LEAD 2006

Teambuilding & Networking

Facilitator’s Guide

For UNDP Cap 2015 Asia

Prepared by Gitanjali Bedi, LEAD International

December 2006

1
Table of Contents
Agenda Page 3

Facilitator’s Notes: Session-by-Session Guide Page 4

Master Materials List Page 18

Resources and Handouts Page 19

2
Teambuilding and Networking
1 Day Workshop
Facilitator/
Time Event Content Chair
08:30 Session 1 – • Who has climbed a mountain?
Introduction and • Introduction to the workshop –
Objectives Objectives, schedule and methodology
• Participants introductions – Paired
interviews
• Learning Styles Questionnaire
09:30 Session 2 – Working in • Trolley exercise
Teams • Groups vs Teams lecture
• Discussion – Experience sharing
• Brainstorming: Characteristics of highly
effective teams
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Session 3 – Effective • Characteristics of Networks
Networks • Formal vs Informal Networks
• Effective Networks – Group
Discussion
• Case study of an effective network
12:15 Lunch
13:30 Session 4 – Practicing • Paper tear activity
Team and • Principles of effective communication
Networking Skills: • Survival Game
Communication
• Debrief Survival Game
15:00 Coffee Break
15:30 Session 5 – Practicing • Principles of Trust
Team and • Trust walk
Networking Skills: • Trust walk debrief
Trust and Group
Learning

16:45 Session 6 – Applying • Summary of day

Principles and Closing • Action planning: Letter to myself
• Closing circle

17:30 Close

3
Facilitator’s Notes

Session 1: Introduction and

Objectives
Time Schedule

08:30 Session 1
09:30 Session 2
10:30 Coffee break
10:45 Session 3

Goals for Session 1

• Introduce the workshop objectives, methodology, schedule and facilitators.

• To introduce the participants.
• To explore our individual learning styles and to reflect on its implications for working in
teams.

Materials Required

• Handouts
• Flipchart and paper
• Coloured markers

Preparation

• Place the chairs in a semi circle close to the front of the room.
• As people walk into the room, have them write their name on a name tag and seat
themselves in the semi circle.
• Prepare a flipchart that records the results of the learning styles questionnaire.

Process

4
This session starts with handing out a copy of ‘Who has climbed a mountain?’ to all participants.
Put up the slide and provide brief instructions. Start by saying ‘we are going to do a fun ice-
breaker exercise that will allow us to learn something new about each other’. Everyone has
10 minutes to meet as many people in the room and find out who have experienced the
statements mentioned in each box. Participants are encouraged to collect as many signatures
from as many different people in the room (one signature per box is all that is required).
Ensure people are standing up and walking around the room meeting people. Once the 10
minutes has passed, ask everyone to stop what they are doing and return to their seats. Then
ask everyone;
• How many got more than 10 signatures … , more than 20 …, more than 30 …?

For fun, you may wish to offer a small prize to the winner. You may also wish to ask the
group ‘how many people have bunji-jumping?’ or one of the other unusual statements just to
emphasise what a talented / interesting / diverse group of people we have in the room.

Then commence with a short introduction to the workshop. The participants should be
introduced to the objectives of the workshop, the methodology (including how we learn –
experiential learning in both exploratory and confirmation mode), the schedule for the day
and the facilitators. If there are table facilitators, or key logistics staff in the room, they can
also be introduced at this time. This introduction to the workshop can be done using
PowerPoint slides or other visual aids.

After this sequence, participants will be asked to stand up and turn to someone they don’t
know and introduce themselves for 10 minutes (5 minutes each) asking the following
information.

• Their name, institution and country

• Their expectations for this workshop
• Describe what key skills or attributes they bring to a team.

Go around the circle asking each person to introduce their partner.

Introduce the ‘Learning Styles Questionnaire’. Say ‘In order to learn how to be more
effective in teams, we need to understand our own and each other’s learning style
preferences’. Distribute the handouts and ask participants to complete the questionnaire (see
slide) individually in 10 minutes. Invite them to record their result on the flipchart at the
front of the room. Invite participants to quickly form small groups of 4 to 6. In these
groups, participants will have a brief discussion about the following:

• What is your preferred learning style?

• What would be the implications of the various learning styles of your group if you all
had to work together?
• If you were leading a team, how could knowledge of your team members’ learning
styles help you strengthen your team more effectively?

The facilitator can ask the groups to share some of their comments and observations in
plenary.

5
Facilitator notes

The introductions exercise can easily get out of hand in terms of timing if the first few
people take a long time to introduce themselves. You might want to either do the first one
yourself to set a good example, or have a few people whom you have briefed in advance do
this. If need be, you might need to repeat the three fields (if people are giving more or
leaving out something) or remind people to keep it very short.

The learning styles questionnaire has been developed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford,
based on the work of David Kolb. Licensed copies of the questionnaire can be downloaded
from: http://www.peterhoney.com/content/print.html .

●●●

Session 2: Working in Teams

Time Schedule

09:30 Session 2
10:30 Coffee break
11:00 Session 3

Goals for Session 2

• To distinguish the difference between a group and a team.

• To become familiar with the four stage model of team development (Tuckman).
• To reflect upon stages of team development and leadership styles.
• To explore the characteristics of highly effective teams.

Materials Required

• Trolleys (1 per group of 6)

• Tape measure
• Open space outside
• Brown tape
• Flipchart and paper
• Coloured markers
• Coloured sticky dots

6
• Stopwatch

Preparation

• Decide in advance how many teams will be participating in the trolleys exercise. To
select the teams; cut a sheet of coloured sticky dots into individual pieces– 6 dots per
team in the same colour. Choose different colours for each of the teams participating.
Place sticky dots in a box and let participants choose one at the beginning of session 2.
This process will ensure the teams are randomly selected. If you wish to use another
system for selection, feel free to substitute it for this one.
• For the teambuilding exercise, you will need several trolleys. A trolley consists of a pair
of boards with ropes attached for people to hold on to. See notes later in this section on
how to construct a trolley. Ideally, you will have 6 people per trolley and as many trolleys
as there are sufficient participants. If you have a smaller group, you could have 4 people
per trolley.
• Open space outside is required for the activity such as a garden, lawn or park. Suggest
that practical shoes (not high heels) are useful for this exercise. If the ground is dry,
people may prefer to remove their shoes.
• Before the activity begins, create a start and finish line with brown tape approximately 20
meters or more apart.
• Place each trolley at the start line.
• Prepare a flipchart to record the results of each team.

Process

Introduce Session 2 focusing on ‘Working in Teams’. Invite everyone to step outside to the
area that has been set up for the Trolleys exercise. Before participants leave the room to go
outside, get everyone to select a coloured sticky dot from a box. The colour they choose
denotes the team they will belong to. Request the participants to place the sticky dot on their
clothing.

Gather everyone together outside near the trolleys. Request them to form their teams and
stand near the starting line. Then ask everyone to be silent to hear the instructions.

Instructions:

• Your team’s goal is to move as far as possible in 3 minutes using only the trolley.
• You must travel on the trolley with one foot on each board, holding the two
ropes, one in each hand. After standing on the trolley - NO ONE MAY MAKE
ANY SOUNDS!
• Each time someone on your trolley touches the ground, a distance penalty of 1
meter is assigned

7
 • You have 10 minutes to pick a name for your team and plan your strategy, then 3
minutes to move as far as possible.
• Observe how the various members of your team participate in the process of
developing a plan.

Immediately, start the 10 minutes and say ‘You have 10 minutes to pick your team name and
plan your strategy starting from now’.

Ensure you have at least two facilitators running the process. Each facilitator can move
around the teams collecting the names and noting them on the flipchart (which will be near
the finish line). Be ready to answer questions and clarify the instructions if need be. Observe
the process of decision making and discussion in each team. Remind them of the time when
they have 3 minutes remaining.

When the 10 minutes have passed, quickly request all team members to take their places. Ask
them to STOP TALKING and be ready to start. Remind them they have 3 minutes to go as
far as they can. Observe that all teams have their trolleys in place and that their feet are on
the boards. Say ‘Start’.

