When Unbridled Competition Breeds Contempt for the Team

The computer biz is a very ruthlessly competitive profession, so it's no surprise that our kids in Silicon Valley are also very competitive and individualistic. But there's also the concept of the team working towards a goal. And when that basic underpinning is lost, so is respect. Contempt for members follows - whether we're working on a new storage device or operating system, or on a robot.

So where are we heading? Julie Patel wrote a balanced article on why the very successful Gunn High School robotics team imploded, resulting in their disbanding. It contained enough to read between the lines as to what really happened. It's a good Silicon Valley morality tale on how contempt can replace respect, suck in even "responsible adults", and ultimately take out everyone on the team.

A few observations. I hope Coach Dunbar takes a good long medical leave and doesn't "hurry back". He's clearly burned out, overstressed, and making very bad personnel (team) decisions. He needs the time off.

I hope the parents and students get back to what a school is all about - training for the real world and planning for their future life and career. Robotics should be fun and competitive, not obsessive and competitive.

I wonder if the principal (Likins) will also go on leave or transfer. According to the article, she's the one who's actions were most questionable - through her own coach's own claims: "Dunbar said it was Likins who threw the boy off the team." It's either one or the other. I wonder what a judge would say. But perhaps administrators aren't as vulnerable as teachers. Who can say?

Unfortunately, the serious seniors are the ones who will suffer the most. But they also had three good years on the team. So I hope they go to the robotics competitions anyway and cheer on the other local schools, from Woodside to Los Gatos High School to Bellermine, and learn the value of respect and cooperation.

Because in the end run, it's really about love of the sport - not love of yourself.