How We Deal With Change Is Up To Us

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

I've been following the threads that have to do with some of the changes that are in store for the upcoming 2010 FRC competition season. In my opinion, there is a lot of sarcasm, complaining, and negativity being voiced, often by mentors. Is all of it a necessary or needed contribution to the discussions?

Part of competing in FRC is dealing with change and managing it, professionally. There has been a significant downturn in the economy that has impacted sponsors, suppliers, teams, mentors, budgets, and personal lives. What it shouldn't impact is our professional attitude and how we conduct ourselves in dealing with the changes to the 2010 season.

(I tried to keep up with the news yesterday and saw news of too many typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis, and the lives impacted and lost. It tends to keep things in perspective somewhat. Being caught in the terrible situations would probably bring things even more into perspective.)
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There are suppliers and sponsors that are continuing to contribute and continuing to show support for FRC and for FIRST, in general, even with the downturn and with all of the changes. We should keep that in mind and perhaps, extend a thank you or two to them.

.02,
Jane

Jane, I know at least one of the threads you are speaking about (I've stayed away from a good number of the other ones) In some cases mentors are not complaining about the changes themselves, they are complaining about the spin FIRST is putting on them.

Change is a fact and while we have to deal with it everyone has to deal with it in their own way, some people need to be sarcastic and negative because that is the only way they can deal with the world changing around them. I know that many of the mentors are phenomenal men and women who, despite their personal feelings, will deal with the change when they need to. Right now there is nothing wrong with open discussion about the changes, realistically speaking we, as a society, only have one true manner of attaining new knowledge, intelligent discussion. Yes some of the posts have gotten a little whiny and a negative but by and large the discussion has stayed on course.

The phrase this thread brings to mind, in my opinion, is "suck it up and deal with it." This bothers me because it is saying that we shouldn't question what FIRST does, we should be good little lemmings and follow whatever they tell us to do. So, I guess the thought in my mind is, Change may be inevitable but we need to form our own opinions about it so that in the future we can help to make sure it is change for the better and not merely for change's sake.