UNDERSTANDING YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE Being able to build a dynamic team—a group of individuals capable of pulling smoothly in the same direction—is especially important for leaders wanting to ensure collective impact and ultimately transformative change in community, business, and/or government settings. As such, it requires understanding that people are different and, while differences are essential for innovation and change, they can also...
This file contains 30 intros printed on one page. These are ideal for having participants introduce themselves using different icebreakers. It makes for interesting introductions while at the same time exposing participants to options for helping participants get to know one another. In a face to face meeting, you can simply cut out and distribute a different intro to each participant. 30 Intros.docx |
Creating a team charter or terms of reference will help you to learn about your team or committee members and put some structure or boundaries around the group process. In order to build the best team possible and mitigate potential conflict that can hinder productivity, it is important to establish guidelines about key priorities, roles and responsibilities and how you will work together. Conflict in teams is normal but how you handle it makes...
Values are becoming even more important as a filter for decision-making in organizations and communities. However, while values are often identified, they are rarely embraced unless time and energy is invested in determining exactly what each value means. The attached worksheet is designed to guide discussion and gain consensus. Download it here: Values Identification Worksheet
The STAR Diagram offers a way of seeing and understanding the conditions that shape a generative team. Whether you use it to plan for an effective team or to intervene when things go awry, the STAR diagram offers a way to see, understand, and influence the patterns in your team—at home, at work, or in your community. The instructions are being generously shared for use by the Human Systems Dynamic Institute . Access their explanation of the...
*Special thanks to Wael Badawy for permission to share this modified version of his exercise This exercise is great because it: ● Can be done in small to large size groups
● Very light exercise idea for “getting to know you” scenarios ● Relatively easy to explain and execute ● Draws on an individual’s ingenuity ● Helps individuals recognize shared areas of greatness
Materials: ● Flipchart, whiteboard or PowerPoint slide...
*Special thanks to Roxanne Torbiak for permission to share this exercise. Depending on the work context, you may wish to play down the “speed dating” analogy; an alternate title could be “Greatness Matching”. Having worked with groups where dating in the workplace was an issue, knowing your audience and history is a consideration here. Changing the name makes it a perfectly neutral exercise! This exercise is great because it: ●...
"After all, in a world where the social fabric seems to be rapidly fraying, the economy is uncertain, and the future of the planet is at risk, is there a better way to hit the reset button than to come back to the neighborhood level and begin to genuinely rely on one another again?"--Amanda Abrams |
The competencies many once thought of as being “soft” – relationship building, mobilizing citizen-led initiatives, community building - are now the hard currency of successful leadership and the ultimate drivers of the systems change, innovation and transformation that will be essential for individual, community, environmental and economic well-being.
- B. Herchmer
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There is no doubt there is a growing need for leaders who understand systems change. But what exactly does that mean. Here's one of the best definitions we've found:
“System leaders apply an unusual combination of skills and attributes to | mobilize large-scale action for systems change. Like many leaders, they tend to be smart, ambitious visionaries with strong skills in management and execution. Unlike traditional leaders, they are...