Both facilitators need to carefully observe each team and take note each time a team member
steps off their trolley. At the end of the 3 minutes, use a tape measure to measure the
distance each team has gone, subtract penalties (1 metre for every time a team member steps
off the trolley) and note it on the flipchart.

Debrief questions:

• How satisfied are you with your performance personally?

• How do you think your team did?
• What was the major obstacle to moving a great distance?
• What will you do better next time?

We will re-visit the trolleys exercise again in the day. The trolleys exercise provides an
opening to move into a discussion about teams, the definition of a team and what is the
difference between a group and a team. Before putting up the slide, run a brainstorm
exercise asking participants how they define a team. Note down all the ideas on a flipchart
and draw parallels if you can with the trolleys exercise.

Pose another question: ‘What is the difference between a group and a team?’ Ask if the
participants during the trolleys exercise felt they were a group or a team?

Attach the flipcharts on the wall available as a reference to go back to as the day proceeds.

Check if participants have heard of the four stages of team development formulated by
Bruce Tuckman. Usually some have heard of the model nevertheless it is worth spending a
little time going through each stage.

8
The four stages of team development
is a well known model of team
progression and evolution developed
by Bruce Tuckman in the 1960s.
Despite being developed some time
ago, it is still very useful for
understanding team dynamics today.
For further information, see:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/tuck
man.htm,
http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/
tuckman.htm
He added a further stage called
‘adjourning’ also referred to as
‘mourning’ when the team disbands
and moves on. For further
information on this, see:
http://www.businessballs.com/tuckm
anformingstormingnormingperformin
g.htm
As a facilitator, aim to draw on your
own personal examples of the model
when describing it or alternatively
request the participants to share an
example of when they were in the
‘storming’ or ‘norming’ or other
stages. This piece of advice holds for
the entire training module – when you
can give your own real life examples
of any theoretical content, it enriches
and contextualizes the material and
helps participants understand and
remember the key learning points.
Tuckman’s stages of team development
In 1965, Bruce Tuckman published his famous “Forming,
Storming, Norming, and Performing” model for team
development. This model identifies four distinct stages
within a team's life.
Each of the stages must be completed for the team to
move on to the next stage. When changes to the team’s
tasks or membership occur, the cycle the team goes
through is often repeated.
Step 1: Forming - Polite, but little is achieved
ƒ Orientation period
ƒ Becoming familiar with one another
ƒ Identifying the team’s tasks
ƒ Determining acceptable interpersonal
behaviors
ƒ Relying on leaders for structure
Step 2: Storming - Testing Others
ƒ Intra-group conflict
ƒ Challenging others and expressing
individual viewpoints
ƒ Lacking unity
ƒ Reacting emotionally to tasks
ƒ Testing out roles within the team
Step 3: Norming - Valuing Differences
ƒ Mutually accepting one another
ƒ Developing group cohesion
ƒ Establishing group norms and ground rules
ƒ Establishing roles within the team
Step 4: Performing -Flexibility from Trust
ƒ Solutions emerge
ƒ Becoming a problem-solving instrument
ƒ Contributing to the team’s purpose
ƒ Becoming interdependent

You may wish to ask participants to consider what stage this group may be in now in the
workshop.

For each stage of team development, there is a corresponding style of leadership which best
helps individuals within the team move effectively towards the performing stage. The team
leader helps the team members to realize that no developmental stage is bad, rather it is a
process filled with opportunity for individual and team challenges and learning. See slide.

The following explores the implications of each stage for leadership.

9
 Forming Storming Norming Performing
Team Leader's More directive Leader needs to be Leader acts as a Leader takes
Style
approach, outlining supportive, actively team member, as overview, but
how the process will listening to team leadership is starting within the day to
develop and laying members, to be shared. Leader day running, the
down a clear and managing the helps to develop group is sharing
structure. conflict, generating consensus. leadership
ideas, and explaining between
decisions. members.
Reaction to Team members take Leader is under General support for Personal
Leadership
a tentative, wait and pressure from more the leadership within relationships
see approach. vociferous team the team. Mutual have developed
Leader will be members. respect underpins which underpin
allowed to lead, but this. the leadership
that doesn't relationship.
guarantee support.
Team Process is driven by Process likely to The core process Process
Process
the leader. Some break down until should functions well,
people are reluctant conflict is resolved. operate smoothly, and is adjusted
to contribute openly. although there is a as necessary.
danger of focusing Leadership is
on smaller process shared and tasks
issues rather than delegated.
core team work.
Trust within the Individuals are not Trust is focused into As roles are Team starts to
team
clear about their smaller groups as accepted and operate on
contribution. "Getting sub-groups and clarified, trust and higher levels of
to know you" phase. alliances form. relationships start to trust as loyalty
Trust may start to be develop to a greater and relationships
built. degree. develop.
How Nominated leader is Decisions are hard to Group is able to Decision making
Decisions
expected to make make. Members are come to common is easier - some
are made
decisions. Some unwilling to give decisions. Win-win is decisions are
more vocal members way. Compromise more likely than delegated to
may dominate. is a frequent compromise. sub-groups or
outcome. individuals.
Source: http://www.teal.org.uk/et/teampro.htm

Again, come up your own examples of where you have seen / experienced leadership evolve
as a team moves through the stages of development discussed. Encourage sharing and
reflection from the participants.

Return to the flipchart with points defining a team. Ask the participants to reflect on what
might the characteristics of a highly effective team. Note their comments on a new flipchart
and place it on the wall next to the existing ones.

10
The slides offer some points of what characterizes successful teams in case they are not
covered in the discussion. These are only guidelines. Can you add more?

Facilitator notes

In this session, one of the main goals is to get people to think about teams that they are part
of. A successful facilitator will be able to link the key messages from this session to the
participants’ own experiences to reinforce the learning. What will often emerge is discussions
examples of dysfunctional teams and leadership. Try to facilitate the conversation in the
direction of what can be learnt from these situations.

We chose to use the trolleys exercise for this module because it’s an effective activity that
can be used more than once to demonstrate teambuilding. We suggest that while it seems
quite time intensive to build the trolleys, it is worth the effort.

If an alternative teambuilding exercise is required, ‘speed catch’ from the Systems Thinking
module can be used in place of the trolleys exercise.

How to construct a trolley:

First, look at the Trolley power point slides to see a diagram of a trolley.

1. For each trolley, you will require two wooden planks that are approximately 2 meters long
by 15 cm wide, and about 5 cm thick.

2. Spaced evenly across the length of the trolley, drill 5 large round holes through the bottom
of the trolley (but only about half-way through the height of the base). Then drill a smaller
hole just wide enough for a cord to slip through the remainder of the base. There should be
enough space for a person stand comfortably between the holes during the game. Be sure to
drill holes in the same location on all the wooden planks you will use to create the trolleys.

3. Pull a cord approximately 4 feet long through the whole and tie a knot at the bottom of
the base. The knot should stay embedded inside the bottom of the base where the large hole
was drilled.

●●●

Session 3: Effective Networks

Time Schedule

10:30 Coffee break

11
11:00 Session 3
12:15 Lunch

Goals for Session 3

• To explore participants’ individual leadership styles and preferences

Materials Required

• Leadership Styles Questionnaires OR

• Flipchart paper and different coloured markers.
• Optional (if doing 3D image): box of random materials (e.g. yarn, glue, balloons, glitter,
toilet roll, batteries, sticks, etc.)

Preparation

• Have the materials centrally located and ready for the exercise (either the questionnaires
or the building materials).

Process

Section 9: Network development and effectiveness

(supplementary)
This section is a short lecture followed by a brainstorming activity that introduces the
principles of effective networks. It is linked to the teambuilding module because effective
networks have elements in common with a team. Rather than being an intact like a team,
members of a network tend to occupy positions at some geographical distance from one
another. The common feature is that they share a common goal. For example, in the case
of LEAD, members of the network share the goal of working towards sustainable
development. If you would like to review some theory about network effectiveness prior to
conducting, see the document called the Art of Networking, included on this CD-ROM.

