The Leadership Challenge :: Tips and Techniques

"The personal learning catalyzed by a top-notch program can be tremendous. The problem my research suggests, is what happens when a manager comes back to the day-to-day routine of the office." —Herminia Ibarra, INSEAD

Becoming a leader is a life's work. Great leadership is the product of rich and varied experiences, clear values, good mentoring, thoughtful reflection, shared insights, and deliberate practice.

World class leadership training, like that found in The Leadership Challenge, can be a tremendous catalyst for accelerated leadership growth and development. But training is not, by itself, sufficient. Optimizing leadership development requires a holistic approach that includes what happens before, during and, especially, after training.

Moreover, leadership training has to be woven into the fabric of the organization. Values have to be lived and modeled. Training can succeed only where the current leaders have credibility, where their actions are consistent with the values and principles the training espouses.

You have to think beyond the classroom if you want to optimize the value that your organization gains from leadership training. You have to put in place systems and processes to support leaders as they work to apply new insights and skills. And, you have to "model the way" by practicing what you preach.

The Six Disciplines
We have found that the most effective leadership programs incorporate The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning (The 6Ds™):
D1: Define business outcomes
D2: Design the COMPLETE experience
D3: Deliver for application
D4: Drive follow-through
D5: Deploy active support
D6: Document results

An example of these principles in action is the Leadership Challenge® Workshop, which has a 10-week extension to the program using Friday5s®. This web-based program establishes a clear timeline for follow through and reminds participants to stop, reflect, plan and apply what they have learned to help them put their learning to work. It encourages learners to seek feedback from their managers and peers, provides supporting content, and documents progress and achievement.

Achieving Excellence
The path to leadership excellence requires specific goals, dedicated practice, caring feedback, and thoughtful reflection.

Specific goals
"Leaders must have the capacity to envision an uplifting and ennobling image of the future and to enlist others in a common purpose." (Kouzes and Posner: A Leader's Legacy, p. 100). The leader's ability to envision an ennobling future is critical not only for the organizations they lead, but for themselves as well. To optimize the value of leadership training, leaders need to reflect on the feedback they have received and select a very few, specific, high-impact goals for improving their leadership.

While a goal-setting exercise is part of most leadership programs, too often it is given little time and attention. Setting a personal vision and objectives for enhanced leadership is hard and thoughtful work. It is not something to be dashed off in a few minutes. Nor should those goals, once set, be relegated to the forgotten pages of a neglected notebook on a dusty bookshelf.

For development goals to have maximum value, they need to be shared and understood by all those who can contribute to their achievement. In the case of development goals, that means people closest to the leader who can provide ideas, feedback, coaching and support. Leadership development is a team sport.

To optimize the value of leadership training, encourage participants to set one or two high-impact, stretch goals for themselves. Then encourage learners to share those goals with their managers, direct reports, and spouses or partners with a request for support and feedback.

Dedicated practice
Studies of top-level human performance in a wide range of fields—from business, to chess, to sports and the performing arts—have all concluded that the amount of practice is what separates the truly great from the also-rans. "The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what experts call 'deliberate practice.' It's activity that's explicitly intended to improve performance that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence . . . " (Fortune, October 30, 2006, p. 94)

As there is a direct correlation between expertise and the number of hours of practice, leaders need to deliberately practice what they have been taught if they are to optimize the value of leadership training. It is especially important that they be reminded and encouraged to practice early in the development of new skills and habits, when they still feel foreign and awkward. In the absence of reminders, encouragement, and expectations for practice, it is easy to slip back into old habits.

Too often, developmental objectives "fall off the radar" in the face of other, more urgent, but seldom more important, objectives. That is why The Leadership Challenge® Workshop incorporates a system which actively reminds participants of their goals and the importance of continuing to work toward them on a predictable schedule.

Caring feedback
"Real experts seek out constructive, even painful feedback." (Harvard Business Review, July-August 2007, p. 121). However thoughtful and self-aware leaders may be, it is impossible to be truly objective about one's own performance. "To stay honest with ourselves, what we really need are "loving critics"—people who care deeply enough about us to give us honest feedback about how we're doing." (A Leader's Legacy, p. 28).

But asking for feedback is not a natural act. Indeed the statement that ranks lowest on the Leadership Practices Inventory® from the observer's point-of-view is: "(He or she) asks for feedback on how his/her actions affect other people's performance." So, to help participants maximize the value of leadership training, we need to make feedback readily available and actively encourage its use.

There are various means to accomplish this, including: establishing learning partners or peer coaching teams, providing professional coaches, and facilitating manager involvement. Follow through management systems can be used to encourage feedback in a number of ways: managers can be sent a link to their direct report's goals that includes a built-in feedback form; each participant can see everyone else's goals and progress and be encouraged to provide feedback and coaching; a feedback request form pops up every time a participant completes an update.

Thoughtful reflection
Forum Corporation's Principles of Workplace Learning concluded that maximizing the impact of training required alternating cycles of action and reflection. All action—being caught in an endless 'do-loop'—creates little new insight. All reflection without action is empty philosophizing. Instead, learning from experience requires taking action and making the time to reflect on the results: What went well and should be repeated or enhanced? What could have gone better and, therefore, what do I need to change or do differently in the future? What is my next move?

Unfortunately, time for reflection is under assault everywhere by an increasing workload and an ever-expanding array of disruptive electronic devices. To maximize the impact of leadership training, we need to remind leaders that "We have to stop doing for some amount of time each day." (A Leader's Legacy, p. 103) We have to prompt them to stop and reflect on their leadership and their goals and values, on the opportunities taken and the opportunities missed to improve each day. We have to encourage the practice of the art of reflection.

To further this practice, The Leadership Challenge follow through system, for example, poses questions for reflection on each update:

What have you done to make progress on your goals?
How far did you get?
What are you going to do next?
What did you learn in the process?

Summary
Leadership training can be a life-changing event, a critical accelerator in becoming a great leader.

Its full impact, however, requires continued effort and practice back on the job. To optimize the value of training, business leaders, HR professionals, and learning professionals need to treat leadership development as a process rather than an 'event.'

Increasing deliberate practice, feedback, and support are the areas of greatest opportunity to increase the positive impact of leadership training. Systems and processes need to be in place to extend learning beyond the classroom and encourage application in day-to-day leadership.

Most importantly, the environment has to be right. The future leaders we want and need to run our organizations can only emerge in an environment where values are clear and unflinchingly modeled, where leaders genuinely care about the people that work for them, and take their greatest pride from the leaders they have helped develop.

Andrew McK. Jefferson is president and chief operating officer for Fort Hill. He is an accomplished executive in both operational and legal roles. He can be reached at Jefferson@forthillcompany.com Roy V. H. Pollock serves as chief learning officer for Fort Hill. He has extensive experience in both line management and strategy development. He reached at Pollock@forthillcompany.com. Calhoun W. Wick is the found and CEO of Fort Hill Company. He is recognized nationally as a consultant, educator, and researcher on improving the performance of managers and organizations. He can be reached at wick@forthillcompany.com.

Leadership Art by Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan

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If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so are many other things associated with art. I am fascinated by the way people interpret drawings, paintings, sculptures-and inkblots. In this activity, we use alternative interpretations of graphic art to explore elements of leadership.

Purpose
To identify characteristics of effective leaders

Participants
Minimum: 2
Maximum: any number
Best: 10 - 30
(Participants are divided into groups of 4 to 6)

Time
20 to 45 minutes

Supplies

Blank pieces of paper
Boxes of crayons
Whistle

Flow
Form teams. Divide participants into equal-sized teams of four to six members each. Seat team members around a table.

Distribute supplies. Place sheets of drawing paper and boxes of crayons in the middle of each table. Ask each participant to take a sheet of paper and to share the crayons.

Time to draw. Invite each participant to draw an abstract picture that captures the characteristics of an effective leader. Discourage participants from focusing on artistic quality and encourage them to flow with their intuitive thoughts and feelings. Prohibit the artists from using any words, letters, numbers, or symbols found on a computer keyboard. Also advise participants not to look at each other's artwork. Announce a 5-minute time limit for this activity.

Time to stop. At the end of 5 minutes, blow the whistle and ask the artists to stop their activity. Reassure them that it does not matter if their artwork is not yet complete.

Interpret other people's pictures. At each table, ask participants to take turns holding up their pictures. While doing this, ask each person to perform the difficult task of keeping his or her mouth shut. Invite other participants around the table to treat the picture as a symbolic depiction of effective leadership characteristics and report what they see in it. It is not necessary that participants take turns in presenting their interpretations. Anyone may call out insights whenever he or she feels inspired.

Interpret your own picture. After all pictures have been interpreted, ask each participants to repeat the process of holding up the pictures. This time, however, each participant should describe what leadership characteristics the picture is intended to convey.

Debriefing
Encourage a debriefing discussion at each table. Use questions similar to these to structure this discussion:

What leadership characteristics were most frequently mentioned?
What leadership characteristics were unexpected and unique?
How accurately did the others interpret your drawing?
How accurately did you interpret other people's drawings?
Which leadership characteristic is your strongest point? Did you include this characteristic in your drawing?
Which leadership quality do you lack? Did you include this in your drawing?

Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, Ph.D., is Resident Mad Scientist at the Thiagi Group, a Bloomington, Indiana-based organization with the mission of helping people improve their performance effectively and enjoyably.

Leadership Essentials by Kitty and Bob Preziosi

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Objectives

To introduce session participants to key leadership skills
To exchange perspectives on important leader behavior

Audience
A group of no more than twelve participants who are beginning a leadership training program

Time
2 minutes each for up to twelve participants

Materials and Equipment

Easel with flip-chart pad
Markers
Two Debrief Essentials sets

Area Setup
Open space for moving around

Process

Place fourteen foam Debrief Essentials toys on a table
Tell participants to stand and walk over to the table; each of them should select an item that represents a particular leadership skill or behavior
Ask participants to return to their seats
Ask each participant, in turn, to stand and tell the entire group what leadership skill or behavior the item he or she chose represents
Record on a flip chart each skill or behavior
Ask the group to brainstorm other leadership essential skills or behaviors; record the ideas on flip-chart paper
Add to the list based on any aspect of the course content that participants may have missed
Lead a discussion about any leaders participants have encountered who have all the skills and behaviors that have been identified
Segue into the next learning activity

Insider's Tips

This should be a fast-paced exercise
Ask an occasional question about a particular toy and the identified behavior or skill

Excerpted from Trainer's Warehouse Book of Games: Fun and Energizing Ways to Enhance Learning edited by Elaine Biech.

