Not long ago, we asked on our Facebook page, what advice did veteran Team Managers have to share? Here are some of the gems we got:
- ” I have a very, very bright clipboard. If I need it to be with the team, it goes on the clipboard…directions to the tournament, cell phone numbers, for younger teams a copy of all the paperwork…and everyone is shown the clipboard…then I Leo have convinced very team that I suck at keeping track of paperwork, which leads them to be vigilant about keeping track of the clipboard”. (Thank you, Stacy Hogsett).
- “My best piece of advice is to NOT stress out during the last “crunch week” – every team that I’ve ever worked with has managed to pull it all together at the 11th hour, without fail. It is what it is, and things will be just as they are supposed to be”. (Thank you, Ally Hrinchuk)
- “Don’t forget to practice Instant Challenge”.(Thank you, Marie Russell).
- Our friends at Minnesota Destination Imagination’s community shared these:
- Let go and allow the team to “own” their solution. This is not about you, it is about them. Be encouraging and supportive, not controlling. This will also reduce your stress level considerably
- Sometimes the team needs to scrap a solution and start from scratch. This is more than stressful for the team manager, but if it reenergizes the team they will probably move forward much faster with a fresh idea.
- Try to get out of the mindset of telling the team why something won’t work or can’t be done. You may be right, but they need to figure this out for themselves. It’s a lot easier to edit creativity than it is to teach it.
Have other bits of advice? Click here to share them on our Facebook page!