Number of Suitable for a small or large group

participants
Learning objective To introduce participants to different types of networks
(formal vs. informal, open vs. closed) and to develop
principles of building effective networks.

Room set-up Small group tables, or lecture style.

12
Materials required Power point projector and screen,
Flip chart or overhead transparency for brainstorming
activity
Time required Lecture: 10 minutes
Discussion: 20 minutes
Activity instructions See power point slides, which include facilitator’s notes.
Debrief instructions None required – a brainstorming session is part of the
activity
Number of facilitators 1
required
Power point slides
YES

This session has two options described below. A discussion component for this is built into
Session 4.

Option 1:

This session can be run with a Leadership Questionnaire. It is an individual activity, which
people do first, then followed by a brief discussion. The Problem-solving activity which
follows helps them test their assumptions and then a longer debriefing goes until the lunch
break.

The Leadership Styles Questionnaire has 10 descriptions/statements on aspects of

leadership. People select the one that reflects their preference then score it to identify their
leadership style. Note that this is an activity for discussion purposes, people may not agree
with their identified preference so it is important to say that this can help have a
conversation about preferences that can be insightful rather than trying to pigeonhole
people. In any case, the activity in Session 4 can test their results and see if they are actual or
desired.

The questionnaire is a handout which includes the complete set of instructions to follow
when briefing the activity.

Option 2:

This option is done in Learning Partner Pairs. The basic goal of this activity for the Learning
Partner Pairs is to, in conversation, consider their own leadership styles and leadership
preferences and create a picture (2 dimensional or 3 dimensional) of themselves which
illustrates these styles. Give each person a flip chart paper and make available centrally the
materials listed above, or any kind of found objects. You could also have people go for a
walk to find objects that they would like to use. Give the groups 20 minutes to produce their
images and post them (if they go for a walk to find objects, you might need to give them
more time). Then each person (or if they wish they can ask their Learning Partner to do it)
should share their image and briefly explain it.

13
After people have shared their images, immediately introduce Session 4. There does not
need to be a very long briefing for this, as it is very linked to Session 3.

Facilitator notes

This session is about noticing our leadership style and preferences and testing our
assumptions about how we operate in the world as leaders and team members with a real
problem-solving experience (which is in Session 4). Sometimes people identify incongruence
between their preferences and their actions, others find they have not thought so much
about a “personal style” and the action of naming qualities about themselves is a useful one.

●●●

Session 4: Practicing Team and

Networking Skills:
Communication
Time Schedule

13:30 Session 4
15:00 Coffee Break
15:30 Session 5

Goals for Session 4

• To test people’s assumptions about their preferred individual leadership styles and
preferences through a problem-solving activity.

Materials Required

• Survival Game handouts

• 2 sheets of used paper per person
• Flipchart and paper
• Coloured pens

14
Preparation

• Have the papers counted out in groups of 35 per team in advance.

Process

Number of This exercise is suitable for a small or large group. The

participants demonstration is more powerful with a group of at least 15
people.
Learning objective To demonstrate communication challenges and empower
participants with communication guidelines.
Room set-up Small tables for participants or lecture/horseshoe style for a
large group.
Materials required Two pieces of paper for each participant and the trainer.
Time required 20 minutes
Activity instructions See the power point slides, which include additional notes
for the facilitator.
Debrief instructions See the power point slides.
Number of facilitators 1
required

Number of This sequence is suitable for a small group of 4 or 5

participants people, or a large group divided into teams of 4 or 5 people
each.
Learning objective A brief lecture provides concepts related to decision
making and skillfull discussion, as well as guidelines and
an exercise (Survival Game) for participants to practice
skillfull discussion. The survival game also helps to build
problem-solving skills and demonstrates the power of
teams to achieve better performance on a task than an
individual.
Room set-up Tables of 4-5 people each, set up so that everyone can see
the facilitator and screen at the front of the room.
Materials required Power point projector and screen
1 survival game decision sheet for each participant
1 additional decision sheet for each group of 4 – 6 people
Time required 10 minutes for the short lecture
30 minutes to play the survival game
15 minutes to debrief the survival game
Activity instructions See the power point slides, which include additional notes
for the facilitator(s).
Debrief instructions See the power point slides, which include additional notes
for the facilitator.
Number of facilitators 1-2

15
required
Power point slides
YES

Without much debriefing of Session 3, you can start the Towers Activity. (NOTE: You
could also replace this game with any other group problem-solving activity.) For this activity,
put together 3 Learning Partner Pairs (or you could put the groups together randomly) and
present each group with the 30 sheets of paper.

Frame the Towers Activity using the slide set and give people the required amount of time
to plan and build their paper towers. At the end, wait for the minute, measure the Towers
and announce the winners (to great applause).

For the discussion component, ask people first to discuss the following questions in their
small groups:
• What did you notice about your leadership in your Towers team?
• How consistent were you with the leadership style you defined earlier?
• Is there anything else you noticed about your leadership style and preferences when
assuming leadership positions and working in teams?

Then ask people to come back into plenary. Use the slides to start the discussion about the
following:
• What are some key reflections on this exercise? How did it help us to explore our
personal leadership styles- what new insights did it give us

Facilitator notes

This session is about noticing our leadership style and preferences and testing our
assumptions about how we operate in the world as leaders and team members with a real
problem-solving experience. Sometimes people identify incongruence between their
preferences and their actions, others find they have not thought so much about a “personal
style” and the action of naming qualities about themselves is a useful one.

16
 ●●●
Session 5: Leadership and
“Followership” Visualization
Activity
Time Schedule

15:30 Session 5
16:45 Session 6
17:30 Close

Goals for the Session

• To anchor the previous discussion in the context of observed and appreciated leadership
styles through a guided visualization exercise. Using an appreciative frame, this session
helps us learn from what works.

Materials Required

• Enough paper for everyone to have one sheet for this game (this can be used/scrap
paper but must all be the same size)

Preparation

None

Process

Number of This exercise is suitable for a small or large group.

participants Participants should be divided into small groups of 5 or 6
people.
Learning objective This exercise helps to build trust among team members. It
demonstrates that trust is required among team members to
achieve a goal.
Room set-up Open space to move around the room or building – it is

17
 desirable to have some obstacles, like tables and chairs,
stair cases, etc.
Materials required 1 blindfold for each participant (the group leader in each
group does not require a blindfold)
Time required 15-20 minutes
Activity instructions See the power point slides, which include facilitator notes.
Debrief instructions See the power point slides. You may also provide the
participants with the handout “21 Principles of Trust”
following the debrief. They can use this handout as a
resource in the future.
Number of facilitators 1
required
Power point slides
YES

This session helps participants to pin the discussions on real life leaders that they watch and
admire.

The first step is a visualization activity starts with a reflection and story telling process. Using
the slides, participants are asked to consider a leader that they know, that they were happy
to follow. Give them a few minutes to select someone I their minds and think about them.
Then ask them, at their tables to share the story of this person with their group. Then ask
the group to consider the following questions:
o What were some of the qualities that this leader possessed that made you
happy to follow this person?
o What did the leader DO that made you happy to follow him/her?
o How did you act in response to his/her actions?

Depending on the group and the time, you could ask the tables to continue this discussion
or you could take some highlights from it in plenary.

The second step of this session is the Paper Tear game. This is a brief game to get people to
focus on some of the attributes regarding communication that they undoubtedly mentioned
in their stories. If not, then they will be able to add some attributes. Using the slide set to
frame the activity, walk people through the steps of the game. You can introduce it as a
demonstration that explores some of the qualities that they mentioned.

At the end of the game, use the debrief slide to have a discussion about how to create, as
leaders, the most effective communication processes with your teams. You can use the
communication tips on the slide provided, or skip that if the discussion has been very rich.

Facilitator notes

The first part of this session is very straight forward and normally produces some excellent
stories. It is always interesting to notice what kind of leaders people select, are they real

18
people that they know, or are they iconographic leaders. This can lead to an interesting
discussion of “What is a leader?”.