Kitty Preziosi has over twenty years experience as a company team leader and senior consultant for achieving strategic initiatives. Bob Preziosi is a professor of management at the Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University. Together, Bob and Kitty own Preziosi Partners, Inc., a consulting firm.

Bring the Power of Storytelling to Leadership Development, by Robert Thompson

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"I need help focusing on what really matters," said Joe. "I need to know how to actually do the stuff you guys talk about."

"Are you really ready to make some changes?" Charlie asked.

"I couldn't be more ready. I had quite a bit of time to think yesterday. Impending death really boils down the important stuff. I need to show up and speak up and all of those things. Otherwise, I might as well shut up and show myself to the door."

"That's a nifty little twist," chuckled Charlie. "I guess you really were paying attention."

"Oh, I don't have any problem with the hearing," said Joe. "It's the doing I've had a tough time with. I don't know what the Hell I'm doing. I feel like I'm just shadowboxing with the truth."

Excerpted from The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable

Joe, one of the key characters in The Offsite, is an amalgam of people I have met over the years. People like Joe walk through life in a fog and hope people don't see through the masks they wear that cover up their fear of being recognized as a fake.

If an epiphany happens to the "Joes" it usually takes a trauma or two to shake them free from their limited thinking patterns. However, weather patterns shift. Fog clears.

For leaders, one of the best ways to clear the fog is to draft what I call a Vision Story. Similar to the vision work in The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, a Vision Story takes it a bit further. It asks participants to actually create a story, one they can use in its entirety or as selected sound bites in all of their communication.

As this process became more popular with clients, it organically became more formalized. It was obvious that the process could help create community, team spirit, and direction. It was not a check-the-box activity. And it needed a name. Thus, the Never Ending Story Community Building process was born, which I then used in my book The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable.

While this technique—which resulted from my reading, research, as well as tons of trial and error—was not spanking new, it was a new way for me to look at the vision process and it produced great results for clients looking to bring focus to their efforts. In addition, it allowed individuals to see that they, too, could be creative and provided them with a template to use in both their personal and professional lives.

The Never Ending Story Community Building Process

Discover what matters to you. If you are going to take the lead, what excites you about doing that? You must deeply care about the issue or outcome to light your pilot light.
What is today's story? You must specifically identify the good, bad and ugly of your current situation. Knowing where you are and where you want to be on a day-to-day basis is crucial. It is only then that you can fill the gap.
What does the future story need to be? Identify the compelling elements. Be sure your values can be seen and heard. Once you have written this piece, re-read it. Be sure you believe in it. Your passion pilot light must be intense or your story won't pass the 'snicker' test.
Who/What will assist you? Who/What will oppose? You must look at individual behaviors, systems, process, policy, staff skills, strategy, and budget, to name a few.
Take action by personally inviting supporters to join with you in developing your story. Just because they're working with you does not mean they feel invited.
Clarify the benefits to you and your colleagues. Everyone wants to know what's in it for them.
Ask why you want this repeatedly until you arrive at your deepest reason.
Write your story. Let your pilot light burn brightly. Just write what you really want. Don't edit as you go. Rewrite and edit later.

Through the years, I have found Stephen Denning's book, The Leader's Guide to Storytelling, to be the best and easiest resource to help people ignite their 'inner storytelling creator' and go deeper into the process. He advises us to be sure our story "has a happy ending; it's brief and naturally interesting; it should personify the change message; it should be able to be understood easily and move the listener to a deeper level of understanding."

When people get stuck, I always advise them to just tell us about "a day in the life" of their workplace a year from now. When they come to work what is going on? How are people behaving? What results are you getting? Sometimes participants reach back into the past, pulling experiences forward and using them as levers to move to the future.

I recently had the opportunity to work in-depth with the top executives at San Diego's Palomar Pomerado Health, a non-profit health organization. Here's a recent story from Joanne Barnett, a nurse manager, who was concerned about keeping the 'care' in caring. Her story, which reaches into the past, hits most of Denning's suggestions. It definitely helps provide direction for her team and motivation for the organization as well.

Late one night, there was a man: a father, a husband who fell asleep at the wheel. He woke to lights, sirens, and firefighters in their yellow turnouts while pinned under a semi-truck with the engine block on his lap. In the distance, he could hear a helicopter arriving. He loses consciousness as the jaws-of-life are used to attempt to save his life.

As black fluid leaked from his vehicle, a flight nurse and firefighter are talking and they both shake their heads. The nurse puts on a pair of yellow turnouts, and climbs in the back of the mangled car.

"Sir, where do you hurt," she asks. He hesitates and says "I don't" and then pauses, "It's bad isn't it?" he whispers with a strange calm in his voice.

A moment-of-truth. What can you say to make the patient feel better?

"Sir we are doing everything we can and I promise to do everything I can to get you to the hospital, but every time they try to get you out, you lose consciousness. Is there anybody you would like to talk to?"

"My wife", he says.

The nurse looks at the firefighter whose head is poking through the driver's window with tears streaming down his face as he says, "I have a cell phone".

The patient whispers his phone number and closes his eyes. It takes all of his strength to talk.

" i honey, just wanted to let you know I'll be home late tonight, there is an accident on the freeway, No I'm fine, kiss the kids and see you soon."

He closes his eyes and his breathing is a little shallower. The nurse and firefighter nod knowingly to each other . . . it's time.

As the nurse gets out of the car, the patient whispers, "Please, I don't want to die alone". At that moment, the heaviness in her heart outweighs the weight of the turnouts. The nurse holds the man's hand as a single tear rolls down his cheek.

The roar from the Jaws of Life was deafening and in one swift motion, the car is pulled from the semi. In it, lies a lifeless man and the nurse lets go of his hand. As she turns around, the silence is deafening and tears glistened from the faces of the firefighters as she too started to cry.

Compassion makes us humble. Caring makes us real. Riding the wave of the future of healthcare is exciting. New technology, innovative ideas are invigorating and working in the hospital of the future is our goal. Growth is challenging. My hope is that as we evolve, no one loses sight of why we are in healthcare. What we do is noble yet it is easy to lose sight of what matters. The patient is what matters and their perception about how we cared. It's easy to get lost in the future but we must continue to set the example of compassion while empowering each other to do our best.

Technology may allow us to do more in a shorter period, but we are measured by not just what we did, but how we did it. I will never forget that night and how four little words "I have a phone" made such a difference. I have touched many lives, but this one left such an impression, I encourage us all to be extraordinary. Always want to do what is best for the patient and not just what is best for you.

The team that night could have very easily done the job without any thought as to who that patient was. It's easier to blend with technology and innovation rather than wear your heart on your sleeve. Nevertheless, we can truly shine in the darkness when we do the right thing. Why? Because we touch a life. Why? Because we can save a life. Why? Because we can make a difference. Why? Because the difference is what counts. What patients remember is everlasting. To really see what is before you, to put yourself in your patient's shoes and do the right thing, is compassion and caring, and if the only thing you can do is hold the hand of a dying man or let him speak to his wife one last time, that is greatness.

As a PPH employee, I encourage everyone to continue to persevere to do the right thing, to hold that hand and care for every patient that you touch with compassion. Compassion and teamwork is the legacy of Palomar Pomerado Health.

Joanne's emotionally charged story is certainly a candidate to be used in a variety of settings. Other stories generated from this organization focused on patient care, community outreach, and staff retention with many touching an emotional chord like Joanne's as well. In some way, they all reflect the official vision of the organization. All of their stories make a solid foundation for future presentations.

Many people balk at first about 'writing a story'. "I'm not a writer," they shout. However, my experience says that once people see how well they have done with the process they become more excited. They begin to use their story in full or as sound bites in their conversations and emails, etc. They also find that it is just a great template to keep in mind for their many communication needs.

Robert Thompson is the author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. A sought-after speaker, workshop leader, and executive coach, he is founder of Applied Performance, a leadership and personal communication services company.

You can reach him at rht@earthlink.net or www.leaderinsideout.com.

Adding to Your Leadership Library, by Marisa Holland Kelley

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As proponents and practitioners of The Leadership Challenge®, we work to bring the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® to life. One of the ways we can reinforce our efforts is by maintaining a library of leadership-related publications for ourselves and our clients. An excellent addition to your library is the Ideas into Action Guidebooks series from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL).

CCL is the world's largest institution devoted exclusively to leadership research and education. For more than three decades, CCL has studied and trained hundreds of thousands of managers and executives and worked with them to create practical models, tools, and publications for the development of effective leaders and leadership. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today's leadership and organizational challenges.

The purpose of the guidebooks is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. Much of this knowledge is shared in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. In doing that, the series carries out CCL's mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide.

Each guidebook is short, about 30 pages or so, and highlights advice such as how to get the most out of your executive coach, how to improve your active listening skills, and how to launch your team on the right foot. This series is available now.

