Army of Club Penguin

BLIZZARD, Shamrock Bulletin Headquarters – As the current leader of the ACP, I have been reflecting on my leadership and seeking ways to improve. In this post, I reached out to past leaders of the army to get their opinions and insights regarding my leadership and how I can become a better leader. It is always important to seek advice and learn from those who have come before us, which is why I am excited to share the thoughts of these experienced leaders with YOU!

During our interviews, I also asked them about their personal experiences leading ACP. I was curious to know if there was anything they would have done differently and why. Additionally, I wanted to understand the factors they believe are crucial to having a successful leadership. Their responses were invaluable and provided me with a wealth of knowledge that I hope will benefit not only me but also future leaders of the ACP.

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from these past leaders and for their willingness to share their thoughts and experiences with me. I hope that this article will inspire other leaders to seek advice and guidance from those who have come before them, and ultimately lead to a stronger and more successful army as we grow and learn. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and see what these esteemed leaders have to say!

What advice if any would you give me as the current ACP leader on what I could improve upon or do differently?

Bam117, 36th & 40th Commander in Chief: Well as far as I understand ACP is doing relatively well currently so I would keep the status quo and focus on improvement in the form of recruiting or troop retainment. But also I’m not sure how far back your going with leaders but Discord CPA stuff is definitely a lot different than what many of them have experienced so some of the advise they give may be a bit dated lol.

Bobcatboy10, 18th Commander in Chief: I have to admit that I have not been up to date on the status of ACP. I check periodically, but I wouldn’t know specifics on areas to improve. Instead, my advice I offer is to always have a sense of servitude in your leadership. Being able to lead with the pack instead above the pack is beneficial to the entire army!

Cubster, 46th Commander in Chief: Improve troop retention and build a loyal community. That was what we weren’t able to do well.

FatChicken88, 47th Commander in Chief: I’ll be honest ur doing great idk 😭. Like full honesty right there I can’t answer the question.

Kingfunks4, 22nd & 24th Commander in Chief: That’s a very good question! Hard to answer when my involvement in the army is limited – but I would say that ACP could potentially improve on their recruitment programme to ensure a consistent supply of new troops (always a goal for most armies!!) and also on stronger wider community involvement.

Koloway, 44th Commander in Chief: Strive to be the best possible version of you that you can be. You’ll find that your greatest successes come from situations that you have optimized. Don’t be okay with being okay. Be upset that you aren’t #1. Create goals for yourself, smash that goal, and move on to the next one. As you cross these goals that you set for yourself, you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and achievement. The view at the top is gorgeous, try your best to get there.

Max, 46th Commander in Chief: That’s certainly a difficult question to answer as I’m not as clued up on everything that’s been happening in ACP. But from what I can see when I do pay a visit to the Discord, I think you’re doing a fantastic job in both keeping ACP performing well in events and battles, as well as creating an exciting & positive community within the Discord itself. One thing I have noticed is that each event has a lot of thought and planning going into it, so they feel distinctly special in their own right. That was something I tried to do while I was in ACP, so I really respect and appreciate that. As for advice, be brave with your innovation and creativity – ACP has always been a leader of the community (Top Tens, tournament and event hosting, ACPTR, Shamrock Bulletin), so it would be great to see you make your mark with something you are passionate about.

Mchappy, 19th, 21st, & 27th Commander in Chief: I think it’s important to begin by saying everyone has their own ways on how to lead. There is not one single right way to go about it, and that’s the beauty of being able to look back at our legacy and see all the different sort of things our Commander in Chiefs have accomplished.

Slider568, 21st Commander in Chief: I’ll admit that I’m not present enough to know what you need to exactly hit on to improve. However, I will say that the best thing I find to be successful is to have a great team to support you and each other and motivate your community by making it as fun to be here as possible. You know as well as I do it’s all a game, so have fun doing it and help make sure it’s an enjoyable thing to be a part of.

