Marietta Rossi, figurehead of Detroit, wanders into the streets in the late night... slash early morning hours. She was a night owl, it seemed. Devoid of bodyguards or much protection other than a simple handgun hidden in the inside pocket of her long jacket, she boldly traveled aimlessly, reflecting and thinking. Doing anything to help her mind stop thinking and allow her to finally fall asleep.

Despite the fact that it had been a busy few weeks for her, she knew she needed to speak; to tell someone about the issue that had become extremely apparent to her within the past month. Stepping onto a darkened street corner, underneath a lantern casting light and shadows in every direction, she dragged and tugged on an old, discarded orange crate. As it gave a final scrape on the pavement the aged Godmother stepped upon it, catching the eyes of a few night time party goers and business venture..ers.

Good ...night?

She called gently, her voice carrying across the street and into the furthest alleys of street. Slowly but surely people arrived- stepping out of hidden speakeasy entrances and dragging themselves away from the back doors of restaurants, stubbing out their cigars as they came.

Thank you- thank you all for showing up here. I have something weighing on my mind, and I honestly do not think I can sleep until I tell... until I pass along my message. If you all have the time, I most definitely would appreciate it.

The people settled in, pressing against one another with all their faces turned up at her. With a soft smile the Godmother sighed happily.

Once again, thank you. Throughout my time here I've often been asked by young, wide-eyed thugs and gangsters how I got to be a Godmother. How I've come to lead such a large city. What the key to my 'success' is. Trying to retain my humble roots I often answer with a modest, generic truth; that I've been lucky. That I just got my chance. That I work with an amazing city full of dedicated and motivated individuals.

Marietta pauses to smile and wave her fingers at a few of the Detroit syndicate associates she recognized before turning to address the full crowd once more.

What it boils down to is the age old question that has haunted many men and women for generations. "What does it take to be a great leader?" Not just a bold, but the three people who lead the top tier of a family. What does it take to be a great Boss, Right or Left Hand? This conversation and debate has skated it's way through This Thing of Ours, resurfacing and always garnering many of the same responses every time it is combed over.

Many people think to be a great leader you need to be active in the Streets. Many think you simply need to know the right people. Some think it is a money venture, and there are those under the impression that to be a great leader you simply need to possess an amazing gun. There are those that believe you need to be kind to run a successful family, those that believe you need to have an iron fist- and the people who believe you need to find a median in between the two to be the best.

While all of those have always been considered acceptable and plausible explanations, I am here to give everyone something else to think about. I am here to tell you the true 'key to success'.

An eerie calm and quiet settles over the crowd as they press in closer to hear the older woman's words. She stares out at the sea of mobsters in their prime- all waiting eagerly to hear the wisdom (or perhaps not wisdom) she had to pass on to them. Her throat is dry so she clears it once before speaking again.

Success... I have come to realize, is relative. Much like beauty is caught in the eye of the beholder, success is measured by those down the food chain who admire the individuals above them. The perfect formula for success, however, can be calculated as such:

The greatness of your leadership or family is directly tied in to the amount of quality time you invest.

That's it. That is the long awaited secret. No smoke and mirrors, nor pulling of puppet strings. Simply pure, quality work- invested continuously over a set amount of time.

Marietta hears murmuring coming from the gathered young faces. Confusion paints the eyes of many, and holding up a single finger she calls attention back to herself quickly.

I'm sure a lot of you are left wondering what I mean by a cryptic statement such as that. Give me a few moments to explain before you consider this lesson lost, I beg of you.

For everything in life that you want to succeed in you either have a natural talent or knack, or you simply have to work twice as hard as some in order to stay on par. Either way, what it boils down to is practicing and preparing.

You do not go on a jog once and then declare yourself a long distance runner. You do not merely purchase a horse and consider yourself a skilled equestrian who showcases stallions. To become that successful long distance runner you must train- running every day. Conditioning your body. Pushing further every time. The same with the horse; you must get on the horse, you must ride and condition the horse. Every time pushing the boundaries until you become skilled and successful.

The same rule can be applied towards being a successful leader (or Right Hand, or Left Hand). Showing up every day is a start, but it is what you do with that time that will make the difference. You must always be pushing forward; finding new and innovative ways to build your family and strengthen your crew.

To be a good leader you must lead; to be a great leader you must lead while inspiring loyalty in the people around you through your actions. Inspire them so greatly that they will, when the moment comes, die for you.

The Godmother hangs her head for a moment, her green eyes staring at the pebbles and dirt that lined the Detroit Street. Looking up at the crowd once more it is apparent her features have hardened, her thoughts having turned inward.

