Just what I heard from numerous sources, not the least of which being visiting FIRST HQ for Festival of Champions in 2017.
I’ve been involved with FIRST for thirteen years as a student, mentor, and volunteer across all four platforms, and I still enjoy the championships just as much as before. I’ve been to eleven championships, and I have not noticed a single “drop” in the students’ experience since moving to two championships. The only people I know who are really upset about the whole thing are adults, the kids still have a great time, and love competing at the championship. We were the first team to enter the Hall of Fame in the split model (now having two teams each year), and it has not at all impacted its meaning to our members, and in fact, we really enjoyed sharing the experience with another team.
Of course that’s the perception, and that’s actually a big part of the job description of a nonprofit president: to be the “face” of the organization to everyone else. But that’s exactly why I said the things I did above, because the perception isn’t always the reality. Anyone who has any experience running any kind of organization or managing a team of people (whether volunteers or employees) know that unless you’re in their shoes, you never have the big picture, and whether we see it or not, decisions always have reasonings behind them.
Consider this. Have you ever been in a position, either professionally or with your team, where you have had to make a difficult decision? One that only you and the leadership team really knew the full background, but the students on the team gave backlash over it because they didn’t have the full picture? I’ve been in this position several times both professionally and with my team, and it’s never easy. That’s what the executive management and the board of directors face every single day.
No amount of team experience (or lack thereof) is going to help in managing a multi-million dollar corporation, managing a team of employees, securing seven-figure gifts, and all the other things I mentioned above. In that position, you really want a business leader. The “team experience” you are craving at the top level of FIRST really should be found in the board of directors. The board of directors is a diverse group of individuals from backgrounds in business AND on the volunteer/team side, from all across the country/world. If you want the team experience to be a part of the direction of FIRST, the board of directors is where it needs to be represented, not with the President. Would it be a plus? Most definitely, but it doesn’t really help or hinder his ability to do his job. Now, in positions like Frank Merrick’s or some of the high-level volunteer positions, team experience would be a big plus. Those are the folks that are working out the nuts and bolts of each specific program, alongside volunteers. Experience mentoring an FRC team would come in very handy on the professional and volunteer side of FRC management, for example. Experience as an FLL coach would help tremendously in the FLL specific management. But does experience as an FLL team coach help when it comes to the day-to-day management of the corporation as a whole? That’s where I say “not really, if any at all.” My experience as a volunteer in the organization I now work for has had little bearing on my ability to manage it. In fact, sometimes someone coming from the outside is even better. This is why most organizations, as a matter of purpose, hire their executive management from outside the company instead of promoting from within.