Ideas into Action Guidebooks, from the Center for Creative Leadership

    Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead
    Adaptability: Responding Effectively to Change
    Becoming a More Versatile Learner
    Building an Authentic Leadership Image
    Building Resiliency
    Building Your Team's Morale, Pride, and Spirit
    Choosing an Executive Coach
    Communicating Across Cultures
    Communicating Your Vision
    Critical Reflections: How Groups Can Learn from Success and Failure
    Developing Cultural Adaptability: How to Work Across Differences
    Developing Your Intuition: A Guide to Reflective Practice
    Do You Really Need a Team?
    Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message
    Finding Your Balance
    Giving Feedback to Subordinates
    How to Form a Team: Five Keys to High Performance
    How to Launch a Team: Start Right for Success
    Influence: Gaining Commitment, Getting Results
    Keeping Your Career on Track
    Leadership Networking: Connect, Collaborate, Create
    Leading Dispersed Teams
    Learning from Life: Turning Life's Lessons into Leadership Experience
    Maintaining Team Performance
    Making Creativity Practical: Innovation That Gets Results
    Managing Conflict with Direct Reports
    Managing Conflict with Peers
    Managing Conflict with Your Boss
    Ongoing Feedback
    Preparing for Development: Making the Most of Formal Leadership Programs
    Reaching Your Development Goals
    Selling Yourself without Selling Out: A Leader's Guide to Ethical Self-Promotion
    Setting Priorities: Personal Values, Organizational Results
    Setting Your Development Goals: Start with Your Values
    Social Identity: Knowing Yourself, Knowing Others
    Three Keys to Development: Defining and Meeting Your Leadership Challenges
    Using Your Executive Coach

Marisa Holland Kelley is a Senior Editorial Assistant for Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley. She works on The Leadership Challenge® franchise and recently observed The Leadership Challenge® Workshop in Sonoma.

Connecting to the Business, by Valarie Willis

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One challenge that we continue to face in training and development is how to make the training-to-business connection. The following exercise suggests one way to make that link.

Where your organization may have implemented some type of employee survey, what typically follows is that a task force is put together to determine how to fix the problems identified. While the concept of creating a task force is a great idea, we still need to help leaders see the critical role they must play in making those necessary changes happen. The method that has worked quite well for me is to develop a way to connect the survey questions and outcomes to leaders' training and development initiatives.

Obtain a copy of the survey results to upcoming survey questions
Map as many of these as you can to The Five Practices
Put one question or issue on an index card.( I usually have a different colored card for each practice.)
Pass out the deck of cards to teams and have them come up with explicit ways that show how their leadership influences or impacts the issue
Report out
Have each member select one area of opportunity

Completing this exercise helps to connect the dots between employee surveys and leadership practices.

Valarie Willis is an expert in helping organizations and individuals optimize results and shape the workplace of tomorrow. Inspiring people to reach their full potential, she is a Master Facilitator of The Leadership Challenge Workshop® and can be reached at vwillis@cinci.rr.com.

Three Roles of Leaders: Understanding Leadership by Parth Sarathi

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Goal
To experience and conceptualize three important leadership processes: envisioning; aligning others toward the vision; and ensuring execution or implementation.

Group Size
15-30 participants

Time Required
Approximately 90 minutes

Materials
One copy of Three Roles of Leaders for each participant
Flip chart and markers

Physical Setting
A room large enough for grouping participants in dyads and small groups comfortably. Chairs may be placed along the walls, keeping the central space open.

Process

Ask participants to form pairs, preferably with others they do not know well.
State that they are going to participate in an activity in which one person plays the role of a sculptor and the other the raw materials. The raw material, however, is living and can think and decide whether to respond or not to the instruction of the sculptor. Provide a few minutes time to the participants and answer their questions.
Ask the "sculptors" to visualize a pose or an object or an act that appears artistically impressive and that can be made by using the given "raw material," that is, the other participant in the dyad. Tell them not to disclose any information verbally about what they want. If the sculptors want to use pencil and paper, they can do so without showing their envisioned object to their partners or to others. (5 minutes.)
Announce that the sculptors will make or construct the object or pose that they have visualized using the raw material. Also announce that, during the creation process, neither the sculptor nor the raw material may speak. The sculptor should give his or her instructions nonverbally. Remind them that the material is free to respond or not respond; act or react; do whatever is preferred. Tell them they have five minutes. Observe the action. (5 minutes.)
Ask those who finish early to remain near their objects and ask the objects to remain in the same poses if possible.
Ask all the sculptors to observe each other's creations in the room. After they have seen each other's creations, ask them to sit down in their seats and allow the objects to sit down also. Ask them about their feelings, and summarize on a flip chart. Urge them to share their experiences through answering the following questions.
   a. How did you feel when visualizing the pose or object?
   b. How did the raw material feel when he or she was instructed by the sculptor? Did the raw material obey?
   c. What did the sculptor do when the material did not respond positively?
   d. How did the sculptors persuade or influence the materials to do what was wanted? How did the sculptors make the raw material understand the images that were visualized? (10 minutes.)
Add any observations or highlights you experienced during the activity.
Ask the group to divide into groups of 5 or 6 people each. Ask each group to choose a sculptor again. This time, in every group there will be one sculptor and the remaining members will be the raw materials.
After they have formed groups and chosen their sculptors, ask the sculptors to raise their hands so that they are identified. Announce, "This time every member of the group, not just the sculptor, will visualize a pose, object, or scenery that can be executed by all the members of the group together, again nonverbally. Please close your eyes and visualize a pose, object, or scenery that appeals to you." (5 minutes)
After 5 minutes, ask them to open their eyes and verbally share their images/visions with their group members and try to select any one vision to enact by discussion and convincing, not by voting. As modifications are suggested, the members must agree or not. The agreed-on images/poses/vision may be explained to all members in the group. Allow 15 minutes for them to share, discuss, and decide on one image, pose, scenery, or vision for presentation. Groups may also go to different rooms for discussion if they desire. (15 minutes.)
After 15 minutes, have all participants reconvene. Ask each group to make a 5-minute presentation of its vision to the large group by enacting/executing it nonverbally, as before, but with all members in the group as raw material and thus taking part in the presentation. Remind everyone that it is to be nonverbal.
After each presentation, have others guess what they were trying to depict.
After the presentations are over, have all members of the large group, including the sculptors, share their experiences. a. What was different the second time around? Why do you think this was true? b. What is the message you take from this activity? How will you act differently in the future as a result of your experience?
Provide the Three Roles of Leaders handout to each person and ask them to read it silently. After a few minutes, conclude by giving a brief presentation based on the handout. Ask participants how this activity was related to each of the three leadership roles described. Ask how each type of relationship transfers to the real world. Again ask participants what they might do differently in the future if they were creating another vision. (15 minutes.)
Summarize with a reminder of the three leadership roles.

Variation
In the first round, instead of only one raw material (model), the sculptor may use two or three at a time and visualize accordingly.

Three Roles of Leaders
Leaders have to do different things depending on their areas of activity, roles, and responsibilities, as well as on their own desires and goals. The three tasks are common: envisioning, aligning followers to their vision, and ensuring execution. In all three roles, influencing remains the core skill.

Envisioning
The leader envisions the organization in the future, i.e., what will the organization be five years or ten years from now? This is the dream for the future organization: "the vision." The vision may be made more specific by formulating a mission. Envisioning essentially is dreaming, and dreaming requires imagination. A leader who is highly imaginative, intuitive, and creative envisions spontaneously. But many are strong analytical thinkers, and for them dreaming may be difficult. They have to depend on others-insiders and outsiders-to translate their dreams.

Aligning People Toward the Vision
For implementation, the leader's vision has to become the vision of followers-a shared vision. For this, the leader has to involve others and also involve them in the mission. The leader influences top management and key people of the organization through his or her skills and charisma. These key people, after internalizing the vision and mission, start converting others and aligning them toward the vision and mission.

When influencing people, four types of strategies are frequently used:

Rewards: This strategy uses some rewards, tangible or intangible, for making people agree or do what the leader wants them to agree to or do.
Reason: The leader tries to convince others or accomplish tasks by using rationale, logic, facts, and figures. Leaders explain the reasons for accomplishing the task or reaching an agreement.
Relationships: A leader using this strategy focuses on the interpersonal needs, specifically the emotional needs of followers. The leader remains in the position of follower and tries to feel or experience the same feelings, reactions, and responses. Using the interpersonal needs (inclusion, control, and affection) (Schutz, 1967), the leader wants to gain the acceptance of the followers. These leaders use emotional intelligence and empathy extensively.
Group Appeal: This is a very powerful strategy used by visionary leaders. They identify a powerful super-ordinate goal and try to convince and invite followers to accept and align themselves with it. The charisma of the leader, as well as his or her visibility and credibility, help a lot.

Ensuring Execution
This leadership task is essential for actualizing the dreams. The leader specifies tasks, activities, and targets that must be carried out for achieving the vision and mission at different levels and by different groups. Agencies that will carry out the tasks are defined and spelled out clearly, as is a time frame. Once the activities are assigned to the appropriate people by the leader, he or she uses various strategies and styles to be sure the tasks are completed.

Reference
Schutz, W.C. (1967). FIRO B. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

This exercise was originally published in The 2005 Pfeiffer Annual: Consulting edited by Elaine Biech.

Parth Sarathi is a practicing manager with a diverse background. He started his career after obtaining a degree in metallurgical engineering and subsequently obtained PG qualifications in industrial engineering and management (H.R.). He is an accredited Behavior Process Facilitator, Thomas Profile Licensee, and Competency Assessor. An accomplished trainer and consultant, he has authored a number of books and articles.

Please visit www.pfeiffer.com to learn about the 2008 Pfeiffer Annuals and select volumes from previous years.

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®: A Way of Facilitating by Daren Blonski

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The most effective facilitators of the Leadership Challenge® Workshop are those that live The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®-day in and day out-and are able to talk about them from personal life experiences. I have watched and worked with many facilitators. Some have lived The Five Practices and taught from their experience while others have facilitated the workshop and treated it like just another training curriculum. The difference shows!

Teaching The Five Practices in a meaningful way requires a commitment: make the time to fully understand and live each of them within the context of your own life so that you can facilitate from a place of authenticity.

Redefine your own life experiences within the context of The Five Practices.
I often tell clients that The Five Practices are common sense-articulated. All of us have used The Five Practices at one point or another, but we often only reach a full understanding of what they mean and how they impact our everyday lives when we stop to reflect and reframe some of our experiences as leaders. So, call upon your own experiences. Compelling, personal stories make a big difference when facilitating and helping others develop their leadership competencies.

