1. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Lead a Competitive VEX Team Image retrieved from http://nets.ucar.edu/net s/intro/staff/jcustard/jc- la2004/dilbert20040402 61444.jpg on 11/08/2010.

2. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Lead a Competitive VEX Team  Performance Objective: Given a VEX Robotics Challenge, lead a competitive VEX team, successfully demonstrating appropriate leadership skills  Enabling Objectives:  Describe qualities of a good leader  Demonstrate qualities of a good leader  Explain the rules of the current team competition

3. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Who needs a team leader?  The way a team is led will have a major impact upon the success or failure of the team  The team looks toward the leader as an example

4. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Qualities of a team leader  Team members often look for these traits in their leader:  commitment to people as well as the task  desire to support and serve the team as well as lead from the front  enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and sufficient expertise  willingness to shoulder responsibility rather than pass the buck  ability to make the team come together to achieve more than a group of individuals

5. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Commitment to people  Most team members are primarily concerned about relationship and about being valued as a team member, before they are concerned about the task that the team is to undertake  Feeling secure in a group environment is an important pre-requisite before individual contribution  The good team leader is able to spend time building the team, not only when the team starts off, but when a newcomer joins an existing team

6. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Desire to support  Team members want to see the ability to lead from the front, but they are also strongly motivated by the ability to lead from the back  There is a balance to be struck between a willingness to take on any chores that need to be done by the team, and taking an inappropriate balance of roles so that the leadership is diminished  Team leaders should help team members as much as the leader instructs the team

7. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and expertise  Unsurprisingly team members want to be inspired and motivated by team leadership which has the energy and enthusiasm to fire them up  However, they also want to feel secure that the team leader has themselves, or has access to, the necessary expertise to lead the team in the right direction  The leader doesn't have to be the most knowledgeable of the subject at hand, but if they are not, they must encourage the input of others

8. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Shouldering responsibility  When challenges arise, the leader will need to take responsibility to ensure that they are fixed as far as possible and that the team is strengthened as a result  This does not mean that the leader should admit that issues beyond their control are in any way their fault, but rather adopt a proactive stance to ensure the team is not deflected from its course  Don’t make excuses for tasks not getting done, step up and ensure the tasks get done in the first place

9. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Achieving more as a team  Teams only become a team once there is some synergy within the group (i.e. the team process adds value to that which a group of individuals would achieve without a leader)  This is likely to require the team leader to explore leadership models that share the leadership role within the team:  to have an understanding of different individuals team roles, strengths and gifts  establish a mutual accountability within the team  create a team environment which is open, fun and allows healthy and productive discussion.

10. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Knowing the rules  It is important that the team leader know the rules of the current competition  The team leader must know if a group idea will be legal or illegal in the competition  The team leader must also know what parts can and cannot be used in the VEX competition  A team leader does not need to memorize all the rules, but the rules should be available for quick referencing during the competition season

11. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team VEX Competition  The current VEX Robotic Competition is VEX Round Up  The rules for VEX Round Up can be found online at: http://www.vexforum.com/wiki/index.p hp/Round_Up http://www.vexforum.com/wiki/index.p hp/Round_Up

12. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Demonstrating these skills  You should demonstrate these skills throughout the VEX season while a team leader  To ensure that you perform these skills, complete the Self Evaluation Rubric 6.1, Lead a Competitive VEX Team

13. Available at: www.etcurr.comLesson 6.1 – Lead a Competitive VEX Team Resources  The preceding information on leadership skills was retrieved from: http://www.teal.org.uk/et/page5.htm, on November 8, 2010 http://www.teal.org.uk/et/page5.htm