I... Detroit, rather, had the misfortune of experiencing an unpleasant incident this past evening. While I am usually a woman who is mum about city business and prefers to be discreet, I fee; this tale is one that we can all learn from. A week ago a young woman, a high ranking official for one of the Motor City syndicates, came to me and claimed that her family was suffering from a lack of proper leadership. I told her that the easiest place to start the change she so desperately sought was to take up the reigns herself. As a Right Hand she should have eagerly accepted the challenge to roll up her sleeves and work, to invest her time and to inspire- to fulfill this 'lack of leadership' she felt. Instead I was met with frustration and a lack of comprehension of what I suggested to her. She simply felt that I could... wave a magic wand of sorts, and fix all these problems she had. Like I'm some sort of... fairy Godmother?

A few people snickered briefly before Marietta continued.

Several days later, this past weekend in fact, she approached myself and one of my close associates, citing the same problems and how they had not improved. She had sent many mails, asked many questions- however failed to take leadership by the reigns and invest the time to actually fix things. In the end, this young woman ended up- in a fit of true 'altruism'- taking her own life for the 'future betterment' of her family. A noble act indeed.

Marietta raises an eyebrow and makes some sort of slanty face before smiling and shrugging.

After such rash actions I for one realize this young woman was not destined for, nor capable of, success. She felt that by insulting members of my upper structure, and asking to have her Boss 'replaced' (as if it were an easy process) were the appropriate steps to take. We kept her in her place, however, for we did not want to leave the family suddenly without anyone to help guide them and lead them. In hindsight, perhaps it was better to remove her completely before she had the opportunity to try her hand at 'improving' things. Now that she is gone I honestly wonder- and I'm sure many of you are as well... how were things expected to get better in four days?

You cannot run that marathon without putting in the quality time running. You cannot become the horse trainer without quality time training. And you cannot become a great leader without putting in the quality time leading. As I said before- the greatness of your leadership or family is directly tied in to the amount of quality time YOU invest. Read your family journals and diaries. Look at the leaders that inspire you now. Think of all of the 'greats' and 'successes' this world has seen, and I know you will all find the common trend that they were not afraid to invest the quality time into making their family better.

Marietta glances at her wrist watch, shaking her head as she makes out the hands in the dim light.

Dear God, I do believe I am incapable of making a brief speech.

She chuckles to herself before waving her arms before her.

If anyone else wants the chance to speak their mind, please feel free. I'll step out of the spotlight for awhile.

Standing along side his good friend The Shrike listening to there beloved God mother the two men talk a brief moment, after discussing the speech, Recro soon takes a seat ponder his thoughts for few min's, formulating his response taking in account all the evening's events.

"Exactly right this is the key i personally live by it, teach these methods to all that come to me for help, upon becoming a leader in the top 3 tier the key to keeping a morale up is not to ignore young mobster, take them under your wing talk to them, ask for a list of goals they wish to pursue offer advice on how to accomplish these"

"With out knowledge guidance a family will crumble cease to exist, they will not be remembered thus i ask all to listin tonight, think about what you wish to accomplish pursue such goals"

Knud himself up at a late hour, poundering life and its twisting and turning of the poor humans, hears the godmother speak.

Listening he slowly starts nodding, then walks on into the nigth reinforced in his pride of being a part even if a small one of the great enterprice going on in detroit. And with a smile the thougth pops up...Yes succes will come, sure a big effort it does require but knud was never one to turn hes back on a task nomatter how tough and if life should put rocks or thorns on the way, well fuckit thats life and cant be helped, a man can never do or be expected to do more than hes best effort, and after this nigthly revitalisation of spirit, Knuds would be redoubled...well after the whiskey he would have in this bar on the corner

McKnighter, standing by Recro, listens to the speech made by the Fairy Godmother.

"From my past, experiences, I have learned this simple yet hard lesson. This doesn't apply just to leadership, it's involved in everything you do."

"You want to get promoted? You work your ass off to impress your boss. You want to have a great gun? You take the time to find the right targets, and hunt them down."

"Hard work can take you places where a slacker cannot. All you have to do is commit to your goal, and you will achieve it."

I'm going to have to disagree with you, Marietta. For several years, members of my family line have been lingering around the upper echelons of this thing of ours, yet rarely have they taken up the mantle of their own family. The reason being, none of my predecessors felt they could dedicate the amount of time necessary to properly run a family. In other words, dedicating quality time is not what makes a great leader, it is the fucking bare minimum of what should be expected before you are ready to run a family.