Seek complete 360 Feedback.
The Leadership Challenge is about changing lives at work and home. As a facilitator, I highly recommend that you challenge participants to incorporate the way they lead at home into their leadership self-assessment. Encourage participants to reflect on their leadership behaviors in all aspects of their lives.

Although an in-depth discussion of family life leadership in the workshop isn't necessary, the topic should not be ignored. Prior to the workshop, I recommend that participants ask for feedback on their LPI 360 from their family. Some of the most vibrant and powerful experiences using The Five Practices can come from these interactions.

Know the content in the book.
The Leadership Challenge® Workshop facilitators need to be expertly fluent in The Leadership Challenge. There is no substitute for taking the time to have a complete working knowledge of the book's content. Expert facilitators are able to weave in and out of The Five Practices as the needs of participants change. And the ability to respond quickly and nimbly to your audience only comes from having a solid, personal connection to the material. This takes time and focus.

Facilitate don't train.
The Five Practices are incredibly meaningful and have the power to change lives-but only if you build into your workshop an opportunity for a robust dialogue among participants on how they can apply each of them to their own life experiences. Engage participants in discussing the various subtleties and nuances that can bring out the true power of The Five Practices. When participants can place these principles in the context of a specific life experience, they are more likely to carry the practices with them when the workshop has ended.

Help participants connect a feeling to The Five Practices.
It can be easy to leave participants with a 30,000-mile, sky-high understanding of The Five Practices. A technique I have used to bring The Five Practices down-to-earth is offered in the following example. The goal is to help participants identify the feeling of each behavior associated with the respective practice-making the practice and the behavior personal and relevant.

Referring to item 16 (Asks for feedback on how his/her actions affect other people's performance) from the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), ask participants to reflect on their life experiences and identify times when they used a behavior associated with one of The Five Practices. Ask them to link that behavior to a feeling and to identify actions they can take in the future that will illicit the same emotion. By focusing on the feeling associated with the leadership behavior, participants can more effectively connect to the practice.

Note: An underlying assumption for employing the Model the Way exercise is that workshop participants are familiar with the thirty behaviors Kouzes and Posner identify in The Leadership Challenge and have used each of them at one point in their lives. Also be aware that some participants may have had a negative experience using one of The Five Practices. If a participant has a difficult time with this exercise, I might use item 14 (Treats others with dignity and respect).

Example: Model the Way
Ask workshop participants to consider the following:

Reflect on a time in your life when you asked for feedback on how your actions affected someone else's performance.
What were the feelings you experienced? Were you nervous? Were you at ease? Were you unsure? Zero in on your exact feeling.
Describe the setting in which this situation occurred.

Once participants have identified the experience and their feelings, have them think about an upcoming project where they will have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership. Help them translate their newly-acquired knowledge into specific action steps that they can take to apply this learning to a new situation.
How can you create the same experience as you described above?
What are the actions you can take in that situation to illicit the same feeling you had in the experience you just described?

This process of reflection can help participants connect their lives to The Five Practices. It is also a valuable tool to reinforce learning after the workshop and help encourage participants to continue practicing the art of leadership.

The Talent Myth by Jim Kouzes

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There is increasing evidence that "talent" is highly over-rated. Simply hiring the best talent and letting them loose to do their jobs is not the formula for success. Instead, evidence on expert performance is showing us that the key to becoming exemplary in anything—whether it's music, sports, medicine, or leadership—is directly related to how much people engage in disciplined practice. Those who engage in more disciplined practice are higher performers than those who are engage in less practice.

It's time for those in leadership development to take a stand! Instead of accepting the notion that shorter is better, we need to speak the truth and focus our organizations and clients on the fact that those who become the best at anything are those who spend more time, not less, on their growth and development.

We, as leadership development professionals, are critical to bringing out the leader in everyone. Our work can play a pivotal role in getting organizations and individuals to increase the amount of time and attention that is paid to this practice.

Whether working with clients in coaching or training environments, here are several techniques to keep people focused and engaged in the practice of leadership:

Get a baseline assessment of how your clients are performing on solid measures of leadership behavior, using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), for example
Set very specific goals for improvement
Engage in designed learning activities that focus on these established goals
In those designed learning experiences, concentrate on technique as much as outcome
Offer immediate feedback on how well your clients are performing
Help your clients identify ways to 'practice' at least 2 hours each day while engaged in the normal routines of business
Repeat, repeat, and repeat.

There is a caveat, however. Unless we really love something, we don't tend to want to put in the practice in order to improve or to excel at what we are trying to do. That applies as much to leadership as it does to engineering, medicine, or teaching. Clients won't expend the energy it takes to master leadership unless they love it. Fortunately, HR has a critical part to play in helping clients see and appreciate how important leaders are to group or team performance and how rewarding it can be when they are truly doing their best and performing at the highest possible levels. Coaches, trainers, and HR professionals at all levels can make the critical difference between good performance and great performance.

Jim Kouzes is a highly regarded leadership scholar, experienced executive, and coauthor (with Barry Posner) of The Leadership Challenge. He also is an executive fellow at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University and has been cited by The Wall Street Journal as one of the twelve best executive educators in the U.S.

HELPING PEOPLE IMPLEMENT THEIR ACTION PLANS by Kelly Ann McKnight

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As a facilitator and coach, I have always struggled with the fact that people do not always implement their action plans when they return to the real world. Given that my personal journey is about helping others realize their dreams, this lack of follow-through becomes an issue for me. In my experience, people are more apt to continue their leadership journey if they remain connected to the people with whom they were trained. If they find a safe environment where there is a common language and a shared commitment to change, they are far more likely to stay the course. To this end I do everything I can to make this happen.

Here are some things I have done in the past that have helped get and keep people connected and supporting one another as they work toward their personal leadership development goals:

Tips for Connecting the Group During the Session:

Help the group create inside jokes and propagate them.
Add flipcharts to the walls that have words or graphics that relate to something the group has created. For example, a recent group I worked with kept talking about the campfire they had enjoyed the night before. Repeatedly, they said, "What a great fire!" I simply drew a picture of a fire and put those words beside it. It validated for the group that the experiences they have outside the training room are just as important as those inside during the facilitated portion of the program. It also forges a deeper connection within the group.
Create peer-coaching relationships.
Link people up so that they can continue to support each other back at work, perhaps with phone calls or occasional meetings to see how the action plan implementation is going. Allowing clients a little time during the session to plan how they will work together typically generates willing participation. For example, I always give clients a chance to practice this new relationship during training with a 10-minute chat about their plans. I follow the activity in the section on "Committing" in the Participant's Workbook but I also offer teams the option of creating something else if they wish. My goal is to leave this in their control, with the hope that they will be more likely to follow through.

Tips for Sustaining Connections Beyond the Classroom:

Make virtual connections.
With permission from the group, a group email goes out after the session that invites participants to share their experiences as they work to bring the learning back home. People generally share their initial thoughts with the group and get some support from the others.
Plan a reunion.
Working with an intact team from one organization, I sometimes invite them to plan a reunion-lunch or an after-work get together. This technique also could be suggested for participants in a public workshop as well, if the group was willing.
Optimize online networking.
With all of the new online networking options, there is really no limit to how you can connect people prior to or following training. For example, in my own consulting practice, we are planning to have online systems up and running in time for our fall Leadership Challenge public workshops at LeadershipJourney.ca. In this way, groups can stay connected in a forum that allows them to chat, share their experiences, and offer each other help and support. As facilitators we will be able to watch the conversation and add to it if necessary. Stay tuned and we will tell you how it works out!

Kelly Ann McKnight, a certified facilitator of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, is a personnel development professional who focuses on bringing innovative training and coaching tools in leadership development, management development, behavioral profiling, and team building to her clients. She can be reached via www.leadershipjourney.ca.

Enabling Elements by Valarie Willis

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Purpose
Participants learn to bring to life the attributes of Enabling Others to Act

Group Size
Any size

Materials

Blank business cards or card stock.
A flip chart or white board for taking notes.

Instructions

Using blank business cards or card stock, type the following words (or other words of similar sentiment):
Trust
Collaboration
Competence
Confidence
Create the number of words based on participants. If you have 24 participants, then you would create 6 sets of the words above.
Turn cards upside-down and mix-up.
Have each participant pull a card.
Sort participants into groups based on their words.
Each group defines the word they have been given, coming up with specific examples of how they have lived out these words, how their organization is living out the words, and recommendations on how to improve upon these attributes
Bring all the groups together and debrief.
Record the findings and recommendations of each group on flip chart or white board.
Participants keep the card that they received to remind them through out the next few weeks to focus on that particular attribute.

Valarie Willis is a Master Facilitator of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop. She is the principal of Valarie Willis Consulting in Loveland, OH where she focuses on strategic management consulting. E-mail Valarie.

June 2007: Facilitating a Discussion on Legacy by Jim Kouzes

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Are you on this planet to do something, or are you here just for something to do? If you're on this planet to do something, then what is it? What difference will you make? What will be your legacy?

We pose these questions to first-year students in our leadership classes at Santa Clara University. It's pretty heady stuff for eighteen-year-olds barely three months out of high school. Even most adults haven't thought seriously about these questions. We don't expect our students to have ready responses. We just believe that they ought to be thinking about what their legacies will be-not only as they begin their college careers, but throughout their lives.

"What will be your legacy?" does not have a single, right answer. It's not a math problem with an established formula. But asking the question opens our students to the notion that in somewhere in their life's journey, they are going to be struggling with determining the difference they want to make, with doing things that matter. They are going to be making choices at school, work, home, and in the community. Every choice they make will be part of the legacy they leave, however consciously or unconsciously they behave.

Asking the question about legacy brings forward another central observation: leadership is not solely about producing results. That is, success in leadership is not measured only in numbers. Being a leader brings with it a responsibility to do something of significance that makes families, communities, work organizations, nations, and the world better places than they are today. Not all these things can be quantified.

