Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I really just wanted to address a couple of the points you made and offer my $.02:

In regards to your worries about seniority issues, In my opinion before you nominated yourself for a leadership position I think you should have a long a good talk with the person who held the job this year. Even if you feel you did most of the coding on your own this year, talk to him because there may be more to the position then you realize. He may explain to you why he is more qualified for the job or he might surprise you by telling you he wants you to run. I however do not think it is a good Idea to run without talking it out with him. He will most likely respect you more if you tell him your plans to run ahead of time. In my own personal experience, the leader should be the most qualified person for a job, and a good true leader recognizes when they are no longer the most qualified and steps down allowing someone better to rise up to take their job.

Also would you be willing to make a compromise? You mentioned that you want to take on leadership positions but it would appear that you are not comfortable teaching yet. Take it from someone who has been both the director (captain) of programming and the Vice President of a team, teaching is one of the most important and most fulfilling parts of being a leader on a team and patience is not something you can try to get by without especially in a position like programming where it often takes time for a new person to understand. Your code "hogging":ahh: most likely directly stems from your lack of patience and this is not cool in a programming leader. Perhaps you need to take another year to become more comfortable and confident in your abilities and your relationships on the team before you consider leading. You could consider "shadowing" the programming leader from this year, next year learning what it's like to hold the position, and practicing your teaching skills before people begin looking up to you, then next year when he graduates you will be ready to confidently take his place.

Again these are just suggestions, I am not trying to say that you would not be a good leader next year (because I have never met you before, and therefore honestly don't know), I am only trying to convey that there is a lot to think about before you become a leader. As I said before I was the director of programming for my team this year and sometimes that jobs means more than just writing code. I was in charge of showing new members Labview, making sure vi's were written on time(delegation is key), planning out autonomous, writing autonomous(sometimes its ok to have a piece of code thats mostly yours), setting up the classmate's wireless for drive practices, fixing signal problems, dealing with complaints from builders and the drivers(once again patience is key), building projects, and making the majority of code changes at competitions. But I loved every minute of it because at that point I had been programming for almost two years and I really enjoy teaching people about programming. Next year however, I will be passing my title to an underclassman because I want her to have the opportunity to be a leader; I have watched her grow to love programming this year as much as I do, and because as a Senior and the Vice President of the team, I know that I unfortunately will not be able to devote all the time that is necessary to be the director of programming next year. This does not mean I won't program as much as I can next year, because I love programming and so i guess my parting thought is;

if you truly love writing code don't allow a title to affect how much time you spend programming :)

So you know just some things to consider:)

~Hannah

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I'd like to recommend that anyone interested in leadership on an FRC team (or in general) read Launching a Leadership Revolution by Orrin Woodward and Chris Brady. It is one of the best discussions of leadership that I have read, including prerequisites to leadership, 5 "levels" of leadership, and illustrative stories concluding each section. This is a must read for mentors, and any student who is interested in taking on a leadership position on his/her team could benefit greatly from it.
On a similar note, Tribal Leadership by Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright is a great book focused on creating a culture of excellence within organizations. The principles they discuss are immediately applicable to FRC teams. Maybe Isaac would like to go into a little more detail on this one : )

Sorry to refrain from offering a 30 second opinion on the subject; hopefully anyone hungry enough to actually read one or both of these books will find them as beneficial as I have.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

Here's a very good lieder.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I'm sorry, I made this post and forgot to submit it for several hours, so I'm sorry if this has been said by others.


A lot of those qualities are good to have, but not really necessary for leadership.

Personally I think a subteam leader in the context of FRC needs to have a basic knowledge of his subsystem, but not necessarily the most knowledge. More important than the amount of knowledge is knowledge of their amount of knowledge. A leader needs to know their limits. I would take that over confidence or technical ability any day of the week.

Motivation and organizational skills are a must as well. Confidence in your sub team, not necessarily. I would take a pragmatic leader over a confident, unless that gets in the way of motivation. The leader shouldn't be a downer and expect nothing out of their subteam, and they should definitely push and challenge them, but "confident" and "overconfident" are more similar than you think. It's far too easy to be overconfident.

Please don't call it "your OCD", it's insulting to people with actual mental disorders. Sorry, pet peeve of mine.

I wouldn't say being your first year on the team would be a problem. I hate when people give people stuff for no other reason other than "seniority". I would say hogging the programming computer and being upset when other people do anything to "your" code would make you a very bad leader. You can't lead a team if you just want to do it all yourself. That level of micromanagment is the opposite of a leadership quality.

I'm being blunt, but I figure you'd appreciate honest advice rather than softened advice for the sake of being super nice. I don't think you'd be a good programming leader... right now. Hogging the code is generally a sign of arrogance, that you think you're the only person who can do the code right. Your "OCD" about it being changed and the following from the next paragraph

is also indicative of this subconscious attitude. Note the implication that because someone else is working on it, it'll turn out wrong and need fixing up.

Task delegation isn't laziness. It will probably take more effort and work than coding a robot would have, especially because you could delegate some of it to yourself.

