Leadership activities and games for work teams

Today we’re going to be talking about leadership activities.

00:00 Intro
00:21 Leadership Pizza
01:21 Egg Drop
02:22 Leadership Styles Quiz
03:11 Marshmallow Challenge
04:06 Dotmocracy

Leadership activities offer a hands-on approach to learning by giving participants an opportunity to practice or improve their skills in real-world scenarios.

The first activity is called Leadership Pizza.
This game allows players to explore their leadership strengths by creating a pizza with “skill” toppings. These skills could include integrity, empathy, passion, purpose, value, etc.

Here’s how to play. To start, ask participants to draw a pizza with six slices. Then ask them to put different toppings on their pizza, however, instead of toppings like mushrooms or pepperoni, it’s a skill they believe they would excel at. Once everyone has finished drawing their pizzas, it’s time for a group discussion. Have participants present their pizzas, explaining why they chose each skill and engaging in a group discussion.

After talking amongst one another, receiving some feedback, exploring their strengths and their weaknesses, if everyone is willing to take the conversation a step further, they should then revisit their pizzas and update their skills according to the feedback that they received.

Next up is Egg Drop.
This game challenges you to use your critical thinking skills, innovate, and come up with unconventional solutions. Just like protecting an egg requires careful planning and ingenuity, leading a team through stressful situations requires resourcefulness and the ability to adapt. It's a great game to crack open your problem-solving skills and bring out the leader who can handle even the most delicate of situations.

Here’s how to play. First, you’ll divide into teams and give each team their own materials such as newspaper, tape, straws, and plastic bags. Then you’ll give each team an egg. Then set a time limit for the teams to build their contraptions. Once the contraptions are complete, drop the egg from a predetermined height. If the egg breaks, that team is eliminated. The team whose egg survives the longest drop without breaking is the winner.

Third we have the Leadership Styles Quiz.
This activity helps team members understand their unique leadership style and also understand different approaches. By delving into leadership styles, you'll gain self-awareness and an understanding of how to adapt your leadership styles to different situations.

You’ll begin by choosing a leadership style quiz. Allow everyone time to read through and answer the questions in a way that best reflects their leadership style. Once everyone is done, review the results and take note of each person’s leadership approach. In a group discussion, talk about the different leadership styles and how they can be applied in various scenarios. Then use your insights to explain how to adapt leadership style to different situations.

Our next activity is the Marshmallow Challenge.
This game encourages team members to think outside the box, unleash their creativity, and work collaboratively. Balancing the weight of the marshmallow requires strategic planning and efficient teamwork. Plus, it's a great way to see if your tower can withstand the "sticky" situations that leadership often entails.

Here’s how to play. Start by gathering your team to a designated workspace with a flat surface and splitting them up into teams. Then give each team spaghetti, tape, and a marshmallow. The goal is to build the biggest freestanding structure with the marshmallow balanced on top. Set a time limit and emphasize collaboration and effective communication. Encourage players to also experiment with different construction techniques. Once the time is up measure each tower. The tallest tower wins!

And finally, an activity called Dotmocracy.
Dotmocracy is a decision-making task that involves players placing dots or stickers on different options to indicate their preferences.

Here’s how to play. First, clearly define the topic that requires input from the participants. Then determine a set of ideas or options related to the decision and write them down clearly on a large display, whiteboard, or chart paper. Then hand out a determined number of dot stickers to each participant and explain the voting guidelines. Let them know that they can distribute their dots in any way that they prefer. Then give them time to distribute their dots among the options. Once the voting is complete, identify the options that have the most dots as the most favored choices. Encourage the participants to have a discussion to share their perspectives, and why they chose the options that they did.

There you have it! I’ve just shared with you five games and activities that promote leadership qualities. I’ll be really happy to know what you gained, so share what you thought in the comments below. And if you liked this video, remember to like and subscribe for more videos just like this one.