Our own studies, as well as those of many other authors and scholars who have explored leadership, have shown that leadership often begins with pain and suffering (our own and in the conditions of others). Our colleague Patrick Lencioni, the author of several best-selling books, told us that when he graduated from college he "wanted to change the world. Call it what you will, I was determined to make a difference." However, the problem with this zeal, he went on to explain, was that he hadn't thought deeply enough about two fundamental matters: "Who am I really serving? And am I ready to suffer?"

Here are a few other questions that might help to trigger thoughts about legacy.

What will be your greatest contributions to your family?
What will be your greatest contributions to your friends?
What will be your greatest contributions to those you've led?
What will be your greatest contributions to your organization?
What will be your greatest contributions to your community?

Jim Kouzes has been thinking about leadership since he was a boyscout growing-up in the Washington DC area. In his recently acquired newlywed status, Jim is spending a great deal of time with his wife Tae (an executive coach) and step-son Nicholas (a 16-year-old tennis star).

Visual Explorer

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Objective: Finding a Metaphor for Your Vision
Time: 10 - 15 minutes

This is a technique that I've used with great success during the Inspire section of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop. It is called Visual Explorer: Picturing Approaches to Complex Challenges and it is published by the Center for Creative Leadership. It consists of about 220 images—anything you can imagine from Renaissance art to nature shots to a winning women's track relay team. The images are 8 x 11 inches and quite durable.

This activity is perfect for when participants start getting the "freaky-freaks" about coming up with their Vision speech. You need a space where you can spread out the pictures, preferably in a separate room. When we are talking about the impact of metaphors, I encourage them to take a minute to focus on their vision of how things could be and see if a metaphor comes to mind. If they feel "stuck" then I direct them into the space where the images are arranged. I tell them to walk through the gallery and allow themselves to be drawn to an image that captures their vision in some way. I warn them that there is a good chance that the image will pick them because the right side of the brain is kicking- in. Participants benefit from the focus and reinforcement of their selected images, even those who have already thought of an appropriate metaphor.

Beth High embraces the metaphor that leadership is a journey. She is a Master Facilitator of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop.

Obstacles and Opportunities

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Purpose: I use this activity to teach Challenge the Process by combining individual reflection, small group brainstorming, and group commitments. I like that it creates a visual record of the participants' work, while also encouraging them to talk honestly about real challenges.

Materials Needed: 1 poster board, glue stick, markers, small paper bricks (red construction paper cut into 3 in. x 5 in. rectangles), small green leaves and a vine or small green ladder rungs, and other decorations if you like.

Ask participants to individually reflect on a current obstacle that they are facing as a leader. Then, ask each participant to write his or her obstacle on a "brick."
Divide participants into groups of 3 to 4. Ask participants to share what they wrote on their brick and then help each other by brainstorming creative "opportunities" to overcome each obstacle. The intent is for participants to ask each other tough questions about the obstacles and challenge and to encourage each other to think of new approaches. As a result, the answers go much deeper than what an individual participant would have come up with on their own.
Ask each participant to write the best "opportunity" their group brainstormed for their particular obstacle on a green leaf or ladder rung.
Bring the whole group together again. Direct participants to come up to the front of the room one at a time and glues their red brick (obstacle) on the poster board and share what it says. The bricks form a big red brick wall at the bottom of the poster board.
Ask each participant to come up to the poster board again and commit to creating an opportunity for their obstacle. The participant glues their green leaf or ladder rung (opportunity) on top of the brick wall until the vine or ladder reaches well over the brick wall. After all the participants have finished quickly glue some pre-cut clouds and a sun at the top of the poster board.
The finished picture is a red brick wall with a green ladder or beanstalk vine that leads over the brick wall up to the sun and clouds. The participants get excited when they start to see the picture!
Debrief the activity. Overall we've shown how Challenge the Process requires creative thinking and effective leaders to find ways to turn obstacles into opportunities.

I think it works best with a group that of 8-20 people who meet regularly. Since you created an artifact (poster), you can look back on it as a group and discuss what happened with the obstacles and opportunities listed.

Amanda Crowell Itliong teaches The Leadership Challenge to the Public Service Leadership Fellows Program and Student Organization Leaders at Stanford University. You can contact her at acrowell@post.harvard.edu.

Rope-A-Leader: Experiencing the Emergence of Leadership

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Goals

To provide the participants with the opportunity to experience and observe the emergence of leadership within a group.
To discuss the emergence of leadership.

Group Size
Twenty to thirty-five participants in subgroups of five or seven.

Time Required
Forty minutes

Materials
Twenty-five feet of 1/4-inch rope, twine, or macramé cord for each subgroup.

Physical Setting
Any area large enough so that all the subgroups can work on the floor without disturbing one another.

Process

Ask the participants to assemble in subgroups of five or seven. (Odd numbers work best.) Once subgroups have assembled, place a rope on the floor near each group. (Note: You may place ropes in several locations prior to this activity.) (Five minutes)
Explain that the task of each subgroup is to use the rope to form "an absolutely perfect" circle on the floor. When finished, the rope should lie on the floor with no one touching it to hold it in place. Tell participants they may not talk to one another or to you during the activity and that you will be the final judge as to when they have accomplished the task. Tell them to begin, giving them no more than two or three minutes.
While subgroups are completing the task, walk around from subgroup to subgroup "judging" their work and being critical about the final shapes they have created.
After the circles have been completed, tell the subgroups to form a perfect square, then a triangle, a trapezoid, and an octagon. Remind the participants not to talk. (Ten minutes)
After all the shapes have been completed say, "On the count of 3, point to the leader of your subgroup. Ready? 1, 2, 3." Ask members of each subgroup, in turn, how they selected that particular leader.
Reconvene the large group and lead a discussion based on the following questions:
- How did the leadership evolve in your group?
- How did other members of the group acquiesce to the leadership?
- Did conflict occur in any groups? Why or why not?
- How does what happened here compare to what happens in a typical work setting at your organization?

(Fifteen minutes)

Variations

This activity can be used for team building
At the end of the activity, the group can discuss what attributes of the leaders made the process work. List the attributes on a flip chart for a further discussion of leadership.

Leadership History: Searching the Past for Insight

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Goals

To increase participants' awareness of their leadership styles
To compare and contrast individual leadership experiences within a group
To allow participants to share their past learnings in a creative forum

Group Size
Ten to twenty participants

Time Required
Sixty to ninety minutes, depending on the number of participants sharing their leadership histories

Materials

A copy of the Leadership History Survey for each participant
Pens and paper for each participant
Flip-chart page for each participant
A variety of colored markers for each participant
Masking tape

Physical Setting
A room with chairs and a surface on which participants can spread out and work on their drawings.

Process

Give all participants paper and pencils to take notes.
Announce the goals of the activity, briefly explaining that the leadership styles we currently exhibit come from experiences we have had with leaders in our past. Say that they will have an opportunity to reflect on those people who have influenced their leadership styles.
Give everyone a copy of the Leadership History Survey. Read the first question and have participants individually write their answers. Continue through the questions, reading them out loud to give participants time to reflect and write their answers. (Five to ten minutes)
Once the participants have all completed the Survey, tell them that they will now create a poster of their "Leadership History." Give everyone a sheet of flip chart paper and colored markers, and ask participants to create a drawing of their own leadership history, based on their answers to the Survey.
Tell them there is one very important rule for creating leadership history posters. They must not use any words, but only pictures. (Fifteen to twenty minutes)
Once all participants have completed their drawing, have them hang their posters on one of the walls of the room with masking tape.
Ask each participant, one at a time, to share his or her leadership history poster with the rest of the group, describing the events depicted. (Two minutes per person)
Once all participants have described their posters, debrief the activity by having the group compare and contrast the different experiences that were shared and their learnings. (Ten minutes)
Conclude with a discussion about the impact we have on others and their leadership styles. Encourage participants to think about the influence they have in their reporting relationships. Address the following questions:

What common leadership experiences did you notice?
What were some of the most significant events in people's leadership histories?
In what ways might we actively impact leadership within an organization? (Ten minutes)

Variation
Instead of participants drawing their Leadership Histories, they can use magazines and cut out pictures that represent the events of their past, then tape or glue them to a poster.

Leadership History Survey
Instructions: Answer each of the following questions in as much depth as possible. Wait for the facilitator to read each question rather than reading ahead.

Where were you born? What type of neighborhood was it (city, suburb, or country)?
How large was your family? Any brothers or sisters? Were you youngest, oldest, or in the middle?
What games did you enjoy playing as a child? Did you usually lead, follow, or do a little of both?
List your best friends as you grew up. What did you especially like about each of them?
Name an adult (a parent or other adult) you were close to as you grew up. What leadership qualities did this person exhibit?
Name a teacher who had a strong influence on you as you grew up. What did this person do that influenced you?
What was your first "real" job? What leadership learnings did you obtain from that job?
List all the jobs you have had in your career.
Who was your best boss? In what ways was this person a good leader?
Who was your worst boss? In what ways was this person a poor leader?
Identify mentors (formal or informal) who have influenced you. What changes have you made as a result of their influence?
What one significant piece of leadership advice would you give to others?

Presenting Magic WITH THE FIVE PRACTICES OF EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP AND THE TEN COMMITMENTS OF LEADERSHIP

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Sharing magical moments can reenergize a group and lend credibility to your facilitation. This is the first in an occasional series from Walt Anthony, who has explored options for magic (please don't say "tricks") appropriate to all The Five Practices and The Ten Commitments of Leadership.

Unexpected Outcomes

Magic for Challenge the Process and Experiment

The facilitator borrows a watch, and ties it onto the end of about a yard of string. A house-key has been tied to the other end of the twine.

The facilitator then hangs the loaned watch over a wooden pencil so it dangles above the floor, holding only onto the key at the other end of the string.

The facilitator releases the key, the watch plummets towards the floor, then, the magic happens!