For Paper Tear, it is important to enforce the “guidelines” that people cannot talk and must
listen to perform the task. You are the “leader” in this instance can say that this is very
important and that you need to concentrate, etc and therefore people must not talk. You
also can do the exercise rather fast, and don’t worry about people not following etc. That
will help to make the point clearer when it is finished. When the results produced are very
different, you can explore what went wrong. People will identify many things that helped to
produce the very different results. When you have collected many tips for doing it correctly
(letting people ask questions, stopping to ask for feedback, turning around occasionally to
show people from their own perspective, etc. and if you have time, you could ask one of the
participants to come and implement all those suggestions and do the exercise again in exactly
the same way. Normally this then produces all the papers torn in exactly the same way (if
someone still does it different then say that is fine and don’t belabour that point.

●●●

Session 6: Learning From Best

and Worst Practices
Time Schedule

14:15 Session 6
15:30 Coffee break
16:00 Session 6 (cont.)
17:00 Session 7

Goals for Session

• To help people think about linking the main themes of the day to their own experiences,
in this case a past leadership experience (good or bad).

Materials Required

19
• Video machine
• Computer
• Note: This is also possible to do without filming, but instead as role play sketch.

Preparation

• If you are filming you will need a separate filming room set up for the coffee break (or
for whenever people are ready) It is also useful to have a way to designate the Groups
(A,B, C/1,2,3 etc.). The number should be written on a flipchart and be filmed prior to
filming the group, so that the different sketches can be identified.
• It is important for each group to have a private space to design and practice their
scenario, so breakout rooms or space will be important.
• Consider in advance how many groups you want to have. Do not have groups that are
too large that most people are inactive. At the same time, do not have too many groups,
as it gets boring to watch and feedback after a while. As advice, groups of 5-10 can
design interesting scenarios, and people can stand to watch 3-4 (max 5 if they are not too
long and on video, 4 if they are sketches).

Process

Use the slides to brief the activity. Divide the group (see advice in Preparation above). For
the discussion part of the exercise the groups can stay in the plenary room. However, once
they are ready to start practicing they will need to move to a private breakout space. Tell the
groups where they will go, so that as soon as they are ready they can move. They may wish
to move immediately after the briefing.

In this session on Learning from Best and Worst Practices, participants think back to their
experience to identify a leadership situation or scenario that was either good or bad to share
with their group. It can be an example that demonstrated the successful outcome due to very
good leadership, or it could be an example of a leadership situation which could have
potentially had a different (better) outcome if better leadership was taken.

Once people have a story in their mind, they share their stories with their group. (Here again,
a large group will take longer to share). The group them selects the one they would like to
role play into a 2 minute video or sketch. Tell people that you will have to be firm on the
timing. People will get to frame the scenario for the group when it is presented, and it is best
if the person’s whose story it is does not play him/herself.

At the coffee break, the scenarios will be filmed (if filming) and then in plenary they will be
watched and discussed.

When the Facilitator debriefs each scenario, ask people to identify:

• What did the leaders do right/wrong? What could the leader have potentially done
differently (even if a good situation, to even greater improve the outcome)

20
 • What the followers do? What could the followers have done to help achieve a
different outcome (a better or even better one?)
• If it was a good scenario, how transferable are the practices?
• If is was a bad scenario, how might such a situation be avoided in the future?

Facilitator notes

You will have to watch the timing on this activity, as there are several aspects that can easily
take more time: storytelling (if a large group), or filming (if people want to do something
fancy or if they need to have a couple of takes). If you are doing the exercise as a sketch, it
takes some time for people to move and set up their scenarios.

When facilitating the feedback on each case, really try to ask people questions that engage
them in other people’s experiences. You can also ask questions in plenary such as “Have you
ever experienced this? What did you do?” etc. Make sure to have the same feedback time for
each scenario, and do the discussion directly after the sketch/video otherwise people will
forget. In terms of timing, you could use 2 min for the video/sketch and 10 minutes of
discussion about it. This means with 4 groups, the whole reporting part of this activity takes
about 1 hour.

●●●

Session 6: Applying Principles

and Closing
Time Schedule

16:45 Session 6
17:30 Closing

Goals for Session

• To provide a review of the day’s activities and learning.

• To give people an opportunity to reflect individually about how they will apply their
learning for the day through an action planning exercise.
• To take some plenary reflections and formally close the workshop.

21
Materials Required

• Writing paper (1 per participant)

• Envelopes (1 per participant)
• Evaluation forms (if desired)

Preparation

• You might wish to go to a different place for a closing circle, outside or another
reflective place if possible.

Process

Start this session with the ‘Letter to Myself’ activity. Use the slides to brief it. Provide
everyone one with a sheet of writing paper and an envelope. As people first to address the
envelope to themselves, tell them that they will be writing a letter to themselves and seal it in
the envelope and in a month (or a time period that you select) the organizers will be mailing
it back to them as a reminder of their thinking.

Give people time to compose their letter which should include three important insights that
they gained from the day that they would like to implement in their own workplace or home.
Once people have written their letter ask them to seal it into the envelope and give it to you.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to send back the letters when promised.

After this personal activity, you can give out an evaluation form and give people 10 minutes
to complete and return it. Or you can do another kind of evaluation of your choosing (mood
board, etc.) It is best to do this within the session and to ask people to give it to you prior to
departure to ensure that you get all the feedback forms.

The final part of this session is a closing circle and for this you might wish to get people to
stand in a circle, and to do this outside, or in another environment.

You can start this reflection by retelling the story of the day. What happened and what the
group did (and add in some of the objectives reached). Then open up the discussion to the
group for any new insights or reflections that they would like to share. Once everyone who
wishes to has shared their thoughts you can thank the group for their participation and close
the session.

Facilitator notes

This last reflection session is very important as it helps people to consider how they will
implement some of their learning into their own contexts, and allows them to listen to ideas

22
of others. It also gives you some direct feedback on the workshop and some ideas of what
you might wish to change for the next time.

●●●
• Prepare your tape or sticky stuff in advance as you will be posting cards quickly. Line up
small balls of sticky stuff on one side of your wall space, or make tape rolls. Enough for
the whole exercise.
• Cut the dots in advance into 3 dots per person, so that it is easier to hand them out at
the end.
• Make certain that you have enough group facilitators for the small groups, if you are
using break-out rooms, select one or two participants to help and brief them in advance.
For this exercise, people can either work together in plenary if you have a small group (12-15
people) or if you have a larger group you will want to put them into small groups by sector
(or perhaps if you have very diverse sectors present, you may want to split even a small
group into sectors). Depending on the size of the initial group, this can be traditional sectors:
private, NGO, government, academia, and media. Or you can use other labels to divide the
group. Each group should have a facilitator, so that people can concentrate on the activity,
which has a number of steps.

Step 1: Let people sit together either in a circle or around a set of tables in a room. Hand out
2-3 cards per person and a marker. If you have a large group give people 2 cards, if it is
small, they can have 3. This will help you manage the number of inputs you will using in the
second step. Ask people to think for a moment about the challenges they see to good local
leadership in their sector. Give them a few minutes to think and ask them to write one
challenge per card (just a few words).

Step 2: Once people have filled in their cards, collect them and you will start to post them on
your pinboard, wall or white space area. Read them out as you post them and take a first
attempt at grouping them. When you see similar words or items, start to cluster them. If in
doubt ask the participants, or involve them in helping you cluster them. Try not to turn your
back on the participants during this.

Step 3: Once the clusters are up, ask the group if they can help you label the clusters with
one or two word titles which exemplify the clusters. Ask people if things still need to be
moved around.

Step 4: Hand out 3 dots per person, remind people of the clusters and ask people to vote for
their top 3 challenges. Which of all these do people think are the three top ones. Once they
vote, you can rank them. Rewrite these cluster titles, in their order of priority to the group
on a flipchart.

