[EDITORIAL] Why Are So Many Armies Shutting Down?

KLONDIKE, CP Army Media Headquarters, Editorial Office –  After a surplus of recent shutdowns, many may be curious about the real reasons for their taking place. Is it because of the end of COVID restrictions in many places? Is it the result of untrustworthy staff? Or is it because of poor leadership?

Please note: The following post is an editorial and contains the writer’s personal opinion. It does not represent the views of CPAM as a whole.

At the beginning of March, a global pandemic swept the nation, affecting many. With the majority of people stuck at home, it allowed many to dedicate more time to this community. Within the past few months, the CPA community witnessed a huge surge in size. With an increase in army sizes, as well as the number of armies, there have been tons of fun events and many of us found a new friend or two. Unfortunately with the many great people that have joined the community, there have also been a couple bad apples.

Within the past few weeks, we have seen numerous armies shut down. Chaos shut down on the 31st of May and released a heartfelt ‘final post‘ that touched many. Only days later, on the 3rd of June, Redemption Force also shut down. RF’s leader indicated that this isn’t the last we’d see of the Redemption Force, whereas Chaos stated that this is the last run.

Shortly after the Redemption Force shut down, the Animal Kingdom shut down on the 7th of June. Even though AK had a shorter run than other armies, it is apparent from their final post that it was an amazing experience for both the leader and the army as a whole. One day later, the Dark Bandits announced that they were also shutting down. DB also had a short run and closed after a string of retirements from the HCOM team. DB leader Carlos stated the reason for the shutdown was because he was ‘burnt out.’

Many questions can follow DB’s shutdown: What caused it? Why didn’t Carlos retire and move all leadership responsibilities to the other DB leader, Zamb? Did Carlos not trust the staff to take over? It was odd that many high ranking members also decided to leave right before the shutdown. In addition, moments after the closure of DB, a new army was established by former DB staff. It definitely could not have been setup within minutes of the closure and was obviously something that was planned and worked on for some time. This indicates that the army, specifically the staff, were in a state of unrest and dissatisfaction in DB. This could possibly be the result of poor leadership from Carlos and Zamb which caused many HCOM members to have no choice but to move to other armies with the experience they have now gained. As a former DB 2ic, I can confirm that the state of unrest in the army was due to poor communication. Staff members were not informed about many decisions and were left in the dark which caused us to quickly feel unhappy within the army. Furthermore, if the leaders weren’t online 30 minutes before the event, a lot of the staff would worry and stress about what they were going to do without the leaders. Hypothetically, with a strong staff team, the rest of HCOM should be able to run an event smoothly without the leaders present. 

When AK shutdown, their leader stated that this shutdown occurred due to two members of her HCOM team having left without prior warning. This is a weak reason to shut down an army and it seemed that Leila simply gave up when she could’ve easily fixed her issue by promoting members already in the army, or hiring some new people. Could the retirement of these two AK HCOM members also have been a result of poor leadership? We are certainly achieving a pattern here. Leila seemed to be a strong leader but the lack of growth and stability was apparent. Her lack of experience could possibly be the reason that the army reached such a stalemate. She has since moved to become a part of the Doritos of CP’s HCOM team. Will this move help her gain some experience that she can later use to reopen the army?

These shutdowns are important to look at when leading an up and coming army. They help leaders know what to do and what not to do. Having a system that works and that keeps the staff satisfied is important in maintaining the stability of the army. In addition, hiring new staff should also be done in a way that will not jeopardize the army’s security as many newcomers might be untrustworthy. We’ve seen it many times in the past where people are hired due to their experience but they end up defacing or harming the army in general. Untrustworthy staff may also cause many leaders to not share their decision with the staff therefore ruining the army’s stability. No army can be perfect and unrest will always be there; however, having a system that works to a certain degree makes it a lot easier to keep the army going for a long period of time.

I think at the end of this post we have reached an answer to the questions asked at the beginning. I don’t think that the lifting of COVID restrictions in many places is the reason as to why we’ve seen these shutdowns. The summer is still starting and people will continue to have free time until September. That’s when we’ll face the real drop in activity. I think untrustworthy staff alongside poor leading has been the formula that caused this surplus in shutdowns that we’ve witnessed.

Many armies have a great staff team but some may need a crash course on what they have to do to help the army become successful. From quarantine ending to resentment between staff members, many leaders may need to take a  look at their army and make sure that everyone is there for the right reasons. CP Armies is meant to be enjoyable for the entire community, not to control or put down others. Recent shutdowns may be a wake up call for us all. Step back and take a look at your actions and ask yourself this: Am I here for the right reasons?

What do YOU think about the wellness of current armies? Is it poor leadership that caused some of these shutdowns? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Sarahah

CP Army Media Reporter

Robot

CP Army Media Associate Producer