As for advice, I would suggest you remember your goals and work based on them. You're not working on a programming team with the goal of producing functional and effective code for an FRC robot. That is a goal, but not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to inspire people to pursue science and technology, and depending on your team, teaching, engaging, and learning should be a part of that. When given the choice between getting the code done an hour earlier, or engaging more of your programmers, the choice is obvious.

I wouldn't define "taking charge" as "hogging the computer and coding the whole robot". That's the opposite of leadership. Taking charge would be coordinating your programming team to get the entire project done.

---


I think you're starting to catch on a bit. You've seen a shortcoming of yours, that you're bad at teaching, and you're considering the compromises you need to make to effectively do your job as a leader rather than as a coder. I think the important distinction to make is that you see leadership as the person who does the most work, when that's not exactly true. "Going the extra mile" as a leader isn't taking a big project and doing it yourself; "taking charge" isn't doing 100% of the robot's code. You'll need to separate being a leader from doing the work.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

Tribal Leadership is one of the best Leadership books I have read as far as applicability to FRC and FIRST in general. I purchased several copies and have had our other mentors read it, and passed it on to people within the CD community I have a lot of respect for (there is much more to come). You can actually download the audio-book version for free by signing up through Zappos.com
http://www.zappos.com/tribal.zhtml
It in MP3 format.
Why is an online shoe distributorship offering free downloads of a leadership book? Oddly enough for many of the same reasons 341 won Chairman's this year. SERIOUSLY! the audio-book is missing the chapter on Strategy which in my opinion is one of the best views of general strategy I have ever seen.
David, many of the things you are asking about would be much clearer after reading (or listening to) this book.
************************************************** *******
There are a ton of different ways to lead, and what works for some may not work for others. Some leaders are quite vocal and charismatic. Others are quiet and more of the lead by example. What is important is to understand the different styles and find a style that works best for you, and the people you are leading. I don't think it is leadership to lead a group that you are the only one contributing. That is really just doing, not leading.

If you think of a team as a whole bunch of parts, a poor leader will have a mess. A decent leader will assemble and use this team in a manner that the sum of the parts seperate is actually more than them as a whole. This is underachieving, but nearly inevitable due to overlap of skill sets, timing, and budget constraints. A good leader's output will equal the sum of those independent parts. That means everyone is fully utilized to the sum of their abilities. A great leader is able to produce an output greater than the sum. That is because a great leader is able to get people to work beyond their ability and instead reach their potential.

SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) typically have trouble extending beyond good as they know things can be done better if they do it themselves. This takes them away from leading and developing others and often blocks the efforts of others (hey you guys sit back and watch a pro). A manager I really respect once told me, "The toughest part of being promoted to management was watching others get better at my area of technical expertise than me. Eventually, them getting better became the most rewarding part of my job."

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I see another way to divide types of leaders; strategic and tactical.

Strategic leaders are the visionaries of the team. They think in terms of years, direction, philosophy. The immediate impact of their decisions is not always visible, but in the long run, you sure are glad they guided the team in a certain direction. They are the Generals, the CEOs, the head coach.

Tactical leaders are the guys in the trenches getting the job done. They lead teams of doers to accomplish a goal. They are the ones planning out the build season, the days objectives, the competition. They buy into the vision of the strategic leaders and make it happen. They are the Captains and the Chief Master Sergeants, the senior managers, the team leaders.

Regardless of the type of leader, they all need to earn respect of those they lead. They don't need to be loved, but they do need respect in order to lead. They need to be confident in their decisions. They need to listen to many sources of input, process that information, then make the best decision they can, sometimes working on incomplete information. They need to be honest.

One of the cool things I have found mentoring an FRC team is to watch the development of students on the team as some of them grow into leadership roles. The change that occurs between freshman and senior is amazing especially when combined with the influence of a program like FIRST.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

Personally, I think age has nothing to do with being a leader. I have seen 10 year olds ready to lead, and 20 year olds who aren't. It has more to do with your maturity and experience than your age.

Just because someone is a senior does not automatically make them the best person for the job. At times, the right person could be a freshmen who has extensive experience. A good leader will step down so the right people are in the leadership positions, regardless of age.

My $.02

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

As The West Wing taught me, a good leader must believe that he/she was was put on earth by God to do their job, and to never show it.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I would like to suggest that any young people interested in leadership, should read one of the many books by or about John Wooden. (storied college basketball coach) I am not a big basketball fan, but I am a big John Wooden fan. Simple and to the point. Check it out!

Another favorite is the "7 habits of Highly Successful People". There is a lot of insight into leadership in that book as well.

Both of these suggested readings make the point that you should "cooperate" with those you are leading. Something I really believe in.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

Since many have already made excellent and relevant comments, I won't bore with an entire page's worth of what's already been said! However I would like to say just this that I actually heard in a movie: sometimes you have to have served in order to lead. Going off on this, a great leader should be elected because of their experience by those who have experience as well. Our team holds interviews for lead positions (we have to Co-CEOs each year as well as VPs for each subgroup) which are held by the previous year's Co-CEOs for the new Co-CEOs, then the new Co-CEOs (after they are selected) replace the old ones for the new VP interviews, as well as a consistent panel of the same 5-7 mentors for all interviews. This has worked for our team from the beginning, so just thought I'd throw that in there!

