HT Games
Obstacle Course
Obstacle courses may not seem leadership-intensive, as many people associate them with tasks like running through tires or crawling under mesh netting. However, at retreat events, courses are often designed to have elements requiring team cooperation, such as getting members over a wall without rope. Someone capable of stepping back and assessing the problem at each obstacle, and then directing the team on how to best complete it, can demonstrate leadership skills on the course.
Toxic Waste
Toxic waste requires players' communication as they work together to find items that allow them to move a bucket containing "toxic waste" from a contamination zone to a safe zone. The bucket is placed in a rope ring of "contamination" that players may not enter. The group must find the right tools to move the bucket safely -- a rope and bungee cords, among a batch of red herrings, for example -- and then must work as a team to guide the bucket with cords. A strong leader commanding the other team members is essential for completion.
Round Tables
This indoor game puts teams through several mini games. Each table has its own game, using activities that require cooperation for quick completion, such as sorting a deck of cards in sequential order or completing a puzzle. While each element can be completed individually, for a team to excel, a leader must step forward and delegate the work so everyone helps to make the task go as quickly as possible.
The Human Knot
In a human knot, a group of people is tasked with untying intertwined arms. The group comes together in a tight mass, and each person takes hold of two other individuals, grabbing the wrist of one with the left hand and the other with the right. Once everyone has held hands, the group works to untie itself into a circle without releasing their grips. The knot requires everyone to work calmly and patiently, and works best with a leader assessing the knot and calmly instructing others on how to untie it.