I've said this before and I'll say it again.
Rookies are some of the best examples on how to identify leadership talent.
I've worked with at least 3 rookie teams now, and
some of the best student leaders I have seen come from rookies.
What is different about rookies?
They don't care how old or experienced you are. They don't care how senior you are.
All they care about is that you are committed and will do whatever it takes to make your team better. Having 3 years of experience means you know what to expect, but that is no indication of future performance.
If you or somebody on your team is expecting to be captain next year because of their tenure, you may want to take a queue from the business world here and rethink that. Sometimes companies promote from within, sometimes they take a bold move and hire an outside candidate. Make sure that you have quorum and a vote of confidence if a team goes that route.
A smart captain will recognize their own personal limits, and be able to ask for help as needed. Communication is fundamental, mass communication and day to day communication are a must. A brilliant captain will know to work on the items nobody else is working on.
Here is an
awesome thread on the role of the team captain. I'll make a few updates on my opinion and underline them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Conor Ryan
In my time in FRC (this is my 11th year of involvement), the best team captains on any team should have one assigned job. Make sure everyone else on the team is busy at all times. Other than that they should delegate everything they do. But here are some other thoughts on qualifications great team captains should have:
-ability to delegate
-ability to come up with ideas and jobs for others to do (anybody ever look about how many people sit around and become disengaged?)
-ability to make quick decisions
-ability to say they were wrong quickly
-ability to motivate
-ability to build confidence in other team members
-a work ethic to model after
-an idea of what FIRST is all about (heres a hint, its not all about the robot)
-no interest in personally building the robot (there are so many other things for a captain to do, they'll have no time for the actual robot, unless your team is smaller than 8 people (in which case you might want to try Vex, FTC).
-the idea of what a deadline is
-social skills to talk to Mentors/judges/other teams/VIPs
-ability to say screw it, nothing is ever perfect and relax at the end of the day
-ability to build a culture of continuous improvement
Being on the drive team, being the person who gets to pick the final design, all of those *perks* are not in the best interest of the team. The best leaders let those who are the best at what they do, do what they do (and then give them credit for it).
Also on a note, being a senior/oldest member on the team/most experienced should have nothing to do with being team captain. Rookie teams have team captains any 9 times out of 10, nobody has any experience. Actually, some of the best team captains I've seen have been from rookie teams.
|
I'd love to see a thread in the future about the pros/cons of picking 2 captains. I've often pondered if it is better or worse. I've got evidence of both, but its all about the size of your team.