UNIT – 5

Leading high performance :

The high performance organization (HPO) is a conceptual framework for organizations that leads to
improved, sustainable organizational performance.

High performance organizations can quickly and efficiently change their operating structure and practices
to meet needs. These organizations focus on long term success while delivering on actionable short term
goals. These organizations are flexible, customer focused, and able to work highly effectively in teams.
The culture and management of these organizations support flatter hierarchies, teamwork, diversity, and
adaptability to the environment which are all of paramount success to this type of organization. Compared
to other organizations, high performance organizations spend much more time on continuously improving
their core capabilities and invest in their workforce, leading to increased growth and performance. High
performance organizations are sometimes labeled as high commitment organizations.

A high-performance culture helps the organization achieve high levels of performance and results
consistently over time.

Here are four common characteristics of a high-performance culture:

The Characteristics of a High-Performance Culture

A high-performance culture helps the organization achieve high levels of performance and results
consistently over time. It’s no wonder then that building a high-performance culture is a chief goal for
many organizations as it can mean the difference between stagnation and growth, competitiveness and
being left behind. Regardless of industry, company size, or location, high-performance cultures can be
identified by a range of common attributes.

Here are four common characteristics of a high-performance culture:

1.Strong Leaders:

Leadership is the foundation upon which team performance is built. Leaders set the tone, communicate
goals, and directly impact employee performance in a variety of ways. In a high-performance work
culture, leaders drive goal execution and are a catalyst for team performance.

For example, a leader who works hard to exceed sales goals or learn a new process will inspire their
employees to do the same.

2.Empowered and Engaged Employees:

High-performance cultures consist of individuals who possess the ability to make key decisions and own
those decisions, leading to increased engagement.

High-performance cultures feature two-way feedback mechanisms, training that promotes idea
generation, and leadership that encourages employees to take ownership in the everyday performance of
their roles.
For example, one airline empowers employees by encouraging them to “go the extra mile” for customers.

Strong Leaders

Leaders of high-performance teams motivate employees and inspire them to give their best to the projects
at hand. They are both cheerleader and coach, creating an environment where employees feel engaged
and inspired. In setting goals and giving feedback, leaders in a high-performance culture communicate
clear, measurable, and action-oriented goals. They communicate with empathy and give feedback that
builds trust and encourages employees to perform to their potential.

Empowered and Engaged Employees

High-performance cultures consist of individuals who possess the ability to make key decisions and own
those decisions, leading to increased engagement. In a recent SHRM survey, 70 percent of employees said
that feeling empowered to take action when a problem or opportunity arose was a critical element in their
engagement. Organizations with a high-performance culture do more than say they want employees to be
empowered; they ensure that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to use good judgment
when making decisions.

3. A Focus on Continuous Learning and Employee Development:

High-performance organizations recognize that people need to focus on continually upgrading their skills
and knowledge to sustain long-term performance.

Leadership development harnesses the talent and passion of high-potential employees and ensures the
sustainability of a high-performance culture.

4.Openness to Change:

Like all organizations, those with a high-performance culture are not immune to the constant pace of
change that exists in every industry.
JOB DESIGN
GOAL SETTING
Introduction to Quality of Work Life (QWL): in OB:

Dissatisfaction with working life affects the workers some time or another, regardless of position or
status. The frustration, boredom and anger common to employees can be costly to both individuals and
organisations.

Managers seek to reduce job dissatisfaction at all organizational levels, including their own. This is a
complex problem, however, because it is difficult to isolate and identify the attributes which affect the
quality of working life.

Employee satisfaction and quality of work life directly affect company’s ability to serve its customers.
Efforts towards QWL measurement help in efficient and effective allocation of resources to enhance
productivity and stability of the workforce.

It leads to:

i. Positive employee attitudes toward their work and the company.

ii. Increased productivity and intrinsic motivation.

iii. Enhanced organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage.

Quality of work life involves three major parts:

1. Occupational health care: Safe work environment provides the basis for people to enjoy his work.
The work should not pose health hazards for the employees.

2. Suitable working time: Companies should observe the number of working hours and the standard
limits on overtime, time of vacation and taking free days before national holidays.

