What is a Team Captain/Leader's Role?

[davidthefat]

What is a Team Captain/Leader's Role? Is it their role to make design decisions regarding the robot? Is it their role to veto a general consensus regarding the robot? Is it their role to unify the team under one goal? Is it their job to pick up the slack of certain groups? What is their role? I think our leadership structure needs a re haul. I think our current structure allows for corruption and dictatorship. I do not believe that one person (even a mentor) should have the power to veto anything he wishes.

[Karibou]

The team leader's role should be to guide the team through administrative decisions, not just regarding the robot. They should not always have the final say on EVERYTHING, but they should have some kind of authority. It is their job to represent the group as a whole, and make decisions based on what is good for the team, not just for their personal interests. They should not always be picking up the slack of other groups. They should be constantly checking to make sure that nobody is slacking and ensure that they have the materials that they need.

Really, to answer all of your questions, it shouldn't be their way or the highway. If the leader really is a leader by personality, the team should not have that problem. If they are just a leader in name and not in personality, they shouldn't have the job.

[Hawiian Cadder]

the role of the team captain should be to reality check members of the team.

[WizenedEE]

I think it would be to unify the team under one headfigure, and guide them in making decisions, both about the robot and about the team in general.

While our current leadership credo does say that the team leaders have complete authority, they have never abused it, and have just guided the team in making decisions.

[Nelson]

The team captain is to unify the team and make sure that all the other members do their jobs, as well as looking out for the overall well being of the robot.

[lenny8]

a team captain's role is different from team to team but the most important thing a team captain should do is LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

[penguinfrk]

The way I see it--

The team captain doesn't have to be the most knowledgeable, though could be. That's what the officers on your other subteams are for. The captain should be someone that the team, both mentors and members alike, respect and work well with. Our current team captain deemed the role a "friendly ankle-biter": be responsible, and make sure things are running smoothly. S/he should be involved in every aspect of the club, but not doing everything.

Ultimately, I think the team captain should inspire the members. Any captain that is strict and, even if justified, relentless about deadlines, behavior, and quality of work should not be captain. The captain should raise team morale and be understanding and approachable. As far as I'm concerned, if your captain won't sit down with a member and talk to them about issues totally unrelated to robotics (family, depression, relationships, etcetc), they don't have what it takes to be a stellar captain.


...that came out a lot more corny than I intended it to.

[ThirteenOfTwo]

As one of three team captains, I act as a bridge between our students and our mentors. I am a sounding board for ideas and strategies, with the caveat that I can never flat-out tell people not to do something. I can tell them when I think an idea is impractical, or if I think a strategy won't work, but I make a point of never giving straight orders to anyone.

I mediate disputes within the team and stay informed on everything that is going on. I can design parts of the robot--for example, the preliminary CAD for our claw this year was by me--but that isn't my main function. I spend more time with the mentors than other team members do so that I can explain to the rest of the team in layman's terms what the problems are. I am responsible for getting more and younger members involved, but not directly for teaching them. I also send out minutes and keep the team informed on rule updates.

As qualifications, I have to get along fairly well with everyone on the team so that I can mediate and sound ideas without hurting anyone's feelings. I need to have my fingers in all of the design pies, but not too deep in any one of them. I need to have a pretty good understanding of the engineering process, so that I can communicate it to the rest of the team when the mentors are busy. I'm expected to know a reasonable amount about every part of the robot, but not everything about any one part.

Essentially, a team captain herds cats. If you tell a cat to do something, it gets resentful and angry and doesn't do it. If you give it little nudges, it does.

[Nick_P]

I was lucky to be picked as one of two junior captains because of a lack of seniors. That first year in a role of leadership, I taught freshmen how to work with the electrical components, pneumatics, and what I knew about networking and code, while still providing a bridge between both mechanical systems and controls, and mentors and students.

This year is a bit different. In fact, a lot different. At the beginning of the build season, we were asked to step back a little bit. I realize that I can't teach my peers much more. Those that I taught last year will teach this years freshmen.

