FRC team crisis - any suggestions?

[supernoodle]

I have created an anonymous account.

Hello CD. My team is going through a membership crisis and we seriously need help. I have a huge issue with the coach and I need to know what I can do, but I don't want to pay the price of 'revolting.'

Background Information: Last year, both of our coaches left due to medical reasons/personal reasons. This year, our CAD coach decided to take over (no one agreed to that) and self-proclaimed himself as the lead mentor and coach of the team. I was thinking that this would be great, since this guy (I will call him Z) seemed organized and could lead our team effectively. However, he did the opposite of what I thought he would do. During the summer, he completely changed our team, removed events that we participated in and hosted, and even fired some mentors. (Is that even possible?)

Recently, he posted a syllabus for the new Robotics team school year. I found it out through a link from a mentor and read it -- immediately shocked myself for the whole weekend. Coach Z created an entire meeting curriculum for when we would meet, which would be on Mondays and Thursdays. The times have been shortened, and Mondays are now pure lecture. These topics were very broad and didn't allow anyone to have specialization, despite having subteams. Thursday meetings became optional and focused only on CAD.

What got me the most was Build Season. We would meet almost everyday, totaling to over 25 hours a week. However, Coach Z set up the schedule to be 9 hours a week. Coach Z also sucked out all the fun from Robotics, instead creating a military course in engineering. Business and media, which contained most of the sponsorship and outreach, are now gone. We no longer have any team bonding events. Even worse was that we were cutting back in costs and not going to a second Regional.

Hearing all of this made me do a double-take. This counteracted everything I have ever contributed to Robotics, and I can't change it. We also lost a few members due to their other priorities. I've talked to almost all the team members and they all agree to the same thing -- this is definitely NOT how we want Robotics to be.

I've talked to a few mentors and so far have concluded that we should talk to the administrative body of the school. (Our team is closely linked to the school, who hires the coach for the team) However, I've always been passionate about Robotics and I don't want to ruin all my hard work in a week. Coach Z so far has no sentiment at all against me, and I don't want him to all-of-a-sudden hate me forever. I confronted my parents about doing something like this and they said I was out of my mind and that if I went through with this, I'd be kicked off the team for sure. After deep consideration, I still strongly believe that if this year goes through with this schedule, we will be left with 2 members still on the team: Coach Z and his daughter, one of the current co-captains.

I wanted to ask CD for your input. Should I go through with this plan, despite my parents' warnings, or should I just remain quiet and let what will happen, happen? I really appreciate any input, thanks.

[supernoodle]

I should also add -- problems on my team have been occuring lately. After Coach Z took over, they escalated even more.

[cbale2000]

Out of curiosity, how long has the team been in existence, and how long has this particular mentor been part of it? Not trying to pry, just wondering about the chronology of events. Feel free to ballpark numbers if you want.

[Chak]

I'm just a young student with little experience in the world, but I know what I'd do if this happens to me.
I would quietly make a petition basically stating that you don't like where this team is going. From the original post, it seems like such a petition would gather lots of support. Then gather a few core veterans from the team and confront Z in a group, with the petition representing those not there. Then it's not just a single member "revolting", it's the entire team collectively rejecting Z's ideas. After that you guys can have a conversation with Z, and figure out something.
I think you absolutely should not remain quiet. FIRST is for students, not for mentors. If the students disagree about how the team is run, their voices have to be heard. Heck, the opinions of the students should always be part of the decision process, especially for such a big shift like this one.

[supernoodle]

Originally Posted by cbale2000

Out of curiosity, how long has the team been in existence, and how long has this particular mentor been part of it? Not trying to pry, just wondering about the chronology of events. Feel free to ballpark numbers if you want.

We are at least 10 years old... one of the older teams. I would have to say that our peak was around 2007-2011. This mentor and the co-captain have been here since last year.