NOTE: If time is short for any reason, this exercise can end here, and then finish up with
the Gallery Walk and short Plenary discussion (20 minutes). If you find you have extra time
(at least 20 minutes) you can add this step:

23
Optional Step: With at least 20 minutes, you can take the top 3 priorities and divide your
sectoral group into 3 sub-groups and ask them to have a conversation about “Their
challenge”. They can have a short discussion about the following: “What can a leader do,
what have they tried and seen tried in their context to meet this challenge?” They can record
some thoughts if they wish and post it with their other materials.

If there is not enough time for this, go directly to Step 5 and 6:

Step 5. This session ends first with a 10-minute Gallery walk that people do with a partners
so that the groups can see what kind of challenges have been identified for the different
sectors. Once everyone is back in the room (or as people enter it) have them select a partner,
which will hereafter be called their Learning Partner for the day. You can decide how you
wish people to find their Learning Partner, you can have them select names from a hat.
People can select names until all the people have been selected. Once someone has been
selected, they do not pick again. Or people can choose their own partner, they can be
assigned, or you can devise another way.

Step 6: After the Gallery Walk, reconvene the plenary for a short discussion about what
people noticed. Ask the group, “when you walked around the boards and talked to your
Learning Partner about the challenges that the sectors faced, what did you notice?” Probably
people will reflect on how similar the challenges are, no matter what the sector. At the same
time there might also be some useful differences. Noticing this helps the group understand
some of the different perspective and contexts held by group members and should help
them be active listeners during the week.
leadership practice in their own context and to start to share some of their stories and
experiences. As this might be a sectoral discussion to begin with, it helps people network
with others who have a similar background, and helps people find affinities in the stories
being told. At the same time, the conclusions should help people recognize that although
people are very different within the participant group, they are dealing with some very
similar issues, and therefore, the discussions during the week should be widely applicable
across the diversity of the group.

Prior to delivering the module, be sure to review carefully the facilitator instructions for each
activity, and if possible, do a trial run in advance.

24
Master Materials List
Materials

• Name badge, note paper and pen for each participant

• Participants manual for each participant
• Laptop computer, LCD projector and screen
• ‘Who climbed a mountain?’ handout (1 per person and some extra) (Session 1)
• Learning Style Questionnaires (1 per person and some extra) (Session 1)
• Flipchart stands and paper
• Coloured markers
• Sticky stuff or masking tape
• Trolleys (1 per group of 6) (Session 2)
• Brown tape (Session 2)
• Tape measure (Session 2)
• Coloured sticky dots (one per person, one colour per team) (Session 2)
• Stop watch (Session 2)
• Pinboards and pins (optional – Session 3)
• Survival Game handouts (1 per person and some extra) (Session 4)
• 2 sheets of used paper per person (Session 4)
• 21 Basic Principles of Trust (Session 4)
• Blindfolds (1 each for half to two-thirds of participants) (Session 5)
• Writing paper – 1 sheet per person (Session 6)
• Envelopes – 1 per person (Session 6)
• Evaluation forms
• Team Leadership paper (to take away)

25
 Who Has Climbed A Mountain?

Climbed a mountain in Survived a life Worked in three or more Speak more than two
Nepal threatening illness countries languages
Been married more than Love Salsa dancing Belong to a football team Have four or more
once siblings
Kissed the Blarney Stone Swam in the Dead Sea Taken a ferry across the Visited the Great Wall of
Bosphorus China
Been involved in a Have gone skiing and Attended an interview Suffer from
serious accident swimming on the same that changed my life claustrophobia
day
Adopted or fostered a Built my own house Lived more than a year in Can’t drive a car
child a foreign country
Belong to a minority Stood for political office Worked on a farm Make my own bread
group
Been poor and been rich Given up smoking Am a vegetarian Have never touched snow

Seen sunrise over Hale Joined a weight loss Have four or more Manage a workforce of
Akela program children over a thousand people
Traveled more than 1000 Can ride a horse Taken part in a clean-up Run my own business
miles to attend this campaign
workshop
Taken part in a public Been arrested by the Bought and sold shares Met a movie-star or been
protest demonstration police over the internet in a movie
Made a PowerPoint Held and exhibition of my Made my own clothes Made my own wine or
presentation own artwork beer
Seen the Taj Mahal Gone white water rafting Gambled in a world class Had a coffee at the
Casino Raffles Hotel Singapore
Gone on safari in Africa Marched in a parade Filled sandbags in a Been a volunteer fire
flood fighter
Been a Peace Corps Run a training program Published a book Fought in a war
Volunteer (or equivalent)
Represented my school Came last in a race Saved somebody’s life Been out of work for more
or other institution in sport than six months
Own an unusual pet Underwent a mid life Changed my religion Come out of the closet
crisis
Live by the sea Suffered from unrequited Don’t know how the fax Am a member of a
love machine works workers’ union
Play a musical instrument Read and write al least Visited a nudist camp Experienced an
one computer language avalanche
Frightened of flying Been bunji-jumping Changed the color of my Lied about my age
hair
Got lost in a maze Made a parachute jump Solicited signatures for a Stolen an article from a
petition shop
Had to fire somebody Been a marathon runner Chaired a committee Been dismissed from my
job
I am a twin or triplet Am an orphan Been trapped in an Found hidden treasure
elevator

26
 Team Leadership
This document is reproduced with permission from The Professional Development Program of Hurricane
Island Outward Bound School, PO Box 429, Rockland ME 04841. Tel: (1.800) 341.1744.

1. Team Leadership

Overview
Leadership is an interaction among all who comprise the team; it is not just direction by the
leader and reaction by the team members. The model used in Team Leadership is holistic; it
encompasses achieving the task, building the team, and developing the individual.
Surrounding these three elements of task, team and individual are the forces of direction,
motivation, and aim.

Leadership Forces
Direction means setting the aim, organising and briefing the team, and controlling the day-
to-day affairs of the team.
Motivation means giving life, soul, and image--all that we mean by team spirit--to a task.
This is only gained when the leader is a team member. The force of direction and motivation
are not separate entities; they overlap and are interdependent.
Aim is a common purpose which is so important or desirable that all are willing to work
together. To gain this level of cooperation, the leader must create the belief that the goal is
possible only through joint effort. All must agree that their individual roles and responsibili-
ties must be joined in a team effort, which is more than a combination of individual efforts.

Elements of Leadership
The elements of leadership are actually areas of responsibility:
• Achieving the task
• Building and maintaining the team
• Developing and satisfying the individual

Each area interacts with the other two and may be given more or less attention depending
upon the situation. The team, for example, can influence the individual and vice versa. The
leader alternately influences and is influenced by the situation.

27
 Achieving the
task

Building the
Developing
team
Individuals

To maintain perspective and to balance the task, team, and individual, the leader must
maintain an overview of the situation and avoid over-involvement in the details of task
achievement. We call this process the heli-view.

Task

Team Individual

During all phases of team event, continuous attention must be given to each of the three
areas of responsibility. The following leader's checklist notes some of the necessary actions.

KEY FUNCTIONS TASK TEAM INDIVIDUAL

Define objectives Identify task Involve team Gain acceptance

Plan Establish priorities Consult Set targets

COMMUNICATION

Decide Structure

Brief Brief Answer questions Listen

Check under- Enthuse
standing
Support Rectify problems Coordinate Advise
Monitor Report progress Assist

Evaluate Review Recognise success / Coach / Train

Re-plan Learn from failure Praise

Mission Articulation
A leader must have a clear sense of mission and articulate that mission to the group. Many
organisations are unclear about their purpose or do not take the time to articulate it. The
articulation of mission--the unique purpose that guides an organisation--is of fundamental
importance especially when the organisation meets a major challenge.

28
Empowerment
The effectiveness of a leader is reflected in the attitude of those who are led. We refer to this
attitude as empowerment. In organisational leadership, the leader's style must pull rather
than push people on. Pulling attracts and energizes people to an exciting vision of the
future. It motivates by identification rather than rewards and punishments. A leader
embodies the ideals towards which the organisation is striving. A leader enrolls all the team
members in a vision that is attainable and worthy.