Thanks!

-Gen

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

We had a freshman do all of the programming this year. He did it, but was pretty well fried at the end.

The last thing you should do is "hog the code" because if two or three programmers can be effectively coordinated it will spread out the workload and keep fresh eyes looking at the code. Your "OCD" about neat programming could actually be a strength in this regard: if every programmer who works on the code works in the same general format of tabs and spacing etc they will more easily be able to read and comprehend each others code and therefore be a more effective team. Heck, even if you go through after every revision and neaten up the code to a uniform format you would probably be helping things.

If you could handle coordinating 2 other programmers, collectively developing a programming format that works for all of you, and be willing to compromise on programming styles I think you could do okay. Also remember that a good leader is humble, flexible, and usually has a non-abrasive personality.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I know this question has been answered. But I'm going to answer it from experience. I was a junior this year and it was only my second year on the team. In fact, on my first year I was the electrical sub-team captain. This year I decided to run for team-captain against a senior who has been on the team sense it's beginning 3 years ago. His last year is next year and he thought for sure his last two years he would be able to be team-captain. I actually happened to win the voting and was team captain this year. I know for a fact that he never respected me the entire year. He was hurt by the fact that it was only my second year on the team and he felt him being older, and more experienced that it was his right to be captain.

You asked what they would fill, it's possible that is what they will fill. Or they accept you won it for the right reasons, and take it in stride.

------------------------------

Now I would like to do something here.

This thread seems to have been started to tell what a good leader is. But it also seems like it is only talking about what a good programming leader is. I would like to submit the following questions.

What is a great leader?

How do you become a great leader? Is it a gift, or something that can be learned?

I ask these because this being my first year as the team leader I was still learning how to lead well. I was able enough to get all the students(save one) to like me and follow me as their leader. The problem was most of the mentors. The engineering mentors (including our Boeing mentor) along with the head mentor, did not like me. They all said I was too strong willed and never listened to them. (Which was followed by the words "You aren't allowed on this team next year", looks like the senior will have his chance after all. ;) ) I wont deny that, but that was mainly when they said stuff like "Riveting is a lot stronger than welding", "It's impossible to weld aluminum" and "80/20 is a lot lighter that extruded aluminum." On the last one they failed to account for the weight of the brackets and only went by pounds per foot.

Anyway, my biggest point is this. How does a high school student become a great leader? Is this even possible? Should their be restrictions on who can lead and who can't? I would love to hear everyone's opinions on this.

Requesting your $0.02
-Rion

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

A good leader must first be an excellent follower.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

Great questions....and if every aspect of a good leader could be defined, or learned, then there would be many more great leaders. Some parts are instinctive, some can be learned and no two great leaders have exactly the same qualities.

That being said there are a few traits that are very common and if you imagine what you look for in a leader, as a follower, then here are a few:

Listening: I want to follow someone who listens to me.
Empathy: I want to follow someone who understands my viewpoint.
Dependability, Integrity, etc.: I want to follow someone who is dependable and I trust and respect.
Communication: A very big one and the above three traits are part of it. In your example, as a follower, if I believe riveting is stronger than welding and tell you so then I want you to listen, understand why I think so and then communicate to me why you think it may not be true in such a fashion that I trust your response.
Be Fair: Not equal, but fair
Enjoy Every Minute: When my "leader" is not upbeat, I am not upbeat.

And probably the most difficult one for many leaders is to let your sub-leaders do things you don't agree with. Question, inspect, advise but let your leaders lead. Real leaders know when not to turn wrenches or write code. A leaders job is to motivate, have a plan, a strategy and keep the group headed in a direction that everyone knows.

Some of these come natural, some are learned and there are many more. But the biggest thing you can do as a leader (and one that very few leaders do) is to GET FEEDBACK. I mean true, honest, good and bad, feedback. It has to be anonymous from most people to be truly honest and you must devise your own methods but if you get that information, and act on it properly, you will learn why you aren't a good leader and become one if you have the ability. So many "leaders" are ineffective, or not as effective as they could be, and have no idea why.

Re: What Makes A Good Leader?
 

I feel that one of the most important skills for a leader to have is the ability to keep everyone working well together. This year we ran in to issues with simple things like sensor mounts. No one told the CAD team that the sensor in question (a gyro I think) was even going to be used until late in the season so no mount was designed. A good leader would make sure everyone knew that sensor needed to be mounted far enough ahead of time so that it could be designed in.

From a mechanical standpoint, I want a leader who will keep things moving. The time to prototype is in the offseason (if you can call it that), not during week 3. The leader needs to decide when to make a call, and then make a call at that time.

In general, a great leader must be humble. Let's say for example that your average mechanical guy was your new build leader. Now, instead of worrying about whether to use a panhead or cap screw he has to coordinate electrical, CAD, programming, and fabrication. A great leader woud, in this instance, admit that he can't program or wire an electrical board and appoint a "cabinet" if you will. While he doesn't necessarily need to be "hands-on" with everything, he should have a general idea about what's going on.