Based on your time as Leader in ACP is there anything you would’ve done differently and why?

Bam117, 36th & 40th Commander in Chief: I would have fired everyone I wanted to, much of my staff that wasnt directly recruited or trained by me caused nothing but problems and really disappointed even after I left (most likely because I was an outsider). I suppose leaving my first time as leader was a mistake as the leaders after me were overwhelmed and underprepared. Actually now that I brought that up proper training of replacements would help. I think that was a recent problem the last few leaders or so experienced.

Bobcatboy10, 18th Commander in Chief: I really enjoyed my time as Leader in ACP! The one thing I would like to have happened during my leadership is probably having a better PC at the time (lol). Towards the end of my leadership, I stepped down as leader due to computer failure and identifying that promoting Mch (who was an incredible 2nd in Command at the time) to leader would benefit the entire army.

Cubster, 46th Commander in Chief: Cant really think of any but maybe recruit better because we weren’t maxing much as RPF and they were on CPR too.

FatChicken88, 47th Commander in Chief: I feel like a major issue during my time as leader was recruiting. As the community at the time was dry and nobody wanted anything to do with armies anymore, the best way to get attendance was by recruiting new members. While we did recruit, I feel like putting greater focus on that point would have been better, since we only really had like maybe 2 new people joining on a good day and that was, in short, terrible.

Kingfunks4, 22nd & 24th Commander in Chief: There is so much I would have done differently if I was to do my time as ACP leader again. It was very early on in my time in CP armies and I was still very young – I would have ensured that I was stronger with my persona so people both within the army and outside the army knew that I was not to be underestimated. I also would have spent more time focusing on trying to build up our USA division (as I was UK) and building up a team capable of leading this. Ultimately, I probably would have done everything differently as I now have much greater experience and understanding of what is required as a leader – people have to trust you fully.

Koloway, 44th Commander in Chief: I would have led for a little longer! I didn’t leave on the best possible terms, but the world for me at the time was much different than it would become. Always be looking to share the knowledge of your position with others around you. I could have saved ACP a few stressful weeks if I had looked out for those around me a little better.

Max, 46th Commander in Chief: I think most army leaders will look back with the advantage of hindsight and pick out flaws in their tenure, but when you’re in the moment you can only do your best. And my best is what I gave to ACP – so I try not to have many regrets! Having said that, perhaps I could have been a little less intense as I took the role really seriously and used to love the “administrative” aspects of this game… when perhaps I could have relaxed a little and embraced the fun & trivial sides.

Mchappy, 19th, 21st, & 27th Commander in Chief: For me, I always tried to lead more socially. I wanted to create an environment that not only the members themselves enjoyed but that the community would look to as a fun place to be around. Even though I was sometimes a little too quick on the war hammer, I think that I tried my best to lead as an example for- not just the army itself- the community. I had to remind myself many times, especially when I was being hard on myself, that “Rome was not built in a day.” The Army of Club Penguin has one of the longest, and proudest, legacies in the community. Leading it felt like a huge pressure but the pay off was worth it.

Slider568, 21st Commander in Chief: I didn’t spend that much time as a leader. I spent a long time in leadership though. I also don’t recall a ton. It was a long time ago. If I could do one thing differently probably I would’ve taken things much less seriously (my 13 year old ego needed to calm down) lol.

What factors do you think are crucial to having a successful leadership?

Bam117, 36th & 40th Commander in Chief: Size Average and Division quality as it’s essential to winning any war. ACP’s Ausia alone (thanks to people like Sidie, CSY or Flipmoo) has saved ACP’s ass a million times over. You don’t need to be the biggest, just the most consistent. Ausia wins wars and gets 1st place on the TT (as long as the number 1 isnt maxing insane amounts). If you can attend multiple division events, you should as it will help you get along better with staff you dont normally talk to and show support.