In fact, this year, it is my job to make sure that I turn the other members of the team into eligible team captains. Steve (the other co-captain) and I won't be there next year to make decisions. A captain should give decisions to younger members, remind them of both the pros and cons of each choice, and say "good luck" in hopes that they make the best decision for the team.

So, in the end, it is the captain's job to make leadership contagious.

[45Auto]

I do not believe that one person (even a mentor) should have the power to veto anything he wishes.

Depends on your team structure. Some years we've had strong team captains, some years we've had team captains who were leaders in name only. Without strong leadership, you'll waste valuable build time in petty squabbles, and end up with a robot that doesn't work very well or make anyone happy. You'll find lots of students who are more than willing to disagree with how someone else wants to do something, but are incapable of providing any alternates or constructive input.

You have a specific mission when the FIRST season starts. You have 6 weeks to engineer, design, procure parts, manufacture a robot and make changes as you gain knowledge.

There's a reason the military rank structure is organized the way it is and all servicemembers don't get a vote on how they're going to perform a particular mission. Someone has to decide how to achieve the goals your team has decided on and have a clear vision of how you're going to get there.

If you don't like the way your team works, take the initiative to step up and assume a leadership role. Getting along with people and having them do what you want is nothing more than simple politics. If you can actually demonstrate (rather than just making claims) your ability to accomplish your goals, you'll find that everyone else will be GLAD to have you making the decisions for them!

[gblake]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

What is a Team Captain/Leader's Role? Is it their role to make design decisions regarding the robot? Is it their role to veto a general consensus regarding the robot? Is it their role to unify the team under one goal? Is it their job to pick up the slack of certain groups? What is their role? I think our leadership structure needs a re haul. I think our current structure allows for corruption and dictatorship. I do not believe that one person (even a mentor) should have the power to veto anything he wishes.

Beyond bland platitudes about leaders leading, managers managing, captains capt'ing??? , etc. the leader's/captain's role is to do whatever the authority(s) associated with the team assigns to that role.

Notice that the authority might be the team members, or it might be a charter issued by a school or 501(c)3, or it might be a mentor(s), or it might not be defined. PS: Reality and what is on paper are often two different beasts.

Your question is similar to asking "What color should a Team captain's hat be? The answer is "It depends."

To answer the question within the question: Don't look in this thread for allies or ammo to use in a dispute within your current team organization. Given the way you framed the intial question, those answers won't be found here.

Blake

[Taylor]

As has been said before, leadership positions and what they mean differ from team to team. Mr. Bill's "Golden Rule" (as lead mentor and lead sponsor, I have the gold, so I make the rules) wouldn't apply across the board, but it works for them.
There is a greater concept that is getting lost here - designs or decisions ought not be made by individuals - they're made by the team.
It's important to say here that team decisions should not be made by voting or consensus.
An idea shouldn't be chosen because it is popular - it should be chosen because it is right for the team and the situation - or at least it has the most amount of "right" out of all the available options.
Apply JVN's WOT if you must. It's surprisingly flexible and adaptable. But there should not be a figurehead student dictator (Mr. Bill et al. once again get the exemption). It just breeds contempt and mutinous feelings.

edit: Scott's right. Added "student" to the above.

[IndySam]

There needs to be a dictator on every team with final say but he/she needs to be benevolent and he/she needs to be an adult. A team captain should never have such authority.

[MaxMax161]

I personally think that the goal of any team leadership is to make sure the most students are the most educated and the most inspired; the best way to do that is a question for smarter people then me. Right off the bat I'm not thrilled about one person having absolute power over a team. That said one person who is rational, listens to others and is willing to do what the majority wants at times even if it conflicts with their personal views is fine by me. While that one person does have absolute power, as long as they do not exercise it with arrogance, I don't think it's a problem. The only problem with this system is that people who have the necessary attributes to fill that role as described are few and far between, and sometimes people who don't have those necessary attributes end up in that position. At the end of the day the buck has to stop with someone(s), who that(they) is (are) depends on the team.

[Taylor]

Originally Posted by IndySam

There needs to be a dictator on every team with final say but he/she needs to be benevolent and he/she needs to be an adult.

He/she also needs to have extremely thick skin, an ability to approach problems from multiple viewpoints, and an ability to clearly and concisely communicate.