3. Appropriate salary: The employee and the employer agree upon appropriate salary. The Government
establishes the rate of minimum salary; the employer should not pay less than that to the employee. Work
represents a role which a person has designated to himself. On the one hand, work earns one’s living for
the family, on the other hand, it is a self-realization that provides enjoyment and satisfaction.

Nature and Scope of Quality of Work Life (QWL) :

Quality of work life is the quality of relationship between employees and total working environment.

A Great Place to work is where “You Trust the people you work for, have pride in what you do, and enjoy
the people you work with.”

Quality of work life represents concern for human dimensions of work and relates to job satisfaction and
organisational development.

The following aspects improve the QWL:

1. Recognition of work life issues: Issues related to work life should be addressed by the Board and
other important officials of the company like why people are not happy, do they need training, why
employee morale is poor and numerous other issues. If these are addressed properly, they will be able to
build, “People-Centred Organisations”.

2. Commitment to improvement: QWL can be improved if the staff is committed to improvement in

productivity and performance. This issue can be taken by the board through staff recognition and support
programmes. Board should prepare QWL reports on periodic basis to boost the system. They can also
introduce reward system which will be of help to them.

3. Quality of work life teams: Board members should form the combined team of managers and workers
and all the issues and common themes must be identified.

Work Life Teams = Managers + Staff

SOCIO TECHNICAL DESIGN AND HIGH Performance practices :

Socio-technical systems design (STSD) methods are an approach to design that consider human, social
and organisational factors,1 as well as technical factors in the design of organisational systems.

The term socio-technical systems is nowadays widely used to describe many complex systems, but there
are five key characteristics of open socio-technical systems.

1.Systems should have interdependent parts.

2.Systems should adapt to and pursue goals in external environments.

3.Systems have an internal environment comprising separate but interdependent technical and social
subsystems.

4.Systems have equifinality. In other words, systems goals can be achieved by more than one means. This
implies that there are design choices to be made during system development.

5.System performance relies on the joint optimisation of the technical and social subsystems. Focusing on
one of these systems to the exclusion of the other is likely to lead to degraded system performance and
utility.

STSD methods were developed to facilitate the design of such systems. We have restricted our scope here
to this class of systems, and do not consider deeply embedded systems, for example, where there is
usually no social subsystem involved.

High-performance work practices are defined as a way of organizing work in which employees participate
in making decisions that have a real impact on their jobs and the broader organization. The aim of these
practices is to achieve a high-performance culture, one in which the norms, values, and human resources
are combined to create an environment in which the achievement of high levels of performance is a way
of life.

Contents

What are high-performance work practices?

The strategic importance of human resource management and its impact on financial performance has
created substantial interest within academic and practitioner communities. This interest is focused on the
potential of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) to act as a unique, sustainable resource supporting
the implementation of corporate strategy and the achievement of operational goals.

The terms such as knowledge workers, intellectual capital, and high-performance work systems reflect a
new interest in people as a source of competitive advantage rather than as a cost that needs to be
minimized. Consequently, people as intellectual assets and the systems within an organization designed to
attract, develop, and retain them are emerging as significant elements of the strategic decision-making
process.

High-performance work practices are a set of coherent and consistent practices that see people as a source
of competitive advantage
Although HPWPs have neither been consistently defined nor uniformly named.

HPWPs are most commonly viewed as a set of internally coherent and consistent human resources
practices designed to

1.promote employee knowledge,

2.motivation, and

3.commitment.

 High-performance work practices empower employees, which helps organizational efficiency and
performance
 HPWPs involve substantial investment in human capital to empower employees by developing
their knowledge, skills, flexibility, and motivation, with the expectation that the employer will
provide them with the ability and the opportunity to deliver input into workplace decisions.
 The main components of HPWPs in organizations:
1. Highly selective hiring and sophisticated selection process
2. Employment security and internal labour markets
3. Comprehensive training, learning, and development
4. Employee involvement, sharing of information, and workers’ voice
5. Team working/Self-managed teams
6. High compensation based on performance
7. Reduction of status differentials.

What is Behaviour performance management?

Performance management is a strategic approach to creating and sustaining improved performance in

employees, leading to an increase in the effectiveness of companies.

Why is performance management important?

In any organization, no matter the size, it is important to understand what your employees are doing, how
they are doing it, and why they are doing it.

