Who are you competing against?

The company - who wants innovation and change, and schedules out long meetings each week with large groups to talk about it.

The non-profit - who wants to change the world, and articulates it in vague ways.

The government - that promises reform when elected, but can't get it through the legislature once in office.

The team - that sketches out big ideas for the design/programming/sensors... and doesn't have enough time to test it.

In all these cases, and in most of life, the real competition is ourselves - not those who we traditionally categorize as competitors.

Why post this here?

Because you, and the groups you lead, have the chance to recognize this and avoid it. FIRST can be a microcosm of change and it starts with you. Luckily that feedback loop is pretty rapid within FIRST competitions. Other organizations learn this (or don't) only after years and years.