Vision
Before choosing a direction, a leader must have a mental image of a future state of the
organisation. This image, which we call a vision, may be as vague as a dream or as precise as
a mission statement. The vision must articulate a realistic, attractive future for the
organisation; a condition better than what now exists.

A vision is a target that beckons. A vision is a condition that does not presently exist and
never existed before. Through a vision, the leader provides the all-important bridge between
the present and the future of the organisation.

A shared vision of the future helps individuals distinguish between what is good or bad for
the organisation and what is worthwhile to achieve. Most important, it makes it possible to
delegate decision-making. People can make difficult decisions without appealing to higher
levels in the organisation when they know the desired results. Thus, individual behaviour can
be shaped, directed, and coordinated by a shared and empowering vision of the future.

Since the achievement of a vision is unpredictable and visions may require boundary testing,
risk is an integral part of the vision-making process. Furthermore, taking more risks may be
part of the vision. It is no easy undertaking to change an organisation from a low-risk
environment where outcomes are fairly predictable to one in which risk taking is acceptable
and outcomes are less predictable. A clear understanding of what constitutes risk, the
difference between personal risk, career risk, and business risk, and the kinds of risks
required to achieve the vision is essential.

Leadership Perspectives
A leader:
• Listens;
• Carefully thinks through where the organisation should be going and how it might get
there;
• Does not assume that the organisation's direction is obvious;
• Explains logically why the goals are correct, important, and achievable;
• Defines broad strategies that support the goals;
• Assesses the organisation's strengths and weaknesses relative to the long-term goals and
its potential for change;
• Is a consistent and visible missionary who is intellectually and emotionally committed to
the cause;

29
• Empowers the work force and provides an environment in which individuals both thrive
and produce at a high level.
Many segments of management responsibility can be delegated; by definition, leadership
responsibility cannot.

Followership
An important aspect of teamwork that is often overlooked is what we call followership. By
followership, we mean the role of team player. The team player's ability to support,
encourage, follow directions, question, coach, and let go of personal prominence leads to the
success and efficiency of the whole.
Leadership and followership may shift within teams as the situation demands. For example,
leadership may be relinquished to a technical expert for certain tasks. Through followership,
the leader empowers the team players and encourages a collective approach to
accomplishing the mission of the team.

2. Communication

Effective communication is the essence of productive teamwork. It encompasses more than

the exchange of information; it embraces thoughts and feelings and a genuine interest in the
thoughts and feelings of others.

People seldom communicate clearly while in the grip of strong emotion; instead, their anger,
hurt, or frustration is transmitted. Skills can be learned to allow effective communication
despite the emotions of the moment, but first there must be a genuine desire to be an
effective communicator.

Communication Skills

Non-Verbal The influence of tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language
should not be underestimated.
Assertion Sincerely expressing understanding and respect for the position of
others before stating your feelings and viewpoints is often helpful.
I/You Language Letting others know the effect their behaviour is having on you and
your professional responsibilities is often important.

There are four parts to the I/You language. Practicing them deliberately helps us to remain
objective while delivering our message:
1. “When you…” A non-judgmental description of the other person's
behaviour.

2. “The effects are…” A description of how the other person's behaviour affects the
situation or you

3. “I feel…” A description of what you are feeling

30
 4. “I prefer…” A description of what you prefer

Listening Skills
Listening is a vital part of the communication process, but humans often don't listen. Our
education and training teach us to speak and write, yet research has shown that 40 percent of
the average white-collar worker's time is spent listening and the average efficiency of the
listening is only 25 percent. The following observations are useful for developing effective
listening skills:
• Everyone likes to be listened to because it makes them feel important.
• Attention to small complaints will often prevent major conflicts.
• Listening requires the full attention of the listener.
• Listening habits are related to other personality traits such as stubbornness and
empathy.
• Good listening encourages the speaker to continue. The responses of a disinterested
listener tend to appear artificial or manipulative.
• Listen patiently to what the other person has to say.
• Do not react too quickly and do not evaluate the speaker's statements prematurely.
• Pay attention to the speaker's feelings as well as the content of the message.
• Listen for ideas rather than isolated facts.
• Resist distractions.

Behaviour Skills
Your behaviour can greatly influence the outcome of one-on-one or group communication.
Attention to the following behaviour patterns can assist in the quality of the process:
• Listen to everyone's input.
• Avoid withdrawing from the process.
• Keep conversation to the critical issues.
• Avoid dominating the conversation.
• Express feelings openly and honestly.
• Do not push your own ideas to the exclusion of others.

Feedback
Good communication is not just presenting information well; it is a dialogue. At some point,
the roles of speaker and listener must be reversed such that the listener sends a message back
to the speaker that has been filtered through his or her attitudes and emotions. This returned
message is called feedback. Some points to consider when giving or receiving feedback are:
• It must be intended to be helpful.

31
• It must be considered relevant.
• It should be given in a manner that will not elicit a defensive reaction.
• Is should be presented as a perception, not as fact.
• When receiving feedback, seek to understand, not defend.
• When receiving feedback, search for potential value.
• When receiving feedback, do not overreact.

Message
Message
Speaker
• Attitudes
• Emotions Listener
• Attitudes
• Role
• Emotions
b l
• Role
Feedback
Feedback
N
3. Trust

Trust is hard to describe, let alone define. We know when it is present, and we know when it
is not. We know that it is essential and that it is based on predictability. We trust people who
are predictable, whose positions are known, and who are consistent. Leaders who are trusted
make their positions clear.

Trust is the condition--and resulting obligation--of having placed confidence in an individual

or a group. It is a condition of responsibility that relies on integrity. Individual integrity is
well understood. A good definition of organisation integrity is harmony between the
perceived and official view of the organisation. The lower the degree of discrepancy, the
higher the level of integrity.

Before effective teams can be created, barriers between and among team members and
leaders must be replaced with trust. Leaders and members must be prepared to communicate
honestly even when the stakes are high. If mistrust exists, leaders must take responsibility for
evaluating where and why it exists, recognise their own trust failures, and sensitively
confront the trust failures of others.

The accumulation of trust is a measure of the legitimacy of the leadership. It cannot be

mandate or purchased; it must be earned. Trust is as mysterious and elusive as leadership,
and as important.

TRUST
RISK
GAIN
Care 32
Compassion
Affirmation
Vulnerability
 Levels of Trust (from Maslow)

4. Risk

Risk is exposure of one's self or an event to the chance of loss or failure. Effective leadership
takes risks. It innovates, challenges, and changes the basic metabolism of the organisation.
As Admiral Rickover once stated, leadership takes "courageous patience". Leaders deploy
their ideas and thereby commit themselves to greater risk--the exposure that most of us
emotionally yearn for, rhetorically defend, but in practice shun. At their best, leaders commit
themselves to their goals and are resilient enough to absorb conflicts while sustaining a
vision for the whole organisation.

5. Effective and Ineffective Groups: A Comparison

While the concepts in this section may not be addressed specifically during the day, they will be very relevant to
your experience.
EFFECTIVE GROUPS INEFFECTIVE GROUPS

GOALS are clarified and changed to provide GOALS are imposed and competitively
the best possible match between those of the structured.
individual and those of the group.

COMMUNICATION is two-way, and the COMMUNICATION is one way. Only

open expression of ideas and feelings is ideas are expressed; feelings are suppressed

33
encouraged. or ignored.

INFLUENCE and POWER are determined INFLUENCE and POWER are

by ability and information; power is concentrated in the positions of authority.
equalized and shared.

DECISION-MAKING procedures vary DECISIONS are always made by the highest

with the situation; involvement and group authority with little group discussion or
discussions are encouraged. involvement.

CONTROVERSY and CONFLICT are seen CONTROVERSY and CONFLICT are

as positive aspects of members' involvement. ignored, avoided, or suppressed.

COHESION is developed through high COHESION is ignored, and members are

levels of inclusion, affection, support, and controlled by force. Conformity is promoted.
trust. Individuality and inter-personal
behaviour are emphasized.

