couldn't help but take down mental notes -- although she wasn't a godfather and won't have the chance to be one for many more years to come, most of the criteria applied to crew leaders as well so it was worth taking note of.

"That's a very comprehensive list, Max, and may I add very well-delivered as well. I have absolutely nothing else to add or even revise, as I completely agree with you. What I will say though, I suppose in relation to your points on loyalty and leadership, is that Godfathers or any crew leader would be nothing without a well-balanced group of people behind them. Although godfathers usually keep a tight group of 16 members, that is plenty of room to accommodate a mix of hitters, protectors, speechmakers, business owners, and the very special ones that keep morale up in times of darkness. Like Justice.

I see this as a sort of wildcard to one's godfather career, because while a leader can certainly bring out the best in people by setting an example for others to follow, members will always be their own people with their own interests and skillsets. And that's what makes it so exciting -- as one progresses through life and meets new people, one can never know what role these people will play in their success... or perhaps eventual downfall. Which brings us back to the point on loyalty, leadership, and being a good mentor to the special few who take a chance in joining one's crew.

Well done on bringing an important topic to light, which will grow increasingly relevant as the days go by. When the time comes that the next batch of leaders, including myself, are to challenge the current slew of godfathers, I'll keep this list in mind. Hopefully, others who are here today will too, leaders and crew members alike. It's about time we hold our city and district leaders to a higher standard after all."

The symposium was off to a good start. With a coffee in the hand Max set out to meet the attendents. He wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to meet the next potential Godfather. He might need their permission to host more events one day. Quite quickly he met up with Jester, who spoke about his relatives experience.

"Thank you for sharing that. Perhaps it takes becoming Godfather to learn you shouldn't become a Godfather. However, I´m fairly sure your relatives had their own checks to evaluate whether they'd do a proper job. That reflection eventually made them say that the benefits don't outweigh the effort that is required. And that a key learning here: It's a job, more demanding than any other job. You need a lot more time and skills while you align yourself for increased disappointment."

"It's doable for sure, but you got to have energy for that job. Being Godfather is a tool, not a result. The work continues."

They quickly introdued one and another when Climax joined the conversation. After exchanging pleasantries they continued with the topic.

"You are absolutely right that a Godfather is nothing without at least a few trusted and skilled people behind them. It's part of leadership to delegate responsibilities and accept help. This can greatly help with the challenges that Jester described. In the end one is not a bad Godfather if they don't tick off all the boxes on the list. There can be different experts in an organisation that complement each other and that's absolutely fine. When no one fills the voids that are left by the inability of a sitting Godfather, that's when their organisation is at risk."

"For that same reason, you're right that this list can be used for leaders and ambitious people of all ranks. Recognising early on where you need to improve or get help makes that you can get your act together quicker. In a way the list is kind of a summary of the higher standard you are talking about. Thanks for joining us here today!"