The Tank's Pledge (a damned fool's idealistic notion)

[Jpec07]

Just because you pull the targets does not mean you are a leader. {...} It's the playerbase that decided in FFXIV that tanks do the pulling. At any rate, it's fallacious to say that leading a charge makes you a leader. {...} Tanks control the PACE of the group, but to say they lead everything is a biased view.

What I'm saying is that because of that mechanical control of pace, tanks are the mechanical leaders of the group. While others may step up and take a more controlling leadership role (because every group has a leader--that's just how groups work), the fact is that tanks (usually) literally lead their groups. They go first. They usually determine where the group goes, and how fast. That is mechanical leadership.

What I'm trying to accomplish with this (and you'll see this if you read the pledge) is to get tanks off their high horses. Yes, they are literal, mechanical leaders. But that doesn't give them an excuse to be complete, self-absorbed a-holes. A good leader serves their group, supports them as best as they can, exercises good, positive communication, and listens to and incorporates feedback. Many tanks don't do this, and so they are bad leaders. I'm trying to change that.

War generals leading their armies did not ever lead charges, they were in the back. Generals and Commanders do not rush headlong into the frontlines.

Good thing we're not generals, then. And good thing we aren't leading armies. If anything, the better analogy would be a strike team or small task force, both of which have commanders that control the group's movement and behavior, and in some cases literally lead the charge.