"What to do when…"

[DonRotolo]

1676 has gone to Finalist once, never higher than that, so we're not "winners". But, we're a 2-time regional Chairman's winner - note that last word.

I think part of the answer is defining a "win" in FRC. Yes, the obvious win is regional champion. Or perhaps Chairman's.

But what about the kids we've inspired to take up Engineering instead of accounting? The mid-six-figures in scholarships awarded to 1676 members in 5 years? The young ladies at MIT this year? The kid who couldn't use a screwdriver who's graduating as a MechE next semester?

Goodness, I could go on and on. I think I made my point: What to do when you lose a regional is take inventory of the successes, large and small, public and private.

Where I work (and like most major corporations) we get trained out the wazoo, in particular on what may be called "soft" skills, like interpersonal relationships and work/life balance. Actually, we have taken to calling these "Life" skills, since they're universally applicable.

Rich's #4 - "develop the “whole” student" - can be restated as "transfer Life Skills". These skills are trainable, and online training tends to be effective. I don't want to assign work to anyone, but if someone is looking for something to do....