PARTICIPATION and LEADERSHIP are LEADERSHIP is delegated and based upon

distributed among all group members. authority; only goal accomplishment is
emphasized.

6. Stages of Group Development

Groups typically go through four stages. While the stages do not follow a predictable
sequence, all groups must grapple with these issues either explicitly through discussion or
implicitly through their actions.
Forming Joining a group or soliciting group members based on criteria such as:
• Background
• Competency
• Work style
• Common goal
Storming Sorting out personal relationships of power and influence:
• Who is in control?
• How is control exercised?
• How much influence do I have?
• What role do I play?
Norming Getting organised:
• What will be the prevailing attitude towards the work? (e.g. time devoted
to the task, meeting deadline, listening, and differing)
• How will the work be divided?

34
Performing Doing the work and achieving rapport and closeness:
• Positive regard for other members
• Clear roles for all individuals
• Feedback from within and outside the group to ensure that the group's
performance is on track

7. Personal Growth

A leader motivates a dedicated, spirited, close-knit organisation to pursue a common vision

and produce effective results in the real world. People in such an organisation have deep
respect for themselves and for each other; they feel they are bringing something of
themselves to their work; it is an outlet for their energy and dedication.

In these organisations, work is more than what you do to earn a paycheck; it involves
personal commitment, personal satisfaction, and personal growth. Work is a natural
outgrowth of a desire for challenge, stimulation, feedback, success, and association with
others in meaningful activity.

Work as Personal Fulfilment

Our personal needs and the organisation's needs are surprisingly similar:

PERSONAL NEEDS ORGANISATION NEEDS

A source of livelihood Financial success

A sense of personal effectiveness Organisational effectiveness

Personal direction Effective leadership

Happiness and 'aliveness' Spirit

Emotional support Employee dedication and commitment

Personal growth Organisational development and growth

Personal success Organisational success

A leader knows that personal fulfillment and organisational goals are strongly connected.
The trick is to ensure that each supports the other. To ignore the personal is to ignore a
major source of energy that can be used towards organisational objectives. A leader treats
people as individuals who are seeking to improve themselves. A leader engages people on a
personal and a task-oriented level. A leader helps people link their personal desires with the
needs of the organisation.

35
Work as Personal Growth
Organisations can actively encourage individuals to treat the organisation as a place in which
to develop. When an organisation creates a context for personal growth, a subtle but
profound improvement occurs in the atmosphere of the organisation for two reasons.

First, such a context creates a mechanism for resolving personal and emotional problems.
When an individual has a problem with a co-worker, the norms of the organisation make it
safe to go to the co-worker and talk it out. This can relieve an enormous amount of
organisational tension and stress.

Second, emphasis on personal growth helps individuals take responsibility for their lives and
focus on personal and organisational goals. When the individuals take this approach, the
organisation has a sense of vibrancy, action, and buoyancy. People feel 'up' and ready to
accept challenges and devote their energy to the vision.

Creating this kind of organisation requires a new form of leadership. It is obviously not
hierarchical, top-down leadership that says, "From here on, everyone will be emotionally
open in meetings." Rather, the leadership creates safety and support for people, leading by
example. As a leader, the best way to create a context of personal growth is to engage in it
yourself.

When a leader emphasizes personal growth, several messages are transmitted:

• We care about you as a person.
• You can bring all of yourself, not just selected portions, to this organisation.
• You are responsible for your own life, and we support you in handling that
responsibility.
• We care about our final product or service but also about the process by which we
create and deliver it.
• We want communication, negotiation, and cooperation rather that politics, back-
stabbing, and other forms of denial and manipulation that sap the organisation’s
energy.
• We are committed to having this organisation work both personally and
professionally.
• We expect from you an active approach to solving problems and cooperating with
others.

8. Stress

Pressure is created by the demands made on you by your job, the people around you, and
yourself. These demands, or stresses, activate your sensory system to meet that pressure. It
could be said that stress is necessary: it forces you to function every day.

36
However, stress is double-edged sword. You can either harness it or let it become
destructive. The magnitude of stress and how you handle it will have either a positive or
negative impact on your ability to function.

Some individuals survive and grow in adverse circumstances while others succumb to the
cumulative effects of stress. This difference is due to the adequacy and development of their
coping skills.
Productivity
Zone
Level of Performance

Too Low Optimal Too High

Level of Stress

At optimal levels, stress energizes you to get things done and to feel good about what you
have accomplished. It generates not only energy but also enthusiasm. Perceived in this way,
stress can be a valuable career asset, but it must be managed. If you are using your stress
positively:
• Your career is an exciting and developing part of you that you cherish.
• Your accomplishments are a form of personal expression.
• You are in control from within; you have a comfortable sense of direction; you are on
top of your work without feeling overwhelmed.
• You seek personal challenge and growth.
• You see the bright side of things.
• You keep problems in perspective and maintain objectivity.
• You know how to get away from it all; you enjoy outside interests.

However, it is all too easy to react to pressure negatively or unproductively. It is also easy to
blame your stress on external factors -- the organisation, a manager, your work load.
However, the key to successful coping is changing yourself because usually you cannot
change external factors.

If you examine your stress responses clearly, you will find that at least some stress stems
from your strong need to achieve, to advance in your career, and to 'make it'. Part of your
drive to do well is created by a fear of failing. In other words, your motivation to succeed is

37
actually a defense against failures you don’t know how to handle. As a result, you push
yourself long and hard to do well.

Following are a few of the ways that individuals create failures for themselves. Each is a
psychological set up that feeds the personal insecurity and professional doubt that generates
stress:
• You habitually accept more work than you can possibly get done.
• You create and then don't meet unrealistic deadlines.
• You must be the number one in everything you do.
• You acknowledge what you do wrong and ignore what you do right.
• You assume that you have disappointed someone important to you with no evidence to
that effect.
• You set, but do not meet, perfectionist standards.
• You procrastinate.

Striving to succeed interacts with the pressure-packed environment in which most

professionals work each day. Because of the incessant pressures, it is difficult to maintain the
necessary skills to prevent stress overload. The result is the spread of work-related stress into
non-work areas of life. This further erodes your ability to rejuvenate emotionally. The spread
of stress manifests itself in three ways:
• Residual stress: Tension that remains with you after you leave work.
• Anticipatory stress: Anxiety that occurs before you get to work.
• Sleep disturbance: Progressive interference with sleep caused by inability to relax before
and after work.

The destructive effect of stress overload creep up in almost imperceptible increments. One
day you wake up to find yourself quite successful by most social standards but, at the same
time, you are unhappy and not sure why. This is the day you must examine your response to
pressure. Until this day, you can always find an excuse to do the same things in the same
ways and deny the growing problems within you at work and at home.

38
9. Problem Solving

Below is a useful problem-solving guide:

Define the problem

A poorly defined problem is often a problem that does not get solved. A problem must be
differentiated from its symptoms (the behaviours and feelings that arise in response to a
problem). To help define problem, ask questions such as "What is happening that should
not?" and "What is not happening that should?" The importance of the problem and its
relevance to broader purposes must be clearly understood by all concerned.

Blocks to effective problem definition include using abstract words, over-generalizing,

splitting hairs, not having clear goals, giving destructive rather than constructive feedback,
and getting sidetracked on other problems.

Gather facts
A brainstorming session can be used to gather as much information on the problem as
possible. The task is to ask for and obtain any missing data that might bear on the problem
and solution.

Blocks include unsupported feelings or opinions, lethargy, bulldozing by one or two

members cutting off the discussion, dwelling on past events, jumping to conclusions, and
premature decision making.

Identify possible alternatives

Given a good problem statement and enough facts, certain solutions will readily present
themselves. The trick is to invite as many ideas and suggestions, including 'ideal' and 'far out'
ones, rather than to settle for just one or two. Then summarize, consider, and amend each
workable alternative.

Blocks include attaching ideas to individuals, getting sidetracked by arguments and debates,
and over-analyzing ('analysis paralysis').

