Do Drive Team Personalities Influence Success?

[thefro526]

After thinking a little more I remembered something I told one of my mentors. I told him that you want the drive team to have excellent personal skills, a lot of charisma and to look good (by look good I mean represent the team well). I've tried to be on my best behavior while negotiating for matches and to be someone that people on my team can look up to.

[IBdrummer]

I think personality is one of the most important qualities drivers need to have and it can even be more important that skill at times. If drivers aren't able to comunicate effectively to each other and work as a team to control the robot efficiently, then they won't be able to drive the machine to its full potential. So, to have an effective drive team their personalities as individuls and a team greatly impact their ability to drive the robot and how they represent their team.

[chessking132]

It is my opinion that if the whole drive team works well together they are more likely to win a match. We all know being on the drive team is a very stressful position and any personal issue on the between the members can be amplified by the stress of the job. This is why i believe it is extremely important for the drive team, to work together and develop a strong relationship. It was my first year driving and the relationship that i developed with every one on the drive team will stay with me for the rest of my life. Because of this great bond we were able to remain positive after losing a match. The drive team also affects the moral of your team and how other teams view your team. Drivers that remain positive even when they know they are going to lose the next match is critical because if the team thinks they have a chance,then their moral will be higher. For me it is more important to keep the team happy and cheering then it is to win a match. the drive team also can greatly affect the view of your team to the FIRST community. I have worked with some teams that had drivers that do not know what they are doing, or do no have the best social skills and they come over kind of bossy. Theses behaviors negatively influence my opinion of the team. Finlay the most important thing to do is remember to have fun even if you hare in last place you succeeded at building a robot that is enough for me.

Matthew Simpson
Team 75 drivers