The premise
"Everyone knows how the law of gravity works.
If you drop an object—it falls.
If you drop a heavy object from a height it may break when it crashes.
That's the usual process.
Since gravity is pretty much a universal "law" you may well ask:
"What's the sense in challenging the process, if that's the way it always works?
That's what we're about to see."

Three questions are posed
So, since the outcome is certain, perhaps we can only ask,

Will I really let go of the key?
How long will it take for the watch to hit the ground?
What is the predicted fate of the watch?

Or we could Challenge the Process and ask

What if —insert facilitator's name— is not totally nuts?
Do outcomes always have to be as we assume or imagine them to be?
Could something "magically" intervene and truly avert disaster?

At this point we're going to Experiment
Take a risk to see if we can either generate a small win, or at least learn from this mistake . . .

As unbelievable as it may seem the first time (at home with your own watch please), the outcome of letting go of the key and string is completely unexpected—and the process of challenging gravity almost magical to observe (as will be the relief on the face of the owner of the watch).

This bit of magic is a very effective and visual way to demonstrate the letting go of expectations and fears of failure.

It will take some experimentation and practice to get the knack-adjusting how far to let the watch dangle, what angle to best hold the cord and key, etc. (as you rehearse over a pillow), but once you have it down, the outcome will always be the same.

You will need:

A length of sturdy cord about three or four feet long.
A long wooden pencil, chopstick, or better still, small magic wand.
A common house key (an old interesting skeleton-key style could also symbolize "the key to successful challenges")

Securely tie the key to one end of the cord, and tie a loop on the other end so you can quickly and easily attach a borrowed watch at that opposite end of the string.

Borrow a substantial and heavy looking watch from a brave workshop participant, and ask them to join you at the front of the room.

As you outline the premise and questions above, loop the watch through the cord to attach it to the far end of the string opposite the key.
Request that your participant grip the end of the pencil tightly, and keep it parallel to the floor.
Dangle the cord over the pencil so that the watch end hangs about six inches down from the pencil.
Hold the key end of the cord taut, and running over the pencil, and downward at about a forty-five degree angle to the floor.
Remind your participant to keep a strong and steady grip on the pencil.

When the process has been challenged (or not) request the group to count to three . . . and let go of the key!

The watch will not nose-dive towards the floor dragging the string and key along, as you would naturally expect.

Instead the key will wind the cord about the rod very quickly and tightly, wrapping it around and around the pencil, and leaving the heavy and delicate watch safely suspended well above the ground.

Your group will be amazed to see this "small win" occurred against all odds.

Be sure to sincerely acknowledge and thank the watch's owner for risking a small heart attack as you return their timepiece!

In experimenting and practicing this demonstration, take time to examine how it operates:

Try hanging the watch at different heights, using a slightly longer-or-shorter cord or strings of various thickness.

Practice how taut to hold the cord and at what angles (both to the floor, and slightly left or right of the watch on the pencil) so that the key will not strike the watch as it twirls around the pencil.

If you prefer a kinder-and-gentler approach you may use your own watch and spare the nerves of your participants. Other small objects with lighter/heavier weights can also be substituted, such as a book of matches along with a coffee cup.

Because everyone is so familiar with "how" gravity always works, this is a very visual and powerful demonstration of what it takes to trust, overcome objections or fears, and be open to experimentation to truly challenge the everyday processes we encounter.

Contributed by Walt Anthony

Acid River Activity

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I use "Acid River" as an outdoor opening activity to warm up the group and as a foreshadowing of our work on The Five Practices. It also requires people to get into each others personal space which helps open them up and begin to connect with each other more quickly.

This activity can be used to stimulate insights around problem solving, strategy, challenging, collaboration, teamwork, communication, mutual support, encouragement, and celebration.

Materials/Set-up:

Manila folders. One per person.
Two lengths of rope or tape to mark off opposite banks of the river. The rope or tape needs to be 10'-20' in length depending on group size (brightly colored climbing rope works great) - needs to be long enough for everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder along its length. Lay the two lengths of rope parallel to each other on the ground. By doing so you will have created a "river" between the two ropes and "banks" on the outside of the ropes.
The distance from bank to bank should be between 25'-40' depending on available space and group size.

Safety Considerations:

If the stepping stones used are manila folders and the activity is being conducted on a cement or asphalt surface, caution the group to be careful as the paper may tear or slip when used.
This exercise has a very low injury risk factor and should be easy for most everyone to do. However, maintaining balance may be difficult for some participants so they should be encouraged to literally support each other during the exercise so no one is injured.
Special arrangements should be made for those who have a physical challenge, i.e., wearing a cast, in a wheelchair, etc.

Instructions:

Gather everyone on one bank of the river and have them divide into teams of 4-8 people each. Give everyone a "stepping stone"—a manila folder. Tell them that the objective of the exercise is to get everyone in the group safely across the imaginary river without anyone falling in. The river, of course, is full of hungry competitors, piranha, difficulties, and that the resources the company needs to survive are on the other side of the river. In order to insure the company's continued success, a creative solution must be generated that will get everyone across the river and have everyone step onto the opposite bank at the same time.

Tell them that they are individual teams but they are all part of one larger organization. Describe the rules of the activity (see below) and answer any of their questions. Teams have 5 minutes to brainstorm possible strategies for crossing the river. They may practice, if they choose, on the starting bank but not in the river (between the two rope/tape lines). Call time after 5 minutes of planning, bring the teams to the starting bank, remind them of their objective (to all step onto the opposite bank in unison), tell them they have 15 minutes to reach the other side and start them on their way.

Rules:

You must keep possession of your stepping stone. You may not hand it to anyone else. However, others may step on your stone in passing.
You can rest only on your own stone.
No "skooching" - sliding your rock along the ground.
If anyone falls in the river (steps off a stone), everyone in the entire group must go back to the starting river bank and begin again.
Everyone must step onto the opposite bank at the same time.

Debrief: Some thoughts for your debrief

Despite having given clear instructions, and even having repeated them more than once, I frequently find that they interpret the instruction that everyone must step onto the bank at the same time to mean everyone in their small team. This sets up a good discussion about clarifying instructions and understanding what your deliverables are.
The set up into small teams often triggers the notion that they are competing with each other so they don't collaborate in developing a strategy or while on the river. The instructions don't suggest anything about competition. In fact, the goal of having everyone step onto the bank in unison means that there is no point in racing across the river, you'll only have to wait there for everyone else to arrive before the task can be completed. This sets up an exploration of collaboration vs. competition and might they have performed better had they shared their strategies and supported each other in the execution.
I ask them how this activity is a metaphor for the work we will be doing in the workshop, such as being open and willing to share ideas, take some risks and to support each other.
I also foreshadow our work with The Five Practices by asking whether they had any shared standards of performance like making sure everybody got across the river safely (Model the Way), did they have a clear, shared goal (Inspire a Shared Vision), did they think about altering or changing the rules of the activity (Challenge the Process), did they listen to each other and treat each other with respect (Enable Others to Act), and did they encourage each other while on the river and celebrate when they stepped onto the bank (Encourage the Heart).

Try the "Acid River" and have fun!

Contributed by Charles St. John

CHALLENGE THE PROCESS ACTION PLANNING

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If you're working with a large or small group of participants and want to make the design of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop more application-oriented, this activity might be of interest. The exercise is designed for intact teams, cross-functional teams, and public sessions where people represent various organizations. The goal of the activity is to create coaching partnerships that are practical and provocative. Participants focus on their real work issues and specific ways they will Challenge the Process. The steps in the activity integrate the essentials of the practice and move participants from concept to action planning. The activity goes like this:

GOOD SPOT - After the Innovation Quiz and discussion on Outsight (The Leadership Challenge® Workshop Facilitator's Guide, Third Edition Revised page 151 in the 3-day script and page 304 in the 2-day script), segue into applying concepts to participants' real world. Steps 1-4 take about an hour, including setup and debrief. Let participants know you will be helping them with timing.

STEP ONE - Give folks 8 minutes solo time to determine their challenge AND their idea on how to address their challenge. There are blank pages at the end of The Leadership Challenge® Workshop Participant's Workbook, Third Edition Revised where people can jot down ideas.

STEP TWO - Layout the Coaching Partnership Process (flip chart the instructions below ahead of time or put on a PowerPoint® slide). Note to facilitator: suggest that within each pair one person go through the whole process. Then, switch to the other person and start the process again. It's fine if they choose to innovate!

Create Coaching Partnerships

2 minutes: What's your challenge AND idea? (Don't bog down in the problem.)

2 minutes: What assumptions are you making?

5 minutes: How will you build your business case to strengthen your idea and get buy-in from stakeholders?

3 minutes: Specifically, what next steps will you take over the next 60 days to get this idea in motion?

SWITCH ROLES!

STEP THREE - Move the Coaching Partnerships to the next level:

Briefly, walk people through "Defying the Critics" on page 90 of the Participant's Workbook.

5 minutes PER PERSON: Coaching partner takes on the role of the critic when it comes to the specific idea his/her partner has described. The other person has to experiment with "defying the critic."

STEP FOUR - Revisit Action Plans:

Briefly, walk people through "small win" ideas on page 93 of the Participant's Workbook.

5 minutes AS PARTNERS: Revisit their Action Plans to incorporate some small win ideas listed on page 93.

Contributed by L.J. Rose

Double, Overlapping Strategic Cross - Remote HQ

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If you're looking for a way to challenge participants with an experiential exercise, this works well. I typically use it as a learning experience for all Five Practices at once. It also can be focused on Enable Others to Act, or help to emphasize Inspire a Shared Vision.

First set up your Strategic Cross grid.

You'll want to do that in a separate room, or in some way keep the group from being able to see the grid before you're ready for them.
I use brightly colored surveyor's tape to lay out the grid which creates excitement and makes it seem more 'real'. You can use masking tape, or even have folks stand on sheets of paper.
Lay out two Strategic Crosses that overlap in the shape of a + and share the same open center space. (Not counting the open center space, the number of squares you'll need for each of the 2 segments of the + is one half the number of people in the group, minus two, with half of those squares on either side of the open center space. You don't need an even number of people. If you have an odd number, you'll have an extra square on one side of the open center square.)

