What is a Team Captain/Leader's Role?

[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!