The Art of Warfare Blogs: TAW Blogs

In this issue, we put Hook under the scope to talk briefly about the election and his future plans in TAW. Over the past two years, Hook has taken us to a new level as the CIC of TAW. With his emphasis on community first and servant leadership, he has provided a platform for future leadership and cemented a foundation for TAW to build upon. Read More about Hook in our interview below.

1. For the readers, can you please state your name, rank and current position within TAW.
GEN5_Hook Commander in Chief of TAW

2. Do you remember who did your bootcamp? What was it like?
Fox, who was then leading Vanguard and the spin up of Quake Wars. Fox had to help me via xfire set up TS, once in we had a pleasant give and take on the importance of our Code of Ethics, TS protocols and member accountability. By the end of the bootcamp I had a feeling that TAW was going to be a great gaming experience that would offer more than just the game to hold my attention.

3. Why did you join TAW? What made you decide that TAW was where you wanted to be?
Due to a new scheduling at work I found myself with 3-4 days off a week and was looking for something that would keep me occupied on my days off. So I decided to build a gaming computer in preparation of a great looking game Crysis. Before the release of Crysis I stumbled across a demo for Quake Wars so I loaded it up and quickly became frustrated at my inadequate gaming skills. I knew I needed to find a group that would accept a noob like me where I could learn from more experienced gamers. During my search I came across The Art of Warfare and was interested in everything they projected about maturity, fair play, accountability and leadership.

I knew I was in the right place and would be around for sometime at my very first practice. It was structured, organized and focused on team work, not just game play. That first meeting is in the back of my mind to this day at the beginning of every meeting I attend or lead, it is the standard that I hold all events up to.

4. As the CIC do you own all the games that TAW represents? Which games can they find you playing nowadays?
No, I don’t own all the games we play in TAW but have at some point played most. Currently as the spin up leader of Star Wars The Old Republic you’ll most likely find me playing that game. I also enjoy and still occasionally play BF3. Games in TAW I have played are Quake Wars, ArmA II, Combat Arms, Age of Conan, League of Legends,  World of Tanks and Team Fortress 2.


5. What do you do outside of TAW?
Outside of TAW I manage operations of a trucking fleet. In my spare time if not working here in TAW I am either out bass fishing, shooting my bow or playing my trombone.


6. Has your experience with TAW or as the CIC helped you accomplish anything in the real world?
I have been in leadership all but about a week or two of my time in TAW. My experience in TAW has to a large extent been an extension of what I do in the real world. I have learned a tremendous amount of leadership and relationship lessons over the past 4 years that have enriched my life outside of TAW as well as enhanced my ability to be an effective CIC.

7. What are your plans after you complete your term as the CIC of TAW?
Once the new CIC has been placed I will spend several weeks serving as an advisor so that there is continuity during the hand off of the role. I will also continue leading the spin up of the SW team until completion. Beyond SW becoming a division my future is still uncertain but I’m looking forward to continue watching our community grow in both size and quality.

8. Did you meet all of your goals as the CIC? Is there anything unfinished that you wish you had more time to work on?
The TAW leadership team has far exceeded my goals over the last two years. We have come a long way to build a solid leadership core and a coherent community culture. I stated in one of the interviews during the CIC election process the true mark of leadership is the ability to build leaders that will eventually replace and out do you. I am confident that time will prove we have done our job and the next CIC will elevate TAW to the next level.


9. What can you tell us about the election happening this month?
We are in for an interesting election process this month. We have a group of solid leaders that our members will be given the chance to get to know better. I am looking forward to getting to know them better myself!

We have the most unique process for transferring leadership in the gaming world. Most here today and gone tomorrow clans, guilds and groups fail because of the constant struggle for power they experience. TAW isn’t structured to give power or privilege to members but rather emphasizes servant leadership. Each member that wears a tag or rank in TAW does so to symbolize that persons place in the community and where they serve. 


10. Is there anything  else you would like to add that you want our readers or (future CICs/Leaders) to know about?
As long as TAW continues to focus on providing structured and organized gaming to its members and sticks to the principles of servant leadership and community first it will survive all storms and overcome any challenge that may come. TAW has a special place in my heart and always will! Hook will be gaming here for years to come.

Hook will be awarded the In-The-Scope Member tab for his participation in this article.