Without a system in place to define roles, understand individual strengths and weaknesses, provide
feedback, trigger interventions and reward positive behavior, it is much more difficult for managers to
effectively lead their employees.

 The importance of performance management

Talent management is an important part of every organization. Three of the main problems that
organizations face are:
  Keeping employees engaged
 Retaining talent
 Developing leaders from within

These are the issues that performance management very effectively targets.

1. Keeping employees engaged: Engagement of employees is a focus of any management team. In a

yearly appraisal system, goals would be given at the beginning of the year and then revisited 12 months
later to see if they had been met.

2. Retaining talent: Employees who have frequent meetings with management to discuss performance,
solve problems and receive training are more likely to stay with the company.

If employees see that their management team is putting in the work to develop them professionally, help
them succeed with their goals, and reward performance on a consistent basis, then they are more
incentivized to both stay with the company and work harder.

3. Developing leaders from within: This consistent development and partnership between managers and
employees allow for the development of leaders from within the company.

Performance management also creates a need for management to consistently focus on company
objectives and goals, and to consider how best to achieve them. This continual revisiting of goals means
that they are more likely to stay relevant, as goals will be adjusted in light of new technology, changes in
the market, or other factors throughout the year.

There are five main objectives of performance management:

1.Develop clear role definitions, expectations and goals

2.Increase employee engagement

3.Develop managerial leadership and coaching skills

4.Boost productivity through improved performance

5.Develop a performance reward program that incentivizes accomplishment.

Reinforcement and punishment as principles of learning :

Reinforcement:

The most effective way to teach a person or animal a new behaviour is with positive reinforcement. In
positive reinforcement, a desirable stimulus is added to increase a behaviour.

For example, you tell your five-year-old son, Jerome, that if he cleans his room, he will get a toy. Vijay
quickly cleans his room because he wants a new art set. Let’s pause for a moment. Some people might
say, “Why should I reward my child for doing what is expected?” But in fact we are constantly and
consistently rewarded in our lives.

In negative reinforcement, an undesirable stimulus is removed to increase a behaviour.

For example, car manufacturers use the principles of negative reinforcement in their seatbelt systems,
which go “beep, beep, beep” until you fasten your seatbelt. The annoying sound stops when you exhibit
the desired behavior, increasing the likelihood that you will buckle up in the future.

Punishment

Many people confuse negative reinforcement with punishment in operant conditioning, but they are two
very different mechanisms. Remember that reinforcement, even when it is negative, always increases a
behavior. In contrast, punishment always decreases a behavior. In positive punishment, you add an
undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior. An example of positive punishment is scolding a student to
get the student to stop texting in class. In this case, a stimulus (the reprimand) is added in order to
decrease the behavior (texting in class). In negative punishment, you remove a pleasant stimulus to
decrease a behavior. For example, when a child misbehaves, a parent can take away a favourite toy. In
this case, a stimulus (the toy) is removed in order to decrease the behavior.

Punishment, especially when it is immediate, is one way to decrease undesirable behavior.

While positive punishment can be effective in some cases, suggested that the use of punishment should
be weighed against the possible negative effects. Today’s psychologists and parenting experts favor
reinforcement over punishment—they recommend that you catch your child doing something good and
reward her for it.

