"Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise"
- Michael Jordan
Leadership Basics
Table of Content
Leadership:
definition
Despite common misconceptions, especially of self-proclaimed leaders, leadership does not come from authority or power an individual may have.
Nah, man. A leader is a person that others want to follow.
It is an individual who knows the goal of the team and knows what steps are necessary to achieve that goal.
The real leader does not tell team members what they need to do. Instead, a skilled leader uses inspiration and communication to help players become who they need to become to achieve their full potential and goals.
Sounds hard? Well, it ain’t easy, and not all of us are natural-born leaders.
The good news is that everyone can work to develop the right mindset and skills necessary for effective leadership in Rainbow Six Siege.
Leadership IN
R6 Siege
In-Game Leader
AKA “IGL.”, an IGL is one of the players on the team who calls shots during the match.
Such a person decides on tactics and tends to give signals for the execution of specific actions in the plan (i.e. timing of defuser plant).
On top of that, IGL is a person who should make changes to a strategy depending on how the round unfolds.
Between the rounds, IGL can make necessary adjustments with team members.
The name of the role (IGL) implies the function of the leader within the match. However, such a role can also extend to the coaching function, outside of matches, as well.
Professional E-sports teams always have an IGL, but even a group of friends playing in Bronze ranks can decide to have such a role in the squad.
Therefore, the IGL role can be established on basically any level of R6 Siege.
TEAM COACH
Coach plays a significant role in the leadership of the group. The impact of this role is, however, mainly outside of the match.
Most of the time, the coach will not be an active player on the team due to two excellent reasons.
First, it is a very time and effort consuming role as part of the job is to study the game and design tactics for the team.
Second, managing individual characters and chemistry of the team is more effective when a leader is not a peer emotionally impacted by the events of the match.
By not actively participating in the match, a coach can have a fresh, more objectively, and critical view on the team’s performance.
Additionally, a trainer should help every team member with spotting their weaknesses and supporting the team in overcoming them.
In R6 Siege, coaches are usually present on Professional E-sports teams. It is not typical for an amateur squad to have a coach.
Leadership:
Keys & Responsibilities
- Building confidence and trust.
- Effective communication that will:
- Enable teammates to understand the team’s overall strategy.
- Help team members recognize how their performance and tasks contribute to the team’s objective.
- Support constructive feedback on how the team and an individual are performing.
- Gaining an understanding of the team on both total and individual levels.
- Creating a growth environment that allows continuous improvement.
- Source of constructive and clear communication.
- Encouraging team members to work together for a mutual goal.
- Deciding on the tactic.
- Recognition of bad habits.
- Setting an example.
- Making corrections down the road.
Leadership:
principles
PRINCIPLES OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER:
SELF-KNOWLEDGE
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
DECISIVENESS
ASSERTIVENESS
People follow leaders who can express themselves in a direct, appropriate, and honest way.
You have to consider people’s opinions and desires, but do not forget about your own!
Being considerate does not mean that you always have to be nice to everybody. Adapt to the situation and the people you interact with.
Do not let others push you around!
RESPONSIBILITY
Do you want to be respected? Nothing brings as much trust and shows the strength of a person’s character as the courage to own up whatever comes their way.
Taking responsibility for problems and issues is not a natural instinct for most of us, but we can all develop such skills.
As great motivational speaker Jim Rohn said:
“The day you take full responsibility for your life is the day you become an adult.”
So next time things don’t go your way, don’t try to blame it on enemies, your teammates, Ubisoft or misaligned stars.
Admit the mistake to yourself, learn from it and move on.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
FAIRNESS
LISTEN
Toxic leader
alerts
This list is an attempt to help you spot a person who is not fit for the role of a leader of the team.
Signals may be subtle and hard to spot, but try to pay attention to recurring situations. It may save you a lot of issues, wasting time and unnecessary drama going forward.
POWER & FAME HUNGER
INABILITY TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS
ME, MYSELF AND I
Also, such a person will belittle the successes and the importance of other team members, just to feel good.
EXTERNALLY SOURCED CONFIDENCE
TRUST YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Your initial feelings about people are usually correct. If you feel that someone is an asshole or narcissist, then the odds are that you are right.
As social animals, we have well developed primal instincts that allow us to read other people well. The problem is, however, that we tend to suppress those emotions and instead trust people’s acting skills.
This happens primarily due to two reasons.
Of course, we have to consider the limitations of the form of contact with other people. Your interactions with other people in R6 Siege will be primarily online. You won’t be able to see a person’s nonverbal language (besides the tone of their voice).
Lastly, bear in mind cultural differences. Unless you choose to play with people who come from the same culture or country as yours, then some differences in acceptable behavior and communication style are to be expected.
Continue your journey to
R6 Siege Leadership
Develop the right mindset, and speak with your teammates as a true R6 Siege Leader.