Bobcatboy10, 18th Commander in Chief: I believe there are many factors at play within a successful leadership. Some we have control over, and some that we do not. Overall, I believe having a strong leadership team with you (advisors, 2ics, 3ics, etc) really helps an ACP leader. This is a team that you can lean on in the hard times and people that you can trust. Another factor to me would be the ability to act selflessly. A leader should always put the army first.

Cubster, 46th Commander in Chief: Communication is key and motivation ofc.

FatChicken88, 47th Commander in Chief: Ability to properly divide and allocate the limited resources.

Kingfunks4, 22nd & 24th Commander in Chief: The main factor is probably having a capable team around you that you can work with, both for advice and also so you can give out roles to them to ensure that everything is done as you can not successfully do everything on your own. People also need to like and trust you, as this makes them more likely to help you and to back you as a leader, the trust needs to be built up around you. With that, trust only comes if you give off a persona that you are a confident and capable leader – people need to aspire to be like you as a leader.

Koloway, 44th Commander in Chief: Drive and knowledge. If you are not hungry, you will stagnate. If you do not have the proper knowledge, you will move backwards. I consider a successful leadership to be one in which both the community aspects and the competitive aspects are working in perfect synergy. Without the community, we cannot be competitive. Without competition, we are just a community. When troops feel like they have won, they are likely to stick around and win more. I have always found that CPA works best when it is a comparable experience to a “team sport,” giving troops a sense of belonging and a sense of accomplishment. Let the feeling of a great win flow from the top of the ranks to the bottom. However, on days that you aren’t competing, you’ll want them to have a reason to be there. Create an environment that fosters friendship and teamwork– you’ll learn a lot that you can carry with you in life.

Max, 46th Commander in Chief: Having spent time on both sides of the fence, as a second-in-command to fantastic leaders and as a leader myself – both in ACP and of community organisations, I feel confident in my answer for this. To me, the best leader is a reluctant leader – someone who takes up the position not for self gain and ego, but to actually make a positive difference by leading the people they work for. They understand that while they are in a position of power, they only have that power because of the people that they serve – the soldiers of the army or members of the community.

Mchappy, 19th, 21st, & 27th Commander in Chief: Armies are led VERY differently compared to when I was leading. There is more rule dodging, playing into penguin politics and hierarchies, more so than ever before. If I were to give advice to a new gen leader I would say that you need to focus on the why. Why did you want to become a leader? If your answer doesn’t include fun then I think it’s time to re-evaluate. Lead with a fun mindset, lead with love, and I think you’ll find the best results. Club Penguin was designed to be a small chatroom where young teens could waddle around and make new friends. Never forget that is where we come from, that is our foundation. Create a community that is uplifting for people, and damnit, do something innovative.

Slider568, 21st Commander in Chief: The most crucial aspects of having a successful leadership (anywhere in life) is having a great team of trustworthy individuals, the ability to be open to criticism, and a willingness to always look towards aspects of improvement no matter your experience or tenure. No matter what you’re trying to accomplish always swing the bat. If you hit a home run great, if you don’t thats okay, it happens, and its something that you can coach to. Also remember, you may be a leader, but the delegation of responsibility is very important. Let your teammates have a piece of the pie that they manage so they too have purpose.

In conclusion, the insights provided by the past leaders of ACP were incredibly valuable and thought-provoking. Their advice and opinions gave me a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a successful leader in ACP, and their personal experiences as leaders shed light on the challenges and triumphs that come with the position. I am grateful for their contributions to this post and for their continued dedication to our great army!

As the current leader of Army of Club Penguin, it is essential to seek out advice and guidance from those who have come before us. By learning from their experiences and applying their wisdom, we can continue to grow and strengthen the army. I hope this post inspires all of us to strive for excellence in our leadership and to work together to ensure the success of the ACP for years to come.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Shamrock Bulletin! Make sure to check the #the-shamrock-bulletin channel in our Discord server for our upcoming columns & articles!

What do YOU think? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Calgocubs21

ACP 49th Commander in Chief & DRACP President

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