[supernoodle]

Originally Posted by Chak

I'm just a young student with little experience in the world, but I know what I'd do if this happens to me.
I would quietly make a petition basically stating that you don't like where this team is going. From the original post, it seems like such a petition would gather lots of support. Then gather a few core veterans from the team and confront Z in a group, with the petition representing those not there. Then it's not just a single member "revolting", it's the entire team collectively rejecting Z's ideas. After that you guys can have a conversation with Z, and figure out something.
I think you absolutely should not remain quiet. FIRST is for students, not for mentors. If the students disagree about how the team is run, their voices have to be heard. Heck, the opinions of the students should always be part of the decision process, especially for such a big shift like this one.

Thanks for your input, Chak. I can say with confidence that I know exactly what all the members think; I've asked each one individually. I have pondered whether to create a petition or not, but I think it may not make a difference. I've already made one, though.

I'm quite frustrated that all these big changes were made without consent of anyone, not even the mentors. It sounds very tyrannic. I'm currently gathering the leads of subteams to come up with a better solution to learning robot concepts than creating lectures for every meeting until Build Season and after Build Season. What I've thought of so far is to assign each subteam a task that pertains to that subteam's specialties. (i.e. Programming is assigned a coding task with an arduino ide) Coach Z's idea makes everyone learn the same thing and gets a basic feel on all the subteams: build, programming, electronics, etc. The problem is, no one will know how to work a specific subteam well enough to troubleshoot.

[connor.worley]

Keep in mind that Coach Z might be reducing the amount of time the team spends together so that they can pay more attention to it personally. Their intentions are probably good, and solo mentoring is very hard, so don't try to attack them but definitely bring up the possibility of allowing the students to be more responsible for parts of the team.

If this doesn't work: who runs the club on paper? Who's most connected to the school / part of the faculty? Go to them, get things fixed, and if you have to create constitution that doesn't allow for things like this to happen.

Sorry you're having problems with Coach Z.

[supernoodle]

Originally Posted by connor.worley

Keep in mind that Coach Z might be reducing the amount of time the team spends together so that they can pay more attention to it personally. Their intentions are probably good, and solo mentoring is very hard, so don't try to attack them but definitely bring up the possibility of allowing the students to be more responsible for parts of the team.

If this doesn't work: who runs the club on paper? Who's most connected to the school / part of the faculty? Go to them, get things fixed, and if you have to create constitution that doesn't allow for things like this to happen.

Sorry you're having problems with Coach Z.

Thanks for your input, Connor. Time constraints are OK with me, since most likely, they will end up being extended anyways. However, what is really catching me is that we are being lectured rather than having a hands-on experience, like we usually did. Coach Z is focusing much more on CAD and actual engineering concepts rather than team bonding and community outreach/sponsorship than usual. Besides all the things I listed in my original post, there are some other things that Coach Z has done that we approve at all.

[Joseph Smith]

Here's my advice: first call a meeting with all current mentors and the school administration (minus coach Z.) Explain the situation, and how you feel the new direction is negatively affecting the team. Decide how you would like to re-organize, whether by choosing a new coach or having the mentors work together to make team decisions. Once you're all on the same page, have a meeting with everyone including coach Z and let the school administration explain the team's concerns and the new organization. The fact of the matter is, one mentor (who hasn't been around very long) should not be able to "decide" that he is in charge of the whole thing. If the majority of the team disagrees with him, then the team can choose to make a change.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Joseph Smith

Here's my advice: first call a meeting with all current mentors and the school administration (minus coach Z.) Explain the situation, and how you feel the new direction is negatively affecting the team. Decide how you would like to re-organize, whether by choosing a new coach or having the mentors work together to make team decisions. Once you're all on the same page, have a meeting with everyone including coach Z and let the school administration explain the team's concerns and the new organization. The fact of the matter is, one mentor (who hasn't been around very long) should not be able to "decide" that he is in charge of the whole thing. If the majority of the team disagrees with him, then the team can choose to make a change.

