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Introduction

Becoming a teamlead can seem overwhelming, especially if you don't have that much experience on the team. However, fear not! This article is meant as a guide that you can read beforehand and consult during your time as a teamlead in case you don't know where to turn. A lot of these tips apply to other subteams as well. Additionally, keep in mind that you should lead in a way that you are comfortable with, so use this advice as a guide rather than a set of "laws" that you should follow. 

Getting Started

Here are some helpful ways to get started as a teamlead.

1. Read as many relevant Wiki articles about your subteam as you can, especially about the most recent rocket that has been built. This will help you get an idea of the steps and time involved in each piece of hardware. 
2. Organize a meeting with the previous teamlead, and come prepared with questions such as:
   1. How do I keep members involved?
   2. What are all the parts that need to be built?
   3. What should be improved from when you were a teamlead?
   4. What are the biggest challenges of being a teamlead?
   5. Etc.
3. Start a record of notes for your personal use. This can be a Google doc, a physical notebook, whatever works best for you. You may change the way you organize things as the year progresses, but some form of record keeping is important for:
   1. Making a preliminary list of the hardware that needs to be build
   2. Once you have this list, expanding it into a flowchart showing the breakdown of tasks for each piece of hardware
   3. Making a schedule
   4. Keeping track of team members/attendance

Team Member Retention

Without enough engaged team members, you simply cannot build a rocket. Team member retention is ESSENTIAL to the functioning of your subteam. The paradox of member retention is that you have the most people in the beginning when you have the fewest tasks, and by the time you need the most help, most of your members may have already left if you haven't kept them engaged. The following points are crucial for team member retention.

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1. Come to meetings prepared with tasks to give people, even if they're small. Even if you have the most dedicated members, they will get bored if you continuously have nothing for them to do.
2. Keep track of people's progress in some form. This will not only help you keep track of what still has to be done, but will help you
3. Never assign the same task to two different people unless it's clear that they're collaborating. Doing so is an insult and shows that you don't trust either to get the job done.
4. Unless a part is absolutely critical and you must do it yourself, show trust in your team members and let them do the work after showing them how. Your main duty as teamlead is to pass on knowledge to your team members, and you can't do that if you're doing everything yourself.

Meetings

Most of your time as a teamlead will probably be spent meeting with other people. In general, there are four main types of meetings that you can expect as a teamlead. 

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• If you're organizing a meeting, give people at least 24 hours in advance
• Use whenisgood or similar tools to coordinate meetings if more than 3 people are involved
• Remind people that the meeting is happening at least 30 minutes in advance because people forget sometimes. 
• Don't make a habit of cancelling meetings. If you have a good excuse that's fine, but try to honor your commitments and hold others to this same expectation.
  

Time Management

Here are some general ways to manage your time:

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