Important Question - Leadership

[d.schneid@1719]

Although being a leader takes away time from building the robot, it is possible to be the leader and work as a regular student. My team was mentor run so I had some time to work as a regular student. Our team was planning on having the students become more and more involved in organization, but since we were a rookie team, being mentor run worked well.

The other thing you could do is either have a co-captain, or simply assign each student a small task such as checking chief delphi, or ordering the team's pizza. Although these types of things are minor, if every student on your team does one thing besides working on the robot, it could help a whole lot and thus allow the team captain more time to do the fun stuff.

[KenWittlief]

Many of the tasks that fall on the shoulders of the team leader are not so much leadership issues, they are more single-point of contact, or team wide issues and tasks that need to be addressed.

Things like the overall project schedule, the total cost of the program, shipping, paperwork... Most people on the team will end up working on subsystems: mechanical, electrical, software, team spirit.... but for the tasks that apply to the team as a whole it just makes sense to have one person be responsible for everything at that level.

Most people tend to function focused down like a spot light. They zoom in on specific details. A team leader needs to be able to keep their attention on the big picture, more like a floodlight. To some degree this skill is something you are born with, a natural ability or tendancy. Maybe this is why some people tend to be 'natural born leaders' ?

[JaneYoung]

Hello BARKer - welcome.
I've been reading the thread and have a thought -
leadership can be good, bad, indifferent.

You choose the type of leadership you want to role model. Whether you decide to take on the responsibility of captain of the team or not, you will still be a team leader and members and mentors will look to you, your attitude, and your ability to hold yourself accountable as a guide. Leadership always carries the weight of responsibility no matter the method or the tasks.

Good luck in making your decisions and helping your team develop and grow.
Jane

[Mark Pierce]

Originally Posted by Jherbie53

as for being a student leader, my team never had one.

This is just plain incorrect. Our team has always had student leaders, including exceptional ones like you Josh. Your "leadership by example" as a student and mentor has inspired many of us to do better. What we've never had is a formally declared or designated student leader.

Our team gets by with an informal structure because of our trust in each other and the respect shown to each other. We listen to ideas from all members and try as much as possible to reach consensus decisions on most everything. The team leaders and mentors will step in to make decisions when necessary, but it's really amazing how much just happens by someone simply declaring "_____ is what has to happen by ______" and team members stepping up and getting it done.

If one or more students have to become the designated "team leader" in specific areas, they should do their best at setting a good example and treating others like they would like to be treated. Almost all team leadership problems I've heard about or witnessed start when one or more members think they know best and stop listening to others.

As for team administration duties, being in charge of them does not mean it is a one person job. We've always had students assist in as much of the planning and paperwork as they can handle.

[Steve W]

Team leadership is very important. It should not be handled by one person however. Each individual has unique abilities and the jobs must be tailored to each case. What works this year with one individual may not work next year with someone else.

This year out team has 2 presidents. They each have their areas but will work together with each of the sub teams. Last year our president (who is one of this years) found it to be a big job so, as a team, the students decided to go with 2. It will be new to us so we will have to see how it works. Our mentors work along side of the students and help with all of the chores, administration etc. The students handle all of the funds with mentors (2- need 3 signatures) co-signing cheques. They know where they money comes from, were it goes and how much is left. They handle the fund raising and see how it improves our team. Under each of the presidents there are sub team leaders. They are responsible for their sub teams. They report to the presidents and mentors. They must also work with other sub team leaders and students to accomplish their tasks. The whole leadership issue on out team is spread around. By delegating jobs the workload on one individual decreases.

Leadership is inspiring others to greater heights, with more enthusiasm, increased passion and a longing desire to improve each day. Good luck on your venture and stay in touch. We are a community and we are always willing to share our experiences.

[J Flex 188]

Echoing what Steve and others have said, it is also of very vital importance to conduct some form of review at the conclusion of the season. I'd like to refrain from calling it a performance review, but no team can afford to be complacent if it decides that it wants to move forward progressively with each year. In specific regards to 188, the earlier iterations of the team were handled with the system of co presidents and a very even distribution of power due to the large number of students. In my days, there were only a core group of 15-20 people with a periphery of maybe 40 students, meaning that whoever appeared to commit the most and was able to get on with their jobs well enough became de facto leaders. This season some of the mentors and concerned students took it upon themselves to examine how we performed as a team and decided a return to the old system and a revamp of the organization chart would be appropriate and most likely improve the core functions of the team and our performance next season.

Do not be afraid to be progressive, take a critical look at how things have operated and make sure that you receive feedback from both students and mentors! Remember, just because something has been one way for 10 years, doesnt mean it cant be another way for another 10