Principles of Reinforcement in Learning

Reinforcement is the process by which certain types of behaviours are strengthened. It is the attempt to
develop or strengthen desirable behaviour by either bestowing positive consequences or with holding
negative consequences. Thus, a "reinforcer" is any stimulus that causes certain behaviour to be repeated
or inhibited. By introducing some rein forcers, the organizations can maintain or increase the probability
of such behaviours as quality oriented performance, decision-making, high level of attendance and
punctuality and so on. There are four basic reinforcement strategies:
1. Positive reinforcement
2. Negative reinforcement
3. Extinction
4. Punishment
1.Positive Reinforcement
A positive reinforcement is a reward for a desired behaviour. The reward should be sufficiently powerful
and durable so that it increases the probability of occurrence of desirable behaviour. Positive
reinforcement results from the application of a positive consequence following a desirable behaviour.
For example
i. Bonuses paid at the end of a successful business year are an example of positive reinforcement
ii. Employees will work hard for a raise or a promotion
iii. Salesmen will increase their efforts to get rewards and bonuses
iv. Students will study to get good grades and
v. Children will throw temper tantrums to get candy or ice creams.
In these examples, the rises, promotions, awards, bonuses, good grades candy and ice cream are positive
reinforcers.
2.Negative Reinforcement: Negative reinforcement also known as "escape conditioning" or "avoidance
learning" it is also a method of strengthening desired behaviour. Negative reinforcement results from with
holding a threatened negative consequence when a desired behaviour occurs.
For example students study hard, write term papers and do their homework on time to avoid the
consequences of failure in the examination.
Just as people engage in behaviours in order to get positive reinforcers, they also engage in behaviours to
avoid or escape unpleasant conditions. Terminating an unpleasant stimulus in order to strengthen or
increase the probability of a response is called negative reinforcement. If people find that a response
successfully ends an aversive condition, they are likely to repeat it. For example, Heroin addicts will do
almost anything to obtain heroin to terminate their painful withdrawal symptoms.
Responses that end discomfort and those that are followed by rewards are likely to be strengthened or
repeated because both lead to a more desirable outcome. Some behaviour is influenced by a combination
of positive and negative reinforcement. For example, if you eat a plateful of rather disgusting leftovers to
relieve intense hunger then you are eating solely to remove hunger, a negative reinforcer. But if your
hunger is relieved by dinner at a fine restaurant, both positive and negative reinforcement will have
played a role.
3.Extinction
(with holding reinforcers) - We have seen that responses followed by reinforcers tend to be repeated and
that responses no longer followed by reinforcers will occur less and less frequently and eventually die out.
In humans, extinction can lead to frustration or even rage. Consider a child having a temper tantrum. If
whining and loud demands do not bring the reinforcer, the child may progress to kicking and screaming.
It is what we expect and don't get that makes us angry.
An alternative to punishing undesirable behaviour is extension - the attempt to weaken behaviour by
attaching no consequences (either positive or negative) to it. It is equivalent to ignoring the behaviour.
The rationale for using extinction is that a behaviour not followed by any consequence is weakened.
However, some patience and time may be needed for it to be effective.
This type of reinforcement is applied to reduce undesirable behaviour, especially when suchbehaviours
were previously rewarded. This means that if rewards were removed from behaviours that were
previously reinforced, then such behaviours would become less frequent and eventually die out. For
example, if a student in the class is highly mischievous and disturbs the class, he is probably asking for
attention. If the attention is given to him, he will continue to exhibit that behaviour. However, if he is
continuously ignored and not recognised, then such undesirable behaviour will vanish over a period of
time.
4.Punishment
Punishment is the opposite of reinforcement. Punishment tends to lower the probability of a response by
following it with an aversive or unpleasant consequence. And punishment can be accomplished either
adding an unpleasant stimulus or removing a pleasant stimulus.
The added unpleasant stimulus might take the form of criticism, a scolding, a disapproving 244 Principles
of Management and Organisational Behaviour look, a fine, or a prison sentence. The removal of a
pleasant stimulus might consist of with holding affection and attention, suspending a driver's license, or
taking away a privilege such as watching television.
Punishment is the attempt to eliminate or weaken undesirable behaviour. It is used in two ways. One way
to punish a person is through the application of a negative consequence following an undesirable
behaviour. The other way to punish a person is through the with holding a positive consequence following
an undesirable behaviour.
Punishment is the most controversial method of behaviour modification and involves delivering an
unpleasant consequence contingent upon the occurrence of an undesirable behaviour.
 The punishment process consists of "application" of an undesirable consequence or "withdrawal" of a
desirable consequence for an undesirable behaviour, which has never been associated with reward before.

Behavior modification
Behavior modification refers to the techniques used to try and decrease or increase a particular type of
behavior or reaction. This might sound very technical, but it's used very frequently by all of us. Parents
use this to teach their children right from wrong. Therapists use it to promote healthy behaviors in their
patients. Animal trainers use it to develop obedience between a pet and its owner. We even use it in our
relationships with friends and significant others. Our responses to them teach them what we like and what
we don't.
Process of Behavior modification
we need 4 steps to achieve behavior modification
Overview of the 4 Step Process

The Extended DISC 4 Step Process was developed to help individuals achieve success. Behavioral
modification can be challenging and hard to sustain. This simple approach can be consistently applied to a
wide variety of applications such as general communication, leadership, conflict resolutions, and
sales.The 4 Step Process involves:

 The four main human behavioral styles.

