7s Spotlight: KSI xIrish 7

The News Team and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of the WD Co-founders, KSI xIrish 7. Irish has had his hands in leading WD to better light and is always there for his members. With him still being busy, he was able to sit down and share some of his knowledge with the news team!

What is the best part of your rank? And why?
Being able to help in multiple places at once, I’m happy where I am because I can help the most here than anywhere else. Ia??m standing over 2 squads, being one of two co-founders I’m always helping people out members or 7s. I like teaching and helping out, and being able to teach future leaders is a lot of fun and is something I like doing.

What experiences have you had while rising through the ranks? Any favorites?
In terms of experience, the biggest one that comes to mind is in August when Kami, Tiger, and Rogue left WD. During that time I was just a Staff Seargent. At the same time, I had my gen, 2 Captains, and a lieutenant in my squad, all leave me which had me confused for 2 days running the squad. At the time the only 7 left now was KSI Inked 7 and who helped me. I met KSI DaKeech who helped me calm down after and eventually became the General of Napalm, he also took a great deal of stress off my shoulders.

Would you do anything differently?
Yes and no. There would be some stuff Ia??d do differently, I wish Ia??d waited a little more to become a staff sergeant to grow more after what had happened. At the same time if I did wait, I wouldna??t be where I am today, or the 7 I am today.

Who was your role model as a “younger” officer (i.e. SSGT, LT, CPT)? And who is your role model now?
When I became a Staff Sergeant, Harley helped me out a lot. She was there any time I needed her, even now. Tex has also been a big role model to me after getting to know her. Shea??s taught me what it is to be understanding and patient with members, shea??s simply helped me find my “why”. Harley and Tex both helped me found my “why”, Tex is just someone I can always go to for an issue. Without her, I woulda??ve been able to learn what I know today.

What is yours why?
Why Ia??m in KSI would be the pandemic. It had just hit and my country got shut down, so I lost touch with some friends. Knowing that I wanted to socialize more and find more friends is why I’m here. Why Ia??m a 7 is to help teach other members what KSI is about and to help them. Not just in KSI, but anything personal. Having that person there for you can make something easier, even just to rant or yell after something happened. Being a 7 allows me to help change, and help members see the better side of KSI.

What advice do you have for future leaders? Any tips or tricks?
Get to know your members, no matter what rank you are. Get to know them in any form, friendly or just as a 7. In the end, they decide if you stay, or not become an officer. Also getting to know them means therea??s less work in the long run. When you know your members and you have fun with them, they will join in and get to know you as someone to have fun with, theya??ll have more fun in the community.

How do you train & mentor the leaders beneath you to help them grow?
Ia??m not sure. Therea??s no right or wrong way to train someone, for me it would be to make sure they understand exactly what Ia??m telling them. Explain it as if I was explaining it to myself, or explaining it to my grandmother. By explaining it in the simplest form possible, they will understand it better. When Ia??m training them I would answer the question I had when I moved up the rank. Because if I had them, they probably would have to.

Favorite KSI memory?
Therea??s a lot of them. Probably becoming General is my favorite. It wasna??t just me who got promoted that day, but it was a very proud moment for me. It showed me that I could do it, and everyone congratulating me just made it a big moment for me. At the time that was my end goal, I thought that was the highest Ia??d get and make it last the longest I can. Getting to that point was a big achievement, and Ita??s something I would always hold onto.

Have you ever had a moment where you doubted yourself?
Yes, It woulda??ve been the first time I demoted one of my officers. That was a big downside to being a General, ita??s something I’d never want to do, and ita??s something hard in the first place. It made me feel like I failed the officer and what they coulda??ve been. That was a big thing because I had a lot of faith and trust in him, I felt like he could do better. It made me feel as though I have failed.