Another Culture Change

[tim-tim]

Originally Posted by Taylor

Which is exactly what we need to do - transform the jealousy into motivation. Was there a specific instance that "turned on the light" for you to be able to make this leap? What can we as leaders do to instill in others a similar reaction?

As previously stated in this thread, I used to be the jealous one. It was not until 2006 Champs when I met the teams we refer to as the "powerhouses" that I became motivated to step up to their level.

Yes, just by putting a robot on the field we become successful. However, most human nature tends to not be satisfied with the bare minimum. This being said, I have since graduated and went to college. My team has since taken leaps forward. Some of our first generation members are making it through college and returning to the area to work. What is the significance of this? We are building the connections to allow us to go the next step. We have more trained mentors in the fields we were once lacking.

I have spent numerous hours researching and asking questions to such people that are very insightful. I can tell that they are very helpful and offer more than a simple answer. We have not only wanted the help on the technical side of our team, but also on the non-technical side. We have since won a RCA this year and this would not be possible without the help of others.

How did we take these steps?
It was easy once we got over the fact that we were not those teams, and we have to apply what we have learned to the scope of our team.
- sit down and do some research, ask questions - they will answer
- go after new sponsors, targeting the capabilities you desire (we added machine shops that provided limited machining capabilities)
- set out a time line of events (take small steps, change is often hard at first)
- "offseason" is a critical R&D period, we finally went with a omni-directional drive and will be optimizing a swerve drive we developed in the off-season
- don't be afraid to fail, we all hit bumps in the road. It is how we get passed them that sets us apart

The list goes on. We have slowly transformed over the past 3-4 years to what we are today. We have one more year left on a plan we made, and now we are starting to set goals for the next several years.

For what is worth, do not judge a team based on web-appearance. Take the time to get to know them. I have had no issue getting help from them. Feel free to ask me questions about our transformation process, granted we are not a powerhouse team.

One last note: Remember to have fun during the process!