[richardyun]

Just a few observations:

Having contingency plans as suggested is always a good idea. Loss of a major sponsor/key mentors/shop space, robot gets lost on the way to competition, robot is way too heavy when inspected (so you need to drill hundreds of holes in it, but I digress), etc. are all possibilities. Thinking about them ahead of time is a good exercise in helping team members prioritize, think creatively and develop some resilience so that is something bad happens, they either have thought their way through it or know they can think their way through it.

With respect to online/written debates, there is always a good chance for misunderstanding. When talking about contentious issues that people are very passionate about, it is difficult to have meaningful exploration and understanding in a forum such as this. We all fall into the trap of assuming that others have seen, heard, experienced the same things we have so "if you don't come to the same conclusions or have the same views that I have, you must be deficient". Then, if we deteriorate into mocking other's views or saying that "EVERYONE else disagrees with you and agrees with me", it makes people lock into their positions and no actual exchange of thinking happens.

My experience has been that asking questions, to find out why people think the way they do, is more effective than simply dismissing and insulting them. However I welcome hearing other's perspective on this.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Yun,
Team 781 Leadership Mentor