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Thread: Team Motivation

  1. #11
    <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scalesy:
    Unfortunately what happens on most fsae teams is that the dead beats cause so much delay, the lead guys end up taking on more responsibility than they already have. Any fsae captain (or system lead) could tell you this.

    The fact is that these people are just simply not the motivated, and most importantly, dedicated type like we are...hence why they are not in charge. I can tell you right now that none of the dead beats contribute to the forums either because it requires effort. They also seem to know everything about everything as well.

    That being said, bribing doesn't work, but neither does cutting back their privileges. You can't give them MORE privileges either. I think the best way to go about it is to sit down, AWAY FROM THE SHOP with said dead beat, and have SEVERAL people confront the person...this way its not just coming from "the boss."

    Good luck, I've been in this situation before and it's never easy. Remember, only dead fish swim with the tide ;-)

    Jon Scales
    2009 Team Captain
    Hartford Motorsports </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

    Definately agree with you. The most dedicated guys on our team are the two (myself and our Chassis Team Leader) that went to the 08 comp. We'll be taking the entire 2010 team with us this year.

    And I HATE that our school bases this on credit. We're in the process of forming a 3-4 year "club" with senior project credit at the end...The more experience the students get the better! This would also form a more closely knit team throughout several years of working side by side.
    Lawrence Tech University
    2009 Formula SAE
    Team Captain

    (AKA The Dollar Nazi)

  2. #12
    This is very difficult to get right. Realistically you'll generally have 2-4 people who do the majority of the work, or at least a core group and "the rest."

    Since it is mostly a volunteer operation, you have to generate an environment where people WANT to work on the car. Keep an eye on everyone's progress, offer to give them whatever help they need to get the job done. Group activities are good as well.. be it pizza once a week or a grill-out or a HW session or going out to the bars.

    On the other hand, I don't believe that a good team leader / project manager is successful by being everyone's friend. Can't be lax.

    Accountability is HUGE. At some point, it will come time that some hard work and long nights have to be done and people will want to flake out. Has to be hard accountability for missing deadlines, and this has to be set with someone with actually authority (ie your faculty advisor who runs the capstone / senior design class).

    And I'd agree with Jon, if you really got a flake, have yourself and someone else go buy em a cup of coffee or a red bull or somethin, sit down, have a talk, see what's wrong. Sometimes you gotta take a big bite of humble pie...

  3. #13
    Senior Member
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    <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">On the other hand, I don't believe that a good team leader / project manager is successful by being everyone's friend. Can't be lax.
    </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

    Unless they're the best type of leader, the kind that makes people want to work for them and exceed expectations. Some people are just gifted with this talent.

    As far as motivation goes, there's a few things I've noticed during my time.
    1)Volunteers won't work if it's all work and no play. This is supposed to be FUN! We are all in college, after all. It's after this that things get all boring and nine-to-fivey.

    2)Get your guys in the car early. Do your shakedown, make sure it runs, then throw on some dead tires and let everyone do some laps or skidpad or something. We had fun laughing at the guys who got owned by our "team mom" who had never driven stick in her life on skidpad after our first drive this year.

    3)Make sure no one thinks they're so valuable or necessary to the team that they can do whatever they want and get away with it. Yeah, chemo and surgery may be painful when it happens, but it's better to cut out the cancer then let it spread to the rest of the body. I can't think of a system on one of these cars that someone couldn't take over if you had to cut someone out.

  4. #14
    I don't think there is a single team in FSAE that doesn't have problems motivating members.

    I know that we took the car out after the first meeting for returning members to get a chance to drive. Returning members were re-motivated by this and new members were excited to see what they would be working on. New members were also told that they would get to drive after they had contributed something, which was reinforced by letting the most active new members drive a month later. To try to build the team, we also took everyone to laser tag and a local karting track.

    A few other ways to keep new members motivated:
    1) Have weekly full team meetings and weekly system meetings.
    2) Set hard deadlines and hold people accountable.
    3) Take time to explain to new members why things are done why they are
    4) Start actual work as soon as possibe after your first meeting

    Now that that is out of the way, the truth is that you will not be able to motivate everyone. Team leaders can normally tell who this will be very quickly and they simply won't be assigned key projects. Most people who are simply there for a resume booster don't stay around for very long from what I have seen.