Divide the group into 4 sub teams, A through D.

Give each sub team to a minute to nominate one person to be on the Executive Team and have the Executive Team move to the side
To up the ante even further, blindfold a few people at random on each of the sub teams (blindfolds will need to stay on throughout the activity).

Describe the task in very broad terms, creating a scenario that makes sense in the client context.

For example: You're creating an interactive logo for your new product launch and the CEO is coming by to see it, with your best customer, in 30 minutes.

Leave the Executive Team where they are for a minute and bring the rest of the group to where the grid is laid out.

Arrange the sub teams on the grid, facing each other as above.
Distribute the "Instructions for Field Locations" only and let them know that the "clock is starting and they'll have 30 minutes." Do not answer any questions.
Go back to the Executive Team and distribute both "Instructions for Headquarters" and let them know that the "clock has already started and all the information you have for them is on their instructions sheets." Do not answer any questions.

Travel back and forth between the Executive Team and the Field as the exercise progresses to observe their process.

Intervene only if the group seems ready to "blow off the rules" and do so in a way that will be in sync with the context you've created. (Although, you should give them a chance to 'self monitor' before you step in.) For example: they represent the client and the client wants and expects a logo that can perform within the rules & constraints.
As time is running out, you can offer some extra time, up to 10 minutes, but leave that up to a consensus of the group. (Their decision can be an interesting element to debrief.)

Debrief

Start with "what happened" and then begin to focus the discussion.
Explore the use of the Five Practices, making sure to talk about individual behavior, not just the group as whole
There are issues galore that will come up - communication, support, cooperation vs. competition, ethics, shared vision, the best role/function for executives to take on, creativity and initiative, who gets heard and why, the interplay between leadership and "followership", speaking up, checking out, etc.-so, ENJOY!

Copies of the handouts follow.

Note: A single "strategic cross" is completed by starting with 1 move in one direction, followed by 2 moves in the other direction, then 3 moves from the 1st direction, 4 moves from the other direction, and so on… then in descending order once people start arriving at their final positions.

STRATEGIC RE-ALIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEADQUARTERS: Team A-B

THE GOAL:
The task is complete when all team members in the field locations complete the objective of moving from their initial positions to their final positions.

CONSTRAINTS:

Only one representative from each management team may serve as a liaison with each field team at any given time.
All but the liaisons must remain in the HQ designated area.
This paper my not leave the HQ designated area.
The time limit for the task is 30 minutes.

INITIAL POSITIONS:

STRATEGIC RE-ALIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEADQUARTERS: Team C-D

THE GOAL:
The task is complete when all team members in the field locations complete the objective of moving from their initial positions to their final positions.

CONSTRAINTS:

Only one representative from each management team may serve as a liaison with each field team at any given time.
All but the liaisons must remain in the HQ designated area.
This paper my not leave the HQ designated area.
The time limit for the task is 30 minutes.

INITIAL POSITIONS:

STRATEGIC RE-ALIGNMENT
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FIELD LOCATIONS

You are a sub-team located in a Field Location, and will be so for the next 30 minutes.

You might take time to discuss how you want to work together.

You must follow the guidelines below.

There are only two (2) legal ways of moving.
1. You may move into an empty space directly in front of you.
2. You may move around one person if that person is facing you and there is an empty space directly behind that person.
No one may turn around or move backwards.
If the team reaches an impasse, you must start over from the beginning.
Only one person may move at a time.
Only one person may occupy a square at a time.

A big thanks to all the folks on whose work I've 'piggy-backed' in creating this variation of the Strategic Cross, a.k.a. "traffic jam."

HOW TO GAIN EXECUTIVE SUPPORT FOR A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

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I’d start by asking the following questions . . .

What is the business context? What are current business issues driving the need? Tie TLC to the specific business objectives. For example if the company is losing ground, point out that a leadership culture is more innovative. A study of the Financial Times 1000 found the #1 factor in determining innovation (defined by revenue of new product in last three years) is management trust, "I feel trusted more."

What are the expectations? What results are you looking for? Set goals and measurements, establish success factors. What will success look like when we have implemented TLC? If, for example, your organization is concerned about succession planning (by the year 2015 the present ranks of management will be thinned by one third, simply by retirement) then establish success factors based on the expectation that you will be developing leaders to replace those that are leaving.

What is happening in their business world that's affecting their role as leaders? Only 2.4% of the top three levels of executives spend their time thinking about the future. Probe for areas where future thinking could positively impact the business.

— Jeni Nichols of Sonoma Learning Systems is an Authorized Public Workshop and Facilitator Training Provider

A Leader's Walk of Trust

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Leadership is a relationship. The cornerstone of effective relationships is trust. Without trust, relationships are destined for significant problems. Without trust, relationship will often end up being short term.

Trust is one of the dynamics we explore within the Leadership Challenge Practice of Enable Others to Act. One of my favorite Workshop activities to explore this trust dynamic is the Leader's Walk of Trust, which works like this:

We ask everyone to stand up and prepare to encounter the other program participants. It is challenge by choice, so people are allowed to choose whom they encounter, but the goal is for them to encounter everyone.

As they meet each person, they are to say one of three things (and nothing else):
"I trust you,"
"I don't trust you," or
"I don't care to say."

People are immediately struck with the dilemma of what to say and how truthful to be in their communications. After all of the encounters and communications take place, a very interesting debrief tends to follow.

Some typical debrief questions are:
How did that go?
What did you say?
Was anyone surprised by what they heard?
Did anyone say anything other than I trust you?
If you said I trust you, what were you talking about? You trust them with what?

What is most interesting about this activity is it allows people to experience the dilemma of how truthful to be and what it means to communicate trust. These three messages (I trust you, I don't trust you, or I don't care to say) are the meanings people are getting from our everyday actions in the workplace. What matters more than our words are the actions we take; people are getting those messages we are sending very clearly.

A Leadership Challenge for all leaders is to communicate, "I trust you" in our everyday actions. Since trust is an inside out development dynamic, we must elevate our own ability to be vulnerable and trust others before we can ask others to raise their level of trust.

Contributed by Craig Haptonstall of Leadership Mechanics, LLC

Leadership Beanbag Volleyball

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Objectives

To raise awareness and characteristics during the launch of a leadership training program
To provide an energizer to introduce the topic of leadership

Audience
This activity is designed for a group of 12-16 participants in a leadership development program

Time Required
About 20-25 minutes

Materials and Equipment

Two easels with flip chart pads
Flip chart markers
Roll of 1-inch masking tape
One beanbag approximately 3 by 3 inches
Bags of wrapped candy for prizes

Area Setup
An empty area approximately 30 by 30 feet. Position easels in corners along a common wall.

Process

Divide the room space in half to form a volleyball court. Use masking tape on the floor to identify two different playing areas
Divide the participants into two equal teams. Have each team line up on opposite sides of the court and arrange themselves into volleyball team positions.
Explain to all participants that they are going to play a game of Beanbag Volleyball.
Toss the beanbag to one of the teams as preparation to start the game and explain the rules of the game
- The game begins when one team member makes a "soft" underhand toss to the directly opposite player on the other team.
- If the player on the other team catches the beanbag, he of she has the right to name one characteristic of a successful leader.
- The facilitator writes the characteristic on that team's flip chart and makes a reinforcing comment
- The teams alternate throwing and catching with a catch required to name different characteristics. If the beanbag isn't caught or is dropped, the right to name a characteristic is lost. Characteristics may not be repeated during the game.
- A characteristic on one team's flip chart may not be on the other team's flip chart.
- Throwing and catching the beanbag is rotated among all players on both teams.
- One round is completed when everyone has had an opportunity to throw and catch the beanbag.
- Play two complete rounds
- The team with more characteristics after two rounds is pronounced the winner. If the two teams are tied, both are declared the winner. Provide candy to the winners.
Contine the activity by calling everyone's attention to the lists and make "Bridging" comments to translate to the next activity in the session.

Insider Tips

Make sure that all the beanbag tosses are thrown softly and underhand.
Relate the flip chart lists to the actual content of the training program.
Be sure to allow flexibility to anyone with a disability.
Encourage teams to clap each time a member catches the beanbag.

Created by Robert C. Preziosi, D.P.A. and submitted to 90 World-Class Activities by 90 World-Class Trainers, edited by Elaine Biech.

Robert C. Preziosi, D.P.A., a professor of management in the Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University, teaches nontraditional graduate students in HR, HRD, and leadership. Bob has been training trainers for over 20 years and is the editor of the Pfeiffer Annuals on HRM and management development. You can contact Robert via e-mail at preziosi@huizenga.nova.edu.

An LPI Workshop Design by Jo Bell

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For clients who are not quite ready to adopt The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, but who want to introduce the LPI into their organization, I have found that an LPI Workshop is an excellent way to meet their needs.

What follows is the design I use, which has been successful solution for many of my clients.

Prior to the Workshop and before the LPI is administered, I meet with the key contact and a sampling of executives in order to understand their business issues and their anticipated outcomes for the application of the LPI. I use The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership summary article to provide a foundation of understanding for the participants, and I advise the participants about selecting observers who can provide meaningful feedback. For the administration of the LPI, I work with Fine Points Professionals clientcare@finepointsprofessionals.com. After the LPI is administered, I give the participants a pre-work assignment that includes reading selected pages of The Leadership Challenge.

The Workshop is a 6-8 hour design (depending on the number of participants) and is very similar to the one outlined in the LPI Facilitator's Guide. For past clients I have used the LPI Participant Workbook, but I plan to use the LPI Leadership Development Planner in the future. I also use the book, The Leadership Challenge as a resource during the Workshop for reflection questions that create a dialogue within the group.

