Hobbies And Interests
Games to Teach Modeling
An effective leader must exemplify ideal characteristics and skills that team members should possess. Although integrity develops over a person's life, many games can help a leader develop this trait and pay attention to discrepancies between his words and actions.
Any game that allows cheating or has built-in inequalities is an activity for a discussion about integrity. One example is Inequality. Materials required are several sets of scissors -- one per every 10 players -- and paper. The goal is for each person to gather as many pieces of paper as possible; the person with the most pieces at the end wins.
Before the game begins, the facilitator draws lines on each paper, dividing it into six equal pieces. He should also cut a number of pieces to begin the game with. To start, the facilitator gives each player the same number of pieces of paper as the player has syllables in her last name. Players must line up and wait for a turn to use the scissors. Each player may cut and take one piece of paper at a time; she must then go to the back of the line and wait for her next turn. However, if the player ahead of her has fewer pieces of paper than she has, she can cut ahead of him. Players who begin with more pieces may continually cut to the front of the line. The only way to win is to have a multi-syllabic last name, or for several players to combine their papers and give them to one player. Debrief this game with a discussion about inequalities, selfishness and the choices a leader should make.
Games to Inspire a Vision
An effective leader should have a vision for the future and be able to communicate that vision to her team. Games that develop these skills involve the development of vision and those that teach communication skills.
A game that encourages visionary thinking is Puzzle Vision. Divide players into teams. Give each team all pieces of the same 300-piece puzzle. The facilitator tells the players they have five minutes to complete the puzzle. However, neither team may see the puzzle box, so each doesn't know what the completed puzzle should look like. After five minutes of struggling with the puzzle, the facilitator asks players if they need help. Players will usually reply that they want the puzzle box with the pictures. The facilitator then encourages players to develop a vision for what the puzzle should look like. After a few more minutes of playing, he can give them the puzzle boxes and let them work for a few more minutes. Even if neither team completes the puzzle, you can use this game to discuss differences among working without a plan, developing a plan from scratch and receiving a vision from which to work. Discuss the challenges that a leader faces in developing and communicating a vision.
Games to Teach Challenging the Process
Leaders who challenge the usual process of how things are done need to be strategic thinkers. They need to look at the big picture of a problem and think about creative ways to solve it. One game that is particularly useful for this skill is Frenzy. Divide players into four teams and give each team a hula-hoop. Place the hula-hoops on the ground at the four corners of a square, and place a fifth hula-hoop in the center of the square. Fill the fifth hula-hoop with small, soft balls. Tell the players that the first team to have all the balls inside its own hula-hoop will win the game. Players may steal balls from each other's hoops, and no team may guard its own hoop. Each player may steal one ball at a time. No player may throw the balls. After a few minutes, players will realize it's impossible to win by simply moving balls. There are two ways to win: three teams must agree to let the fourth team win, or all the teams must stack their hoops together and put all the balls inside all the hoops. Follow this game with a discussion about redefining problems and seeing unlikely solutions.
Games to Teach Enabling and Encouraging Others
Enabling and encouraging the team is one of the leader's most important qualities. Leaders need to see and publicly recognize their team members' skills. This is an easy skill to develop; many feedback and debriefing games teach players to notice other players' abilities and skills.
The game Freeze is played during any other activity, usually during a problem solving initiative. To play, set up the problem that the group must solve. Tell the group that at any time during the activity, if any player sees another player doing something helpful for the group, he can say, "freeze." All the players then freeze, and the player who called "freeze" points out the helpful action he observed. For example, it's common during a problem solving initiative for some players to get discouraged and want to give up or get a hint from the facilitator. If several players were getting discouraged and one player encouraged the team and expressed creative ways to solve the problem, another player could call "freeze" to recognize and thank the player who was encouraging the team. This game requires players to practice watching other players for opportunities to recognize positive actions and achievements.