Everyone is an underdog somewhere. A ballplayer is lost at a chess tournament and a grandmaster is lost at a singing contest. At camp the underdogs are usually the first-year staff, walking into a building full of people who have been close friends for years. Sitting with one of them at a meal costs nothing, and I watch for the young staff who do it, because they tend to become the leaders.
This is the short version. The full lesson, with the story behind it, is in the book.
Take The Summer Camp MBA with you, or get the field notes by email while you work through the lessons here.