This would be an incredibly BAD idea. Secret and exclusionary meetings lead to mistrust and strife. There are concerns that you may not aware of as a student. Coach Z may be working with restrictions: mentor time, budget, etc,. OPEN communicate that does not seek to place blame or make him/her the bad guy is the best way to start this discussion.

You need to take two steps back, and take a deep breath. The only thing constant in this world is change. How you handle will do more to define you than coach Z.

[Michael Corsetto]

Unmet expectations result in anger and frustration.

Identify the specific ways you do not like the new direction this mentor is taking the team, develop your reasons for why you do not like them and think they will have a negative effect on the team, and then discuss with your parents and some trusted members the best way to communicate that to your team, including your new mentor (coach Z).

It's always hard to discuss conflict with an adult as a high school student. I hope you can embrace it as an amazing learning experience.

Best of luck working with your team to keep your team going.

-Mike

PS. I think I know which team this is, if you want help, feel free to PM me.

[the_godfaubel]

I would first say that you should think about this from the perspective of the coach: he probably wasn't anticipating being in a situation like this following last year, so he likely had no time to consult the old mentors on what he should do. In terms of the budget, I'm not sure if the school runs that, but losing the sponsors and such was probably just as disappointing to him. Money problems happen, so if you have to cut back for a year, then so be it.

You said he had shown no animosity towards you, so you and a couple other members/mentors he trusts should approach him about the situation.

Add on: your parents should be ashamed of themselves for telling you to not take an action on an issue that seems important to you. Literally, the worst thing you could do is not do anything.

[Monochron]

My bit of advice is similar to the others above. Gather your thoughts and specific reasons you don't like the new direction of the team. But do NOT go and "confront" Coach Z with that list. Instead ask for a time that he can meet with yourself and one or two other concerned parties and ask him WHY he has made these changes. He may have time constraint reasons or other obligations. Or he may not be familiar with effective ways to lead a team.

My point is, if you want to convince him to change (and honestly, I think that has to be your goal at this point), you are going to fully understand what he is thinking and feeling. Going above his head to the school administration as was mentioned should be one of your LAST resorts. That is definitely a way to turn him against you. Rather than "tattle tailing", try to have a mature conversation with him. I know that's not an easy thing, especially between a teenager and an adult. If you want any help with how to set that up, feel free to PM me.

Just remember that he is almost certainly doing what he thinks is best for the team. You both have the same goal, you just need him to come around to your plan for getting there.

[jvriezen]

One thing that I've missed in this entire discussion is any mention of actually communicating with Z and learning more about the changes and his reasons/motivations.

A simple email or face to face discussion that starts with: "I'm very happy that even with the loss of our previous lead mentors, the team will continue with new leadership. I appreciate that you are willing to step up to the plate! I saw the new schedule for this year and I see that it is very different compared to previous years. I'm curious to discuss why some things are changing so that I can better understand your point of view on things and would like to contribute in any way I can to help make sure this team stays healthy, vibrant and continues to serve students long into the future."

Notice the lack of negativity in the above? Maybe Z made the schedule like that because he's 'in over his head' and doesn't think he has the bandwidth or the expertise to continue certain aspects of the team in the same way as before. From what is in this thread, we don't know what's in Z's head beyond one schedule he posted. Communication is key here. Maybe you and the other students need to proactively recruit other new mentors who are willing to take on the tasks that Z has not addressed.

[jvriezen]

Originally Posted by Monochron

Just remember that he is almost certainly doing what he thinks is best for the team. You both have the same goal, you just need him to come around to your plan for getting there.

It is possible that Z's plan is better (perhaps in some ways, but maybe not all) and you should go into conversations with an open mind and be willing to be convinced that your preconceived notions on some issues may be wrong or there are two options, neither of which is 'wrong.' Because if Z comes to the same discussion feeling he just needs to get you to come around to his plan, it won't end well. If you expect him to be willing to change, you need to be willing to change also. Teams change, and they aren't always run the same way year after year. Sometimes change turns out well, some time change turns out to be a learning experience.