 Who you are and how others perceive you.
 How to read other people and better understand them.
 How to adjust your communication style to achieve your goals.

Step 1: Understanding DISC styles

Clients need context in order to interpret their own assessment results. First, they need to understand
the DISC Model is non-judgmental; there is no better or worse result. However, the results are clearly
defined in a safe and universal context. Next they need a clear understanding of the similarities and
differences between the DISC Styles. Once they understand the DISC model, they can begin to
understand the report and identify their own DISC style.

Step 2: Identifying your style

The Extended DISC Assessment is laid out in a way that makes it accessible and flexible to use. There are
different types of reports that speak directly to people in different roles. The reports contain information
identifying the person's style, but also shows how others may perceive this individual's style. It may also
show areas the individaul is not aware of, this is called a "blind spot". Individuals are able to gain better
self-awareness about how they prefer to do things and how they tend to show up in different situations.

Step 3: Identify the DISC styles of others

Many behavioral assessment tools are effective at Step 2; helping people in their self-discovery. However,
that is usually not enough to achieve success. If the person is able to identify the DISC style in others
using a simple observe, assess, and recognize approach, then they will have more information on how
best to make behavioral modifications.

First, we observe a person's pattern of behaviors in a non-judgmental way. Next, we use the DISC model
to determine if the person is more task-oriented versus people-oriented, and more active versus reserved.
Now we are able to identify their primary DISC style. The key to identifying styles of others is to practice
and be mindful of ever interaction; whether it is in person, on the phone, in emails, etc.
Step 4: Modify your behavior
The most important step is to modify behavior. People need to understand that DISC is not about
changing who they are. In the DISC Model there is no better or worse; only similarities and differences.
Often, these temporary adjustments we make are very brief. If we practice and are mindful of when we
modify our behavior then it will become second nature and we will quickly see positive results in our
work and daily lives.
Goal of the 4 Step Process

The goal of the 4 Step Process is to understand our preferred behaviors, and applying them effectively. In
addition we need to be able to modify them to different situations. Ultimately, the goal is to increase our
situational self-awareness and to develop a strategic behavioral response.

Leadership Theories :

Here are some of the major leadership theories that every manager needs to know to stay on top of their
game.

1.Contingency Theory:

This theory proposes that no one way or style of leadership may be applicable to all situations. In other
words, it recognizes that there might be variables influencing any particular situation, and a leader must
choose the right course of action, taking into account those variables.

2.Situational Leadership Theory:

Like the Contingency Theory, the Situational Theory stresses the importance of situational variables and
doesn't consider anyone's leadership style to be better than the others.

3.Transformational Leadership Theory:

The Transformational Leadership theory, also known as Relationship theories, focuses on the relationship
between the leaders and followers. This theory talks about the kind of leader who is inspirational and
charismatic, encouraging their followers to transform and become better at a task.
Transformational leaders typically motivate by their ability to show their followers the significance of the
task and the higher good involved in performing it. These leaders are not only focused on the team's
performance but also give individual team members the required push to reach his or her potential.

4.Transactional Theories

Transactional Theories, also referred to as Management theories or exchange theories of leadership,

revolve around the role of supervision, organization, and teamwork. These theories consider rewards and
punishments as the basis for leadership actions. This is one of the oft-used theories in business, and the
proponents of this leadership style use rewards and punishments to motivate employees.

5. Behavioral Theory:

In the Behavioral Theory, the emphasis shifts from the traits or qualities of leaders to their behaviors and
actions. In sharp contrast to the Great Man Theory and the trait approach to leadership, this theory
considers effective leadership to be the result of many learned or acquired skills. It proposes that an
individual can learn to become a good leader.

6.Great Man Theory of Leadership:

This is one of the earliest leadership theories and is based on the assumption that leadership is an inborn
phenomenon and that leaders are "born" rather than "made." According to this theory, a person capable of
leading has the personality traits of a leader — charm, confidence, intellect, communication skills, and
social aptitude — from birth, which set them apart. This theory emphasizes leadership as a quality that
you either possess or you don't; it isn't something that you can learn.

