What Contributes the Most to a Team's Success?

[jimwick]

not on the list, but very important: being located at a strong supportive school or other strong sponsor.

we are a regional team and our students and mentors come from all over. this makes life very difficult because we normally can only work on friday evening, saturday, and sunday afternoons. regular attendance is a problem; many of our students are too young to drive. we also lack the ability to integrate team activities with any school curriculum, such as programming or solidworks/inventor. we get by but it's tough.

well, we love it anyway. wouldn't miss it. up here in vermont it helps us get through the winter; by the time march 5 gets here, winter is losing its grip.

jim wick

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by jimwick

not on the list, but very important: being located at a strong supportive school or other strong sponsor.

we are a regional team and our students and mentors come from all over. this makes life very difficult because we normally can only work on friday evening, saturday, and sunday afternoons. regular attendance is a problem; many of our students are too young to drive. we also lack the ability to integrate team activities with any school curriculum, such as programming or solidworks/inventor. we get by but it's tough.

well, we love it anyway. wouldn't miss it. up here in vermont it helps us get through the winter; by the time march 5 gets here, winter is losing its grip.

jim wick

I would place that as facilities.

[The Lucas]

Originally Posted by jimwick

not on the list, but very important: being located at a strong supportive school or other strong sponsor.

That is on the list. That is either
Facilities (typo in the poll)
Strong Loyal Sponsorship, or
Good Relationship With Affiliated School
depending on what you consider most important in your statement (location or sponsor/school). I think it is facilities (a place for everyone to meet) based on the rest of your answer.

[ks_mumupsi]

Hands down, dedicated students...

I have seen teams with amazing mentors and great coaches that have done far below their level, not because the robot was not good or the robot was not robust but because the students dont seem to carry as much dedication towards it, I am sure there are a few but when a larger % of students dont follow the team its tough.

Not only that but these teams become harder to sustain, not as many people bringing in sponsorship or fundraising and not as many people traveling etc.

A lot of the mentors you will see are driven by the students, by seeing the students enjoy and learn from the process. Their dedication make us want to do it that much more.

I have been with 2016 for 5 years now and every year a new batch of kids comes in and find their way through the maze of a team we have... But they are there every night, every weekend for all 6 weeks. Thats what makes us want to be there. yea we enjoy building a robot and all, but if there are no students there to drive the robot theres no use having a good robot.

love having our students around.. and especially getting them to challenge the mentors idea's thats when it gets really fun!!

[davidthefat]

The "titude" is the difference between an A+(titude) and a F.

[tonirtx]

I voted for experienced mentors.

We are a second year team.

Both years we have had incredibly hardworking student team members. I am so proud of their FIRST first year effort.

But, this year we had more mentors with experience. They were able to direct the students to use their talents and energy with the most effectiveness. And with the same hardworking team members (and more), our team excelled!

So, without the students, there is no team. But if the students come down with long-term frustration, can they maintain their numbers and enthusiasm?
Effective Mentors can reduce frustration and help sustain a team.

[Bob Steele]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

A team is a team because it is a team.

Dedicated students inspire parents and mentors, dedicated mentors inspire students. They both work together to get dedicated sponsors who are inspired by the TEAM. The partnership inspires the school to be more supportive.

Perhaps I define success in a different way than you do, but my conviction always lays with one of the best quotes I've ever heard:

Build a good team, good robots will follow.

Akash,
I like your thinking... and I like the way you define success.
It isn't about plastic trophies and banners... it is about inspiration and the way student's AND mentors lives are changed.

Having a real TEAM does that... working together.
Students and mentors seeing that they CAN do this and have fun and satisfaction in the process.

What more success can one have than developing life long friendships and a personal satisfaction in knowing that one can make a difference.... students and mentors alike...

thanks for posting

[gblake]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

... I think the answer to this question really has to do with how you define success. ...

Blake thinks that Daniel hit the true nail on the head.

In the absence of a definition in the OP of "success", the answers here are interesting, but are largely not something one can draw many conclusions from.

Even the asnswer(s?) that used "inspriing students" as the defintion of success is still using a term that is useful but (purposefully I think) left vague enough within FIRST to resist quantification when it isn't paired up with a few modifiers that connect it to observable, measureable outcomes.

However, this might not be a bad situation. It simply is what it is, and it is a reason to think twice before using sentences like "What contributes most to a team's success?", or "Wow, they are really successful this year." Success is a slippery term.

Blake