    Our team announced a few meetings ago that, due to budget constraints, only 18 members would be attending competition. This worked out to be each system leader and two members from each system. I immediately noticed the majority of the "deadbeats" have not come back after then.
    Chris Noll
    UB Motorsports Formula SAE: RIP 1987-2010

    "A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster."- Jeremy Clarkson

  5. #15
    <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Reply </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
    The best way I've found that seems to work is to use a plan (from a discussion with the group managers). Then, in the middle (emphasis on middle, not after it's too late) recreate a plan, based on what you now know (i.e. way behind schedule, part not even designed). In that middle re-plan, study (briefly) the problem with whoever's in charge of the deficient area, and have them walk you through it, or just start writing out (while speaking with them) what the whole thing is - problem statement, objective, and basically make a list of what the design needs to do (again), and likely ways that are best to solve it (maybe they're having trouble justifying or choosing one way over another, maybe they don't know how to solve a little problem, maybe they just need to ask someone for help), and then try to guess - with the help of the person in charge - how long each step of the design and manufacturing takes, what things can be done in parallel, what needs to be ordered ahead of time, what off-car testing needs done, etc..., and tweak it all to fit into an assemble-whole-car deadline. As project manager (typically the role of president, leader, whatever), you also need to coordinate all groups - so, say group x needs group z's dimensions or load calculations, whatever, you've got to piece the whole design process together, and make sure each group knows what the other group needs and when, then make it happen. Motivation isn't a pep talk or kick in the pants. It's usually helping to paint the picture, and emphasizing a plan and schedule. Don't wait until it's too late. Comaraderie isn't motivation (but helps, so invite all to beers and supper every so often).

    I was and still am a hefty procrastinator, but, I am staying at a Han Ting Express tonight (somewhere in ChengDu, and I can reach from wall to wall with an arm and foot, literally)... Usually procrastinators are good thinkers, but need collaboration on planning and doing. As leader, it's not your job to wait, it's your job to make the plan come true via others.
    Director of R&D, Lead Calibration Engineer, Software Designer and Debugger

  6. #16
    Some people have called '09 Formula Bus. For lack of better words you will always have people wanting to ride the bus and others wanting to drive.
    University of Toronto
    '08-'12

  7. #17
    As someone who has been on both sides of the fence (a "lazy" member and a decent, contributing one) I can say that enjoying the time you spend with the team is key.

    Late nights at the shop aren't always the most productive, because between the Youtube clips and the DVDA songs we all sing, and the pub thats 100 yards from our shop, sometimes we don't get all the work done, but it's a good time and builds the team on a level other than the frustration of getting deadlines met.

    A strong sense of team spirit is the key. We really found this in '07. If everyone can step back and have a little fun, it makes it easier to buckle down to hammer the hard stuff out when it has to be done. This isn't a business, we're a group of students and people that have decided to work together to build a car. Making it a group based on shared interests and goals rather than assigned tasks and jobs makes it all a bit more enjoyable, because you're spending time with people like you.
    Wesley
    OU Sooner Racing Team Alum '09

    connecting-rods.blogspot.com

  8. #18
    just out of curiosity, has this person ever been to the competition? Because as someone pointed out, its definitely a major factor. You can't help but get motivated once you get a taste of the high stakes out there.

    You know most powertrain guys are obsessed with add ons, turbos, etc. You need to make sure this person knows that they cannot do any additional features until they perfect, and finish what is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Its one thing to "finish" the drivetrain, its another to make reliable.

    What do you guys think de-motivates people from fsae anyway? I just find it really funny that a large portion of participants have no real interest in cars before they do this, and the kids that could name every make and model of production vehicle out there are the most useless and unmotivated.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Colorado Springs, CO
    Posts
    460
    This has pretty much already been said, but:
    -be a TEAM, and a group of friends as much as possible--don't be afraid to make fun of each other in good spirit and have inside jokes and practical jokes, even if it involves lighting your president on fire (not that we've ever done that o_0).
    -results are the best way to get people motivated about the project--when one system is completed, everyone who has any sort of passion in them for what they do will be a lot more motivated to finish their own systems
    -this is the hardest, but find people who give a fuck about what they are doing, and find out what motivates them. For instance, we have SEVERAL members on our team who have no real interest in driving the car. Yet a few of those people are the guys who put in the most time and the most effort into what they do to produce the best quality work. Me, I'm in it for the driving, feeling the acceleration I'll probably never experience again after this whole college thing is over. I am motivated to be a leader on the team, I have great ambition when it comes to this stuff and want to be the best... not better than anyone in particular, not to edge out competition, but to know I was doing the best I absolutely could, that I gave it my all, that I beat MYSELF. I know there are several other people on the team that feel the same way I do. That's why I only get a little pissed when people aren't holding their own weight... there are enough of us on the team now to pick up the slack, even though the car would be better if the slacker had the same passion as the rest of us. It really only takes one person who REALLY cares, and is man (or woman) enough to be a visible leader.
    -stay positive... even when your budget gets wiped out because of a dyno purchase, "instead of staying in a crappy hotel room, let's go on a camping trip!" (true story)
    Mountain Lion Motorsports

  10. #20
    Back when I was a senior a group of guys from our team would always put the books and tools down on Wed. night at 7pm and head to the local pub. $2.50 pitcher of beer + 10 cent hot wings (20 max) made for a $5 night of BS'ing and bouncing ideas off each others.

    Not surprisingly, the guys who did this every Wed. were the guys that did 90% of the work.
    Sam Zimmerman


    Vandals Racing alum

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