Do good leaders make good managers? Or is it the other way around? It's a chicken-and-egg question that
has no clear-cut answer. This often leads people to wonder what the difference between a leader and a
manager really is. However, one thing is for sure — while leadership and management are not the same,
they both must go hand in hand.

If managers are to be effective in their role, it is essential for them to imbibe certain leadership skills. And
if leaders want to lead successfully, they must know how to manage their followers — employees, peers,
and stakeholders — so that they feel more inspired, empowered, and engaged, leading to a successful
organization.

Ultimately, both roles need an understanding of human behavior to create a more engaged workforce and
more productive workplaces.
Styles :

The seven primary leadership styles are:

1. Autocratic Style:

The phrase most illustrative of an autocratic leadership style is "Do as I say." Generally, an autocratic
leader believes that he or she is the smartest person at the table and knows more than others. They make
all the decisions with little input from team members.

2. Authoritative Style:

The phrase most indicative of this style of leadership (also known as "visionary") is "Follow me." The
authoritative leadership style is the mark of confident leaders who map the way and set expectations,
while engaging and energizing followers along the way.

3. Pacesetting Style:

"Do as I do!" is the phrase most indicative of leaders who utilize the pacesetting style. This style
describes a very driven leader who sets the pace as in racing. Pacesetters set the bar high and push their
team members to run hard and fast to the finish line.

4. Democratic Style:

Democratic leaders are more likely to ask "What do you think?" They share information with employees
about anything that affects their work responsibilities. They also seek employees' opinions before
approving a final decision.

5. Coaching Style:

When you having a coaching leadership style, you tend to have a "Consider this" approach. A leader who
coaches views people as a reservoir of talent to be developed. The leader who uses a coach approach
seeks to unlock people's potential.

6. Affiliative Style:

A phrase often used to describe this type of leadership is "People come first." Of all the leadership styles,
the affiliative leadership approach is one where the leader gets up close and personal with people. A
leader practicing this style pays attention to and supports the emotional needs of team members. The
leader strives to open up a pipeline that connects him or her to the team.

7. Laissez-Faire Style:

The laissez-faire leadership style is at the opposite end of the autocratic style. Of all the leadership styles,
this one involves the least amount of oversight. You could say that the autocratic style leader stands as
firm as a rock on issues, while the laissez-faire leader lets people swim with the current.
Choosing Leadership Styles

Knowing which of the leadership styles works best for you is part of being a good leader. Developing a
signature style with the ability to stretch into other styles as the situation warrants may help enhance your
leadership effectiveness.

1. Know yourself.

Start by raising your awareness of your dominant leadership style. You can do this by asking trusted
colleagues to describe the strengths of your leadership style. You can also take a leadership style
assessment.

2. Understand the different styles.

Get familiar with the repertoire of leadership styles that can work best for a given situation. What new
skills do you need to develop?

3. Practice makes a leader.

Be genuine with any approach you use. Moving from a dominant leadership style to a different one may
be challenging at first. Practice the new behaviours until they become natural. In other words, don't use a
different leadership style as a "point-and-click" approach. People can smell a fake leadership style a mile
away—authenticity rules.

4. Develop your leadership agility.

Traditional leadership styles are still relevant in today's workplace, but they may need to be combined
with new approaches in line with how leadership is defined for the 21st century.

Today's business environments are fraught with challenges due to the changing demographics and the
employee expectations of a diverse workforce.

Leadership Activities

The Best Leadership Activities To Help Develop Your Team’s Skills

1.Survival Leadership Activities

Divide the participants into two teams and present them with a survival situation: a plane crash, a
shipwreck, lost in the desert. Then present them with a list of items that might be useful in that situation.

Challenge the groups to choose five items that will help them survive. After the teams finish picking their
items, ask them to justify their selections and how they would use those things to overcome their given
circumstance.

2) All Aboard

Divide your team into two groups and then challenge them to build a “boat” out of scrap materials you
provide.
Once they’ve finished construction, instruct all members of the team to stand on some part of their
creation. Then remove pieces one at a time while the individuals try to “stay on the boat” as best they can.

This activity encourages communication, teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking.

3) What If

Invite your employees into your office one at a time and present them with a difficult hypothetical
situation. Ask them to come up with a solution to the problem.

