Team Productivity Issues

[AndyB]

You definitely should talk with an adult adviser about this if they are not already aware. On 269, we tried to compare FIRST to a sports team. Participants had responsibilities and if they were not met, they could be cut. But it is also the responsibility of team leaders and team mentors to recognize the fact that the lack in participation is most likely not due to carelessness, but by fear. It is a leader's duty to get these people involved where you can use them. Many high school kids are shy, and most will start to do something when they see their friends doing it.

I find that it is extremely ineffective to hand someone a clipboard and tell them to go scout. Scouting will never be taken seriously if the scouter isn't. Try and get these people more involved while at the same time, stress the team as a whole during team meetings that it isn't a entirely a social event, but that each of them has a responsibility to help make the team better.

The other thing you can do is if your school allows students to letter in FIRST, is to only grant letters to those students who deserve them. This acts as kind of a nudge to some that what they are currently doing, is not enough.