Select the best alternative

Evaluate the workability of each alternative by considering what it entails, how it relates to
other tasks, and what its effects will most likely be. For each alternative, restate data that is
believed to be significant and reject insignificant data by consensus. As a result of such
questioning, one alternative generally emerges as the best. Then a solid commitment is
sought from the individual or the group to try this alternative.

39
Blocks include lack of practical experience in predicting outcomes, straw voting rather that
consensus based on exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative,
confusing the idea with the individual, polarizing, bulldozing to cut off discussion, and
lethargy.

Take action

When the best alternative has been selected and backed by a firm commitment by the
individual or group involved, develop a plan of action, pinning down specific responsibilities
and follow-up procedures. Excuses for lack of performance are not accepted. If need be, the
plan may be revised but not the commitment.

Blocks include failure to pin down responsibility, lack of involvement and follow-up, and
acceptance of excuses for lack of performance.

40
 21 Basic Principles of Trust
Written by Dennis Meadows, Director of the Institute for Policy and Social Science Research,
University of New Hampshire

Principle 1: Trust is important, because it reduces the costs of control, monitoring, and
negotiation. As a result, more resources (mainly time and energy of people) are invested
in getting the job done.

Principle 2: Trust engenders trust. If two people trust each other, they will act with
integrity. The fact that over time each has acted with integrity builds their trust in each
other in the future.

Principle 3: Face to face dealings make it easier to create and build trust, because
people like to be known as trustworthy among people with whom they have relations.
Being together in a community, association, club, or in some other way increases the
importance of being trusted, hence it increases the degree that people will act in a
trustworthy way. Conversely, there is little incentive to act in a trustworthy way over the
web, because it is more likely that bad acts perpetrated on the internet will not generally
become known to people that are important to you.

Principle 4: You can trust an individual because he or she is recommended by

someone you trust, because they work for a respected organisation, because they are in
a profession that is inherently trustworthy, because you have worked with them and they
have behaved with integrity, or because they have engendered “quick trust,” behaving
on first sight in ways that engender trust (this involves many intuitive issues, including
their dress and mode of behavior).

Principle 5: Trust takes a long time to build, but it can be destroyed quickly, especially
by lies. Lies will always be discovered sooner or later.

Principle 6: If you treat someone with trust, they are more likely to behave in a
trustworthy fashion. The opposite is also true.

Principle 7: The image projected by an organisation’s leaders is very important. If they

voice principles and goals of integrity and behave in a way that is consistent with them,
you will trust them and the organisation more. And the opposite is also true.

Principle 8: Trust engenders loyalty. Trust lets the organisation create more wealth. If
that wealth is distributed in part to the people, they will trust the organisation more and
be more loyal.

Principle 9: Political actions are motivated and judged by short-term results. Therefore,
a political organisation is the opposite of an organisation that operates with high levels of
trust. If people get promoted because of their political skills, the organisation ends up
with a senior management group in which trust is not very important. They will create a
climate that engenders low trust among people in lower levels of the organisation.

41
Principle 10: Trust is a direct source of self esteem and satisfaction, since people like
being trusted and like working in an environment that is generally positive and
supportive. If they are given a chance, people will even accept lower levels of
compensation and other goals in order to work in an environment characterized by
sustained high levels of trust.

Principle 11: Trust interacts with your time horizon. If you trust someone, you can rely
on a deal you make with her in which she benefits over the short term, and you benefit in
the long term. If you don’t trust her, you won’t abide by the deal, because you’ll be
worried that she’ll get hers now, and then she will break the bargain, denying you of your
benefits later. Since many agreements that are important to the organisation impose
“worse before better” outcomes on one or more of the participants, it is important to have
trust, so that those agreements can be made and implemented fully. Conversely, if you
intend to work within an organisation for only a short period of time, trust is much less
important as a basis of your actions. Economic gain will become much more important.

Principle 12: You can’t manufacture trust or wish it into existence. It must come from
trustworthy behavior over time, either directly or indirectly through reputation and
recommendations. Simply declaring that someone should “Trust me” accomplishes little,
if your past or present actions do not engender trust.

Principle 13: Your trust in another person or organisation is not absolute; it depends on
the circumstances. As the cost of making a mistake in judgement goes up, you tend to
rely less on trust and more on legal or other formal means of commitment.

Principle 14: It is easier to trust someone who is like you than someone who differs in
culture, race, or in other ways. This results in part because when people are similar to
you it is easier to perceive and understand a variety of non-verbal cues about their
attitudes and intentions.

Principle 15: At the society level indicators of trust and civic engagement are highly and
positively correlated.

Principle 16: There is thin trust and thick trust, thin is what you have generally for all the
members of your organisation. Thick trust is what you have for the people nearby with
whom you have worked. The first is from association and the second by experience.
Intermediate to these two is trust from reputation. Trust from reputation is especially
important in close knit networks.

Principle 17: Perception that all members of the organisation share a commitment to a
higher goal or purpose can engender trust. People tend to like organisations that are
motivated by goals other than profit.

Principle 18: Trust is enhanced by organisational transparency - by a shared culture

where everyone knows and has free access to information on the goals, what others are
doing, and what has happened.

Principle 19: An organisation’s or individual’s reputation for trustworthiness, or the

opposite, is hard to change, once it is established - even if they really do change their
behavior. However, a reputation for trustworthiness can be destroyed very much quicker
than it can be restored.

42
Principle 20: If two people are interacting with one being trustworthy and the other not,
the quick result will be that the trusting party: 1) breaks off the relation, 2) tries to shift it
to a basis in legal contracts, or 3) starts acting in an untrustworthy way.

Principle 21: Leaders can do the following to build trust in their organisation: 1) behave
in a trustworthy way; 2) be open and encourage openness; 3) trust others; and 4) create
financial incentives tied to group performance rather than individual success.

43
Team Building Session
Facilitators Observation Sheet

Team Roles
Did anyone demonstrate a very strong role preference? For example, generating ideas, acting
as chairperson or finishing off the detail.

Team Effectiveness
Did the group go through the classic forming, storming, norming and performing … stages?
Did they settle quickly?

Participation
How did the group deal with: unequal involvement; dominant members; passive members?

Team Structure
Did the team adopt a particular structure? Was there a leader? Did individuals have assigned
roles? Was the structure appropriate for the task?

44
Body Language
Did the team members demonstrate any classic body language that betrayed their feelings?
Was this picked up by any other members of the group?

Conflict
Did any conflict, such as a clash of views, occur within the team? How was this dealt with?

Cross-cultural issues
Were the team members sensitive to the different cultural styles of the individual members?

45
Answer Sheet for Survival

Item Importance Item Importance

5 meters feet of nylon rope _____ Compass _____

Fishing kit _____ Shark repellent _____

20 liter can full of water _____ Little mirror _____

Maps of the Pacific Ocean _____ 8 litre can of oil-gas mix _____

Mosquito netting _____ 3 sq. meters of plastic _____

20 meals of food in cans _____ Two boxes of chocolate _____

One liter of 80% alcohol rum_____ Floating seat cushion _____

FM radio receiver _____

Importance: 1=Essential, 5=Almost useless, throw away

46
Features of a well-functioning team

1. The tasks and goals are clearly understood by all

2. A lot of discussion in which everyone participates

3. There are a number of formal and informal communication systems and

people know how and when to use them

4. Most decisions are reached by consensus – it is important that everyone buys

in to planned action

5. Disagreement and conflict are not suppressed. Rather, they are allowed to
surface and are used to enhance learning, creativity, and mutual
understanding

6. Feelings as well as rational thought are given place in team communications

7. An atmosphere of trust so that people contribute all their ideas without fear of
sanction of ridicule

8. Constructive feedback is part of the team culture, and learning from activities
is shared

9. Action is clearly defined, responsibilities assigned and deadlines agreed. All

team members do something to contribute to team success and all
contributions are acknowledged.

10. There are no power struggles – the issue is not WHO controls but HOW to
get the job done best

47