For example, “What if you lost an important client and cost the company a great deal of money because
you didn’t follow procedure? How would you explain your actions and how would you solve the
problem?”

This leadership activity demonstrates rationality, analytical thinking, accountability, and problem solving.

4) Minefield

For this exercise, you’ll need teams of two, a blindfold, and several “obstacles” (office furniture works
well).

Blindfold one member of the duo and task the other member to guide the “blind” person through the
minefield of obstacles using only the words right, left, forward, and backward. As an alternative, hold this
activity at a park or playground for a nice out-of-office experience.

This leadership activity promotes communication, listening, and trust.

5) Leaders You Admire

First, divide your team into groups of no more than five and position them in different parts of the office
(so they can talk freely). Task them with discussing leaders (living or dead) they admire and choosing one
to be the representative of their group.

6) 30 Seconds Left

Give your team members a few minutes to think about the best moment of their lives. Stress that it could
be a professional achievement, an exciting adventure, or a personal breakthrough. Anything goes, but let
them know that they will be sharing with the rest of the group.

When everyone has their moment in mind, ask them to narrow it down to the best 30 seconds. Then go
around the room and ask each person to describe the moment.

This leadership activity helps your team get to know one another (and themselves) and encourages
bonding as a group.

7) Icebreaker

In this task, each participant must come up with five general “icebreaker” questions (e.g., “Who is more
than six feet tall?”)
Once everyone is finished, go around the group and have each individual ask their questions. Count how
many people raise their hand. The person with the highest number of points at the end of the round wins.

8) Leader’s Task

This is a three-part leadership activity, so allow plenty of time for participants to complete the tasks. You
may even want to spread this activity out over several days. Here’s how it works.

Part 1: Assign your team to write an essay on a given leadership topic or organize a debate on that same
topic. Create a rubric you can follow to determine two or three winners.

Part 2: Divide the other members of your team into two or three smaller teams (depending on how many
winners you have from part one). Appoint the winners of part one as the leaders of these small groups.

Part 3: Take the leaders aside and give them an assignment. The leaders’ task is to organize their team in
order to complete the assigned project successfully.

The leaders can do this however they like, but the first team that manages to achieve the goal wins the
reward.

9) Leadership Race

Before gathering everyone together for this leadership activity, write a list of 20 or more leadership
qualities in the form of “I am…” statements.

For example:

 I am comfortable making important decisions with plenty of lead time.

 I am comfortable making important decisions with no lead time.
 I don’t blame others for my problems.
 I am approachable even during stressful times.
 I have a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

Skills of great leaders:

Here are the most important leadership qualities and skills to look for in a great leader.

1. Communication.
2. Integrity.
3. Accountability.
4. Empathy.
5. Humility.
6. Resilience.
7. Vision.
8. Influence.
9. Positivity.
10. Delegation.
11. Confidence
1. Communication.

If you’re in a leadership role, good communication skills are absolutely crucial. Using language to
perform one-to-one communication is really all that we have as human beings.

Tips for Effective Communication

Yes, there are non-verbal cues, but being able to express yourself openly and build empathy with other
people is the foundation of effective leadership.

And what is the #1 most important part of communication?

Listening.

Right up there with empathy, the only way to get people to follow you is to make them feel heard.

One of my favourite quotes from Dale Carnegie from How to Win Friend and Influence People is, “talk to
someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.”

This is 100% true. The more you make real eye contact and show sincere interest in the lives of others,
the more people will be magnetically drawn to you and passionately speak about their lives. They’ll
become inspired, feel heard, and begin to know, like, and trust you.

Alternatively, when you show no interest, lack eye contact, and pretend not to care about personal stories
that other people tell, they will automatically shut down, stop sharing as much, and feel self-conscious
about their own interests.

Communication is the #1 most important quality of being a great leader.

2. Integrity.

C.S. Lewis said: “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

Without integrity, no real success if possible. You can’t expect your followers to be honest when you lack
integrity yourself. An honest leader succeeds when they stick to their word, live by their core values, lead
by example, and follow-through.

 Integrity is the cornerstone of all other leadership qualities.