These days I see leaders who are mute who are given families. Two weeks into their leadership, I have to stop for a moment and try to think if they are authed or rogue. A Boss should earn his position because he stands out from the crowd. Someone who blends in to their surroundings should never be given the responsibility. They should be as bold as the coat they wish to put on. A Boss should be the example of what aspiring mobsters seek to become. You KNOW who gets admired around here - it's the mobsters who speak out in the streets and are either loved or hated for their words. These people inspire their family members, make them proud to serve, and make them work harder to live up to the prestige of being in that leader's family. It is not the people who hide from the public eye who are admired or inspire anyone. Street presence is important, but more than that, they have to know what they are talking about. You just can't go rambling bullshit in the streets and expect to be the Pied fucking Piper.

As I mentioned earlier, the ability and willingness to dedicate quality time is a prerequisite to being a Boss. Street presence is a second prerequisite. A third is experience. I don't mean that someone has to be ready to go into the old folks home like myself, Premier, or a handful of others who have been hobbling around here since dirt was invented. What I mean is, becoming a Boss is a gradual process. Since most of you are retarded, try to think of it like being a business manager. You don't get the job without first mastering the jobs of all the people you manage. That means the Boss should have knowledge of the positions of Enforcer, Underboss (RHM), Capo Bastone, and Subcrew leader, or have ancestors who may have held those positions and left journals to their descendants describing their responsibilities.

Is that alot to ask for? You bet it is! And it should be. We are talking about becoming the cream of the crop, the best of the best, etc. For too long now have we been handing out bold coats to anyone who an authing leader felt "put the time in". This is why leaders are never remembered anymore. We have few legends these days. Most leaders are forgotten in less than a month's time.

After a Boss has fulfilled these prerequisites and puts on that bold jacket, then becoming a great leader can be easily summarized. The way to become a great leader, after you have earned the right to be a Boss, is by making the right decisions. Of course, making decisions inherently requires action. It means you can't just sit back and watch the world go by.

Ole Floyd stumbles over, in his mind, fighting his alcohol addiction, but in his hand throwing back another shot.

Got a point their Mr. Ox.  I had a 2nd cousin from the islands who went about things, as you say, are the correct way.  The mutes didn't like it and the "Quiet Society" took action.

They say, "Sticks and stones my break my bones", but I say "words get under the skin".

Being vocal may help and hurt. I'd rather take may chance stating my feelings, than zipping my lips and hoping to make it another day.

That is what I call a fucking pussy, (high voice), Sheesh! 

Butt Ox, each of your listed requirements requires quality time to achieve. You do not become a presence in the streets without quality time preparing your speeches. You do not gain the experience of working in the various positions available in a family without spending quality time learning each positions function in furthering the family. You can not make the right decision, perform the right action, without putting quality time into your work and understanding which actions are correct, and more importantly, why they are correct.

It is also not simply putting time into working hard. Quality time implies putting in quality work. Otherwise, it is simply wasted time.

Johnny standing beside PedroRourke decides to speak up.

"I agree with PedroRourke, Butt_Ox. It seems with everything you are listing, the key factor of those elements would be quality time spent in effort. You can't have experience in anything without putting time into that subject. And you can't have street credit, without spending time in the streets. Otherwise, anyone fresh off the boat would come in here make one speech and be top of the food chain. You don't know if someone just happened to hit the nail on the head on one subject, but may be a complete idiot on any other topic. As for me, it requires someone to repeatedly do well in the streets before I start to recognize their street presence.

Maybe we heard you wrong, and I'm not saying what you said was wrong by any means, but it does sound like your ideals do actually tie in with the Godmothers."

I kinda agree with Pedro.  Only kinda because you cannot fully commit to agreeing with a Rourke.  It's just not right.

But "Quality Time" is really an all encompassing concept.  You can list a hundred things you need to be a great leader, and I think  you can fit them into the definition of quality time. 

You need to have a great gun!

Yeah, you probably do.  And it takes time to develop, to train, and to consistently have  a great gun.  Quality time.

You need to have a presence in the streets.

Well, this is one of my favorites, because I whole-heartedly believe you have to have a street presence to be a great leader.  And what does it take?  A lot of time to develop your voice, to know when to speak, to know how to speak, and to speak with the appropriate respect.  Quality time.

And so on and so forth.  Every concept you could possibly think of falls within the category of quality time.  So, Marietta is right. 

