For Mentors Only: Inspiring Youth

[Rich Kressly]

There have been some excellent documents floating around (check white papers) and also at least one championship presentation on the topic of project management. In a perfect world all teams would have some sort of decision making / timeline "system".

That being said, this is less than a perfect world and many decisions for every FIRST team will be judgment calls during the brief build season. If there is a priority list with time limits set during brainstorming that could help. Mentors will almost always have to step in and keep everyone focused on the big picture while they also inspire the learning process. I'm a big fan of Al's approach, which validates the student's desire and moves the project along at the same time.

During my six years in FIRST, I've had several opportunities each season to address groups of students and individuals about project management, timelines, and decisions. I always try to be empathetic, but I'm also always as real as I can be about deadlines and the big picture. Mentoring and teaching can take place in all kinds of ways. What one student needs is not what another student needs. Sometimes a very gifted and intelligent student simply needs to learn that it's time for the project to progress and it is not their decision. Other times it may be appropriate for mentors to allow someone to "run with a ball" and go a little past the team deadline.

In all cases though, it's about respect, responsibility, learning, the big picture, and the final product. No one is perfect and I'm the first one to admit as a teacher that I make mistakes with students every day. In the end, the best we can hope for is that we (mentors and students) learn from our mistakes and grow as people through the process.

Namaste...