 There are many things to look for in people with integrity, including:
 Apologizing for mistakes
 Highlighting the work of their employees and downplaying their own contributions
 Giving the benefit of the doubt when circumstances are unclear
 Being appreciative of people’s time

3. Accountability.

For accountability, an effective leader needs to follow the advice of Arnold Glasow when he said,

“A good leader takes little more than his share of the blame and little less than his share of the credit.”
A strong leader is accountable for the team’s results, good or bad. They hold themselves and their
employees accountable for their actions, which creates a sense of responsibility among the team.

They give credit where credit is due, and take responsibility for blame when necessary. Being accountable
and leading by example is one of the quickest ways a leader can build trust with their team.

4. Empathy.

A true leader has enough open-mindedness to understand their followers’ motivations, hopes, dreams, and
problems so that they can forge a deep personal connection with them.

 Empathy is understanding.
 Skills Strengthened By Empathy
 Empathy isn’t just being a nice person.
 It’s a mindset that enables leaders to:
 Make better predictions
 Improve work strategies
 Inspire loyalty among their teams
 Better their negotiation tactics
 Increase creativity

Understanding where people are coming from helps facilitate a more human environment where team
members are more productive and leaders thrive.

For example, if an employee is consistently 15 minutes late, good leaders won’t impute blame on them
right away and even better leaders will solve the why questions. Why are they late?

Maybe they’re dealing with a personal struggle at home, health issues, or car troubles. Real leaders are
empathetic with their teams and deeply understand their motivations.

After all, what’s more important to human communication than understanding others?

5. Humility.

When it comes to leadership, it can be tempting to become enamoured with a new title or status.

However, great leadership styles focus on problem-solving and team dynamics much more than self-
promotion. A great leader will never be effective if they’re more concerned with themselves than with the
well-being of their team. As Thomas Merton said,

“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.”

Being humble and vulnerable with their team members will make a leader much more relatable and
effective.
6. Resilience.

The true grit of a leader is not how they perform during good times, but how they roll up their sleeves and
produce when times get difficult.

Great leaders with positive attitudes lead by example and rally their team no matter the circumstances. It’s
this inherent positivity that helps react to situations with a calm, collected manner and focus on solutions
rather than on problems.

Resilience is a leadership trait that comes with experience.

7. Vision.

Jack Welch said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the
vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

Additionally, John C. Maxwell stated, “people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”

A company’s vision only goes as far as a leader’s influence over others. A great leader clearly sets the
organizational direction and exercises keen decisiveness. Decision-making is key to new ideas, ensuring
team members know the bottom line, and understand the goals and the mission in front of them.

True leaders inspire loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment, help remind everyone of the big picture and
challenge people to outdo themselves.

Sharing this vision and compelling others to act is a secret trait of successful leaders.

8. Influence.

Some leaders believe that when they attain a certain level of leadership status, respect will automatically
be given to them. This is not the case.

Leadership and influence are not interchangeable and respect has to be earned, not given.

Here are some things that leaders can do to increase their influence:

 Clearly state what they want

 Connect with people emotionally
 Make others feel important
 Be vulnerable and charismatic
 Work toward commonly shared goals
 Ask for suggestions and input
 Build real, lasting relationships
 Act professionally on social media sites like Facebook and LinkedIn
 Have self-awareness
9. Positivity.

Leaders inspire their team not based on their own goals or outcomes, but on their exhibited behavior, life
outlook, and attitude in any given situation.

It’s often said that employees and direct reports exhibit the behavior of their managers – and good leaders
need to lead by example at all times while mirroring how they want their team to act.

This comes down to positivity. Even the calmest workplaces can get stressful at times – it’s more
important how leaders react to this stress with a positive outlook rather than get flustered and place blame.

10. Delegation.

A difficult transition for many leaders is shifting from doing to leading.

Many new leaders are accustomed to doing all the work themselves and struggle to let others handle
responsibilities on their own. Great leaders must elevate their team – they must be more essential and less
involved.

11. Confidence.

To be an effective leader, you need to roll up your sleeves and take charge. This includes being confident
enough to lead, knowing that your plans and vision are not only viable for the team but the absolute best
decision possible.

If you lack confidence in a leadership role, people will spot that quickly. “Make it ’til you make it,” they
say about confidence – and that is 100% true. The more that you believe in yourself, the more you’ll be
able to manage any stressful situation.

True leaders are the ones that don’t just talk about problems but come up with their own solutions
fearlessly