Disclaimer:  Even if she wasn't right, it would probably be a good idea to come out here and say she's right.  After all, she is the Godmother.  :) 

"i am thinking that perhaps sir pedro. has missed the point of the ox. the ox does not deny that his requirements require quality time. instead he is saying that such quality time is not what makes a great leader. but is what is required just to be considered a leader in the first place. so we should not look at the leaders we have at the moment and think. mr so and so puts in quality time. he is a great leader. but instead we should think. mr so and so puts in quality time. we accept his position as a leader. and thus. mr not so and so is not putting in the quality time. he should not have been made a leader in the first place."

Starshine, being a newer crew captain herself found the Godmother's speech informative, but also heartfelt.  She knew it was one of those lessons that she would need to keep, not throw away as so many might.  

Godmother, thank you for the advice.  My addition would be that, as a young gangster, I came into this world without any connections.  As I've said before I would not be the person I am today if it weren't for some of those high ranked players who treated me with respect, as though I were an equal.  I truly appreciated those who took me in, taught me, corrected me, and befriended me.

The Shrike steps out from a dark alleyway and listens carefully before expressing his own opinion.

Being a "mute" does not mean you cannot be a crew leader by any means and just because you run around with a colourful suit while yelling look at me, does not make you a crew leader either. You need an equal balance of things, the loudest voice isn't necessarily the right one but the silent are not right either. But of course there is always an exception to these things, There are always those who are behind the scenes playing the part of the puppet master, and on the other end of the scale there are the informative ones, the voices of our society.

The way I see it, you cannot list qualities that people must have to be successful.

We all have different ingredients that cause us to be successful or die trying, sure there are some basic things that are essential (mostly common sense) but you can always add your own twist or flavour to it.

And with this event that occurred a few days ago, I think we should all remember this lesson.

"Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own".

STITCH stands under a burnt our street lamp on the corner smoking his cigar as our great God Mother delivers his speech, he can't help but to shake his head and whisper to himself, "I can't wait till I am given a chance to prove my leadership skills, as I have to often in the old country.  I'd whip that crew into shape!"

Throws out his cigar and disappears down the block to meet his buyer.

*HER*

I beg your pardon ma'am

Indeed, Sledgie. Perhaps a few should pay closer attention to my words.

The criticisms of my comments suggest that I am saying that spending quality time is not important. That suggestion is just...well...fucking retarded.

I should not need to repeat myself, but I will because some here seem to be slow. Spending quality time is not what makes a great leader, it is something that is required of ALL leaders just to be a leader. To be a great leader, you must do more.

And I hate you all.

Apart from me, obviously.

"Such...pretty words."

Effort should not be confused with genuine power of wit. Your voice symbolizes your presence here, not necessarily the amount of time spent voicing it. 

I could walk past hundred's of speeches in the streets only to stop at Godmother Marietta's, Premier's, or Don Butt_Ox's voice and listen intently. Comparing oneself to these people or criticizing their voice would be ridiculous for they transcend all boundries of leadership in their own unique, creative, (or ironfist) ways. I'm not afraid of relying on other people's opinion's when I speak, and I'm certain it's a quality these people possess. They stand by their convictions so leadership shines their name in bold anyways.

They don't look up mute in a dictionary or cower in terror at the idea of wondering if they said the wrong thing or not.  However, their natural leadership abilities govern their expressiveness and charm, a trait which many people just do not have. 

It is the voice that separates you from being a hard earner to leadership. It is also the voice that reflects if you're around to be just a street entertainer or an actual person with eloquent substance.

Thank you Godmother Marietta.

As far as success goes, if I'm doing my best, I'm too busy to be worrying about failure.

Walks off with her hands in her pockets. 

There's also the argument, developing what's been said above, that a true leader is someone who is memorable.  Someone who is talked about for five generations after they are gone - someone whose name rings loud and true through the streets where they made their impact.

I'd even say that controversial actions - starting a war, turning on an associate to gain dominance, ruling a city with an iron fist and so on - can mark 'great' leaders out, where the term 'great' is stretched a bit.  Some will undoubtedly say that this is conflating greatness and infamy, but the argument I'm making is that the latter is sometimes, if not often, a key ingredient of the former.

So yes, hard work and quality time and undoubtedly necessary, yes a commanding street presence, yes a good gun.  But most importantly, the confidence, presence of mind, 'bold'ness to take action when action needs to be taken, or to shake this thing of ours up when it needs to be shaken.  Those who challenge the status quo are often unpopular - dubbed renegades, troublemakers, warmongers - yet they provide the vitality of our lives, and that which keeps us and our children coming back for more.