Leadership

[Hershey]

Sorry if this doesn't seem to be a serious question, but it is. I'm looking for tips on good leadership. I have been having troubles with my team this year and I would like some help. This is our second year in FIRST, but this year isn't moving nearly as smoothly as last year.

[KTorak]

Dr. Tim's (Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser) workshop is something pretty cool if he comes to your area at all. I went there for Drum Major related stuff in Marching Band and learned alot about how to be a good leader.

Here are the 5 major things he told us:
1. People are more important then your title.
2. 90% of leadership success is based on one thing, attitude.
3. You can lead others until you can lead yourself.
4. You are measured by what you give.
5. You can only give what you have.

[Billfred]

Here's what I've determined experimentally, through a semester in charge of a flight in AFJROTC back at Irmo:

1) You will eventually be forced to do something that neither you nor your subordinates will want to do. Do it.
2) There will always be one person who doesn't want to do anything. Show that person the light--and if that doesn't work, show that person your drill bits in need of organization.
3) Some people will not be as able to be part of the group for whatever reason. Don't bug them for it, but don't write them off, either.
4) Bringing the group together to do things does wonders. (The military calls it drill.)
5) Know when it's time to pass the torch--and make sure the new torch-holder knows what he's doing!

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Going off of what has said, I'll recommend a few tips that apply specifically to robotics meetings.

1) Hold student forums. This technique does wonders for our team. Advisors are able to have their own forum at the same time. You lead a student discussion on issues and ideas, which lets the students speak in front of their peer group. You are then able to take these issues to a head advisor/mentor and get them taken care of, without singling out students. This will definitly help you succeed as a leader. You don't need these every meeting, just at least monthly or maybe every 2 or 3 weeks.

2) Prove that you are open to criticism. The best leader can handle a situation maturely, step up to a task, and show that they're part of the team, not the powerful above-figure.

3) Delegate. Save yourself some time. Yes, you need to be able to step up to a task, but stepping up to a task doesn't mean sacrificing your sanity. As a leader, your job is to make sure things run smoothly and represent your team. Sometimes it just takes a challenging task for a student to step up and become a hard worker.

4) Try to give everyone a second chance. I understand how hard it is to deal with that kid in the corner that won't do work and can't stop talking, but you can take him aside and ask what he's interested in. Give him choices. Say something along the lines of. "I need help getting some things done. Would you rather mill this part or write biographies for the webpage?". Then check often to see that it gets done. Setting checkpoints will help you succeed as a leader.

Good luck!

[Bharat Nain]

Well, I'd also say that sometimes a lot of experience counts. If you don't have the experience, go to someone who does and use their experience. This works well in making decisions. Just as long as you make sure you're taking advice from someone who knows what they're talking about.

Look, sometimes you assign a student leader to a task, and they don't perform. You don't need to make anything "official" but just hand the task to someone else. Then watch them come after that job, or they just wont care and leave eventually.

Go read some books on leadership and salesmanship. Yes, salesmanship. Lot of those principles can be applied. John Maxwell has written good books on leadership. There is a lot we could write in this respect, but it depends on the situations you are going through. I don't expect or want you to tell us what exactly is going on because its a public forum and internal affairs should not be discussed, but I do hope my post helped and you will be able to figure out something.

-Bharat

[looneylin]

I think the best quality you can have as a a leader is to be overly enthusiastic, have fun, and love what you're doing.