Welcome

Senior leader's opening comments regarding his/her LPI experience

Three Pivotal Lessons of Leadership from the Research

Leadership is a Relationship
Leadership is Everyone's Business
Leadership is Self-Development

Orientation to the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner's research
The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®

Explanation of the LPI Feedback Report

Explain data and layout of the Feedback Report
Analyze LPI data for a hypothetical leader
Introduce and share initial interpretations of the group's Cumulative Percentile Ranking

Guide Participants Through Their Own Feedback Reports

How to get the most from the feedback process
Distribute LPI Reports and acclimate to the data

Analyze and Interpret the LPI Feedback

Self-analysis of the data using a set of guided workbook questions
Coach participants during analysis
Share impressions with 1 to 2 partners

How Leaders Learn

The Three fundamentals of how people learn to lead

Individual Leadership Development Action Plans

Leadership Development Worksheet for self-development
Coach participants during planning
Share plans with 1 to 2 partners

Share Feedback Results and Action Plans for Development

Value of sharing feedback
Guidelines for sharing feedback with manager, co-workers, direct reports and others
Share one action each leader will take towards leadership development

Next Steps

The Best Learning Practices
Follow-up coaching

Immediately following the Workshop, I work as a coach to the individual participants to help them personally interpret the LPI results, to learn to use The Leadership Challenge book as a resource and to make plans for follow-up with those who gave them feedback. The initial coaching time is one hour, followed by two coaching sessions after they have conversations with their observers. The two follow-up coaching sessions include a Values Clarification Exercise as well as crafting a Commitment Memo to their constituents. I have found that this process has been successful for individuals as they create a map for their self-development. I have also found that this experience has led most participants to literally use The Leadership Challenge book as a field guide for their self-development, just as Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner refer to it in their preface.

NEW EYES CEREMONY CONTRIBUTED BY MARK WARNER

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This is one of my favorite activities that I created to open a talk, conference, workshop or seminar. It is energizing and sets a tone for a leadership development session.

Facilitator Says:
I need you to stand up where you are. (I usually stand on a chair, unless I'm on a stage).

Now I need you to put your thumbs and index fingers together to make little circles. Put them up to your eyes (I demonstrate). Don't worry about looking foolish . . . because you do. These are your new eyes, but you don't get them for free. You have to repeat an oath. (you might have to remind them to keep their new eyes up to their face). For this to work, I need to hear you repeat this loudly. Ready?

Today I have a new pair of eyes.
Eyes that will help me see my role in (leadership) differently.
We have great potential, and . . .
Now is the time
To share ideas, dreams, and strategies
And in collaboration with each other . . .
We can make a difference.

(Facilitator Note: Any topic or organization name can go in the parentheses.)

Now sit down! (Usually some laughter at this point.)

You know the great thing about these new eyes you just got? They are portable. You can put them in your pockets, take them to the shower with you . . . However, if you are going to make a difference you have to consciously put them on.

Think about it this way. Imagine your bedroom, and the pictures you have on the wall. My guess is that if you have lived in this place for over six months, you don't even see the pictures any more. And the reason is that you've walked by them so many times that they don't click up here (point to your head). It is the same in our personal or professional lives; if we don't look at the world in a different way, we will not be able to make a difference.

Today, I urge you to keep the new eyes on. Challenge yourself to be a little vulnerable, and intentionally look at the world differently. Hopefully during our time together, we will be able to appreciate and use our new pair of eyes.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem by Mark J. Warner

About Mark Warner
Mark Warner is co-author of the book Inspiring Leadership: It's Not About the Power and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem, now in its ninth printing. Mark is Professor and Senior Vice President of Student Affairs and University Planning at James Madison University as well as an active speaker and consultant in business, government, education, not-for-profit, and religious sectors. He can be contacted by phone at (540) 568-3685 or by email warnermj@jmu.edu.

Point North Contributed by Mark Warner

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I discovered this activity (one of my favorites) several years ago while watching a consultant. Although she used the activity to make a different point, I thought that it was a perfect way to demonstrate the importance of Inspiring a Shared Vision and adapted it accordingly. I use this as an introductory activity; it not only serves as a humorous energizer, but also makes a great visual to create the lesson. I do not know the originator of the exercise, but KUDOS to that person.

Facilitator Script

"I need everyone to close your eyes. Now, keeping your eyes closed, point north. Point so I can see where you are pointing."(You will hear nervous laughter).

"Keeping your hands where they are, you may now open your eyes and look around the room."(People will be pointing in all directions, and you will hear more laughter).

"Now put your hands down before you embarrass yourself. It is obvious that we have some navigationally challenged people in the room."

"Our job as a leader is to get everyone pointing in the same direction. (Point north).

"If we are all going in different directions, then we will never be successful in accomplishing our goals. And we can only truly get people to go in the same direction if we work together to decide where "we" want to go. A shared vision is just that—shared. If I try to impose my vision on you, you might think to yourself, 'that may be your vision, but that's not my vision' and there will be no ownership of the vision. The way we get ownership is to talk with folks, formally and informally, to see what their dreams and aspirations are. This will help us, as leaders craft a vision that will be owned and supported."

Snowball Toss

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Here is a quick energizer that allows the workshop participants to affirm and strengthen their learning. It is an "up-out-of-your-seat" exercise. And it is fun.

I call it the snowball toss, and I usually conduct it as a morning exercise to launch a second or third day of a workshop session.

The Exercise

Here is how it goes:

Ask the participants to reflect back on the prior day and to write down one "aha," one significant learning.
It is best if you ask them to:
jot down their thought on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper
write legibly - so that you would be able to read their writing
When sufficient time has elapsed for everyone to write down their thought, invite the participants to get out of their seats and form in a circle (okay, something approximating a circle). Often times, I will have them form the circle outside of the workshop room, if I can find a nearby open space. (A brief "field trip" of sorts).
I ask them to crumple up the sheet of paper in their hands into paper snowballs.
With the circle formed, I interject a comment about winter or snow, and invite them to "have at it" with their snowballs. Here is an example from a recent workshop in Phoenix, where the temperature was 78°: "Last week, New England and New York experienced some of the heaviest snowfall on record. For those of you who are envious and missed the fun of the snowfall, I thought we'd create some of our own winter fun. So, let me ask you to crumple up your papers into paper snowballs, and have you own snowball fight." The snowballs flew.
I encourage the participants to pick up the paper balls and continue to throw them at one another for a few rounds (say 30 seconds). Finally, I ask everyone to pick up one the paper snowballs.
Reforming the circle, I ask everyone, in turn, to read ALOUD the thought that one of their colleagues wrote down.

The Benefits

Each participant strengthens one learning from the prior day. I trust that the learning that is written down is an element of leadership that will serve them and their direct reports well. This is an opportunity to solidify the learning and not allow it to melt away!

The participant and the facilitator hear some key thoughts from all of the workshop participants, creating an opportunity to learn from one another.

The snowball toss safeguards the anonymity and privacy of the participant. (I do not tell the participants that they will need to personally share their thoughts with the group. Therefore, I trust that what they write down is authentic).

Experience from the Field

The snowball toss is fun!

I, as the facilitator, become aware of the "ah-ha" moments that are important for the group, and can refer back to them during the course of the current day.

More recently, I have kept the individual paper snowballs after the exercise and recorded the comments in order to email them to the participants in the few days after the completion of the workshop.

So, let's look at a live example from a recent seminar. On day one, we talked about Values, Credibility, and Inspiring a Shared Vision. Here are the "ah-ha's" that the seminar participants recorded in those paper snowballs on the morning of the second day:

Values and Credibility

I found out how much my personal values help/hinder building relationships with certain direct reports. (Values don't have to be so black and white, there can be common ground).
The values I've been living out lately are not my stated core values - not against them, just not the same.
You have to know who you are and what your values are before you can create a true vision for your team.
Credibility and values must stay in alignment to make them true. Sanity check this!
Credibility's root is "credo" requiring consistent performance.

Inspiring a Shared Vision

Sharing thoughts and using group brainstorming is much more efficient than coming up with ideas on my own.
Using the group to help me form images/metaphors is very powerful. It is also more inclusive.
The metaphor/imagery must not only fit the situation, it must fit the group of people to whom the vision will be described. It must connect with them.
I have

Archive of Past Tips and Techniques:

NEW!The Challenge of Developing Leaders: MAXIMIZING THE IMPACT OF TRAINING BY ANDREW MCK. JEFFERSON, ROY V.H. POLLACK, AND CALHOUN W. WICK

Leadership Art by Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan

Leadership Essentials by Kitty and Bob Preziosi

Bring the Power of Storytelling to Leadership Development, by Robert Thompson

Adding to Your Leadership Library, by Marisa Holland Kelley

Connecting to the Business, by Valarie Willis

Three Roles of Leaders: Understanding Leadership by Parth Sarathi

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®: A Way of Facilitating by Daren Blonski

The Talent Myth by Jim Kouzes

HELPING PEOPLE IMPLEMENT THEIR ACTION PLANS by Kelly Ann McKnight

Enabling Elements by Valarie Willis

June 2007: Facilitating a Discussion on Legacy by Jim Kouzes

Visual Explorer

Obstacles and Opportunities

Rope-A-Leader: Experiencing the Emergence of Leadership

Leadership History: Searching the Past for Insight

Presenting Magic WITH THE FIVE PRACTICES OF EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP AND THE TEN COMMITMENTS OF LEADERSHIP

Acid River Activity

CHALLENGE THE PROCESS ACTION PLANNING

Double, Overlapping Strategic Cross - Remote HQ

HOW TO GAIN EXECUTIVE SUPPORT FOR A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

A Leader's Walk of Trust

Leadership Beanbag Volleyball

An LPI Workshop Design by Jo Bell

NEW EYES CEREMONY CONTRIBUTED BY MARK WARNER

Point North Contributed by Mark Warner

Snowball Toss

NEW!The Challenge of Developing Leaders: MAXIMIZING THE IMPACT OF TRAINING
BY ANDREW MCK. JEFFERSON, ROY V.H. POLLACK, AND CALHOUN W. WICK