Blog Archives

Read This: The Courageous Leader

7/20/2017

"Courage is what moves us into action in the face of tough times." Angela Sebaly

Being a team building facilitator one of my most sought-after program requests is for "Leadership Development." As we know, we can run some amazing experiential leadership programs with a wide variety of team building activities and we can connect almost any leadership theory to the process and outcomes our groups encounter.

I just finished reading, The Courageous Leader (2017) by Angela Sebaly. (Angela, among other endeavors, is one of the owners - with Michelle Cummings - of Personify Leadership. A company that helps leaders reach their full potential.)

I've read a great deal of leadership theory over the past 20 years, moving along with the ebb and flow of ideas weaving them into my team building programs. What I really like about Angela's perspective on leadership is the aspect of courage and how it relates to leadership development. And, I love the parallels (I can see) between being a courageous leader and being a courageous (team building) facilitator. Here are some of the ideas from early on in the book that speak to both the leader and facilitator:

You will fail. You will fall down and scrape your knees, break a bone, and maybe even end up in a body case (metaphorically speaking, of course). There will be pain. Courage is the willingness to do something in the face of fear, discomfort, and pain. As a result, courage is what separates those of us who want something from those of us who achieve it. (xv)

As human beings, we are meaning-making machines. We do not leave the situation [we are in and experiencing] as data. Instead we add meaning, which creates emotion. The emotion we choose [or comes up for us] is based on the meaning we give the situation. Or, said differently, the meaning we give to a situation creates the emotion we feel. (p. 11)

Another honest realization that Angela tells us is that being a courageous leader [and I will add team building facilitation] involves pain. Most people will wince at this honest expectation of leadership [and facilitation] development.

The Courageous Leader is about being courageous in tough times. So, what are tough times, and what exactly is courage?
> Tough times are situations or people we encounter that create some level of discomfort or pain.
> Courage is what moves us into action in the face of tough times.
(p. 4)

The fear of that pain is what stalls most leaders [and facilitators]. (p. 5)

Each of the main chapters in The Courageous Leader is filled with stories and lessons from Angela's personal experiences as a leader and from the leaders she's worked with and interviewed. The chapters also emphasize how courage, along with aspects of "pain" are vital for exponential growth and success. Here are the courageous chapters in the book:

The Courage to Get Unstuck
The Courage to Take a Stand
The Courage to be Humble
The Courage to Be Confident
The Courage to Delegate
The Courage to Give and Receive Feedback
The Courage to Be in the Middle (and Not Be in the Middle)

Question: What chapters do you think resonate with team building facilitation?

If you deliver leadership development programs or you have the opportunity to develop leaders within your company or program, I recommend The Courageous Leader. It's a smooth engaging read with great take-aways. Not only for the leader in you and others, but for team building facilitators and their awareness of how they can present themselves to their groups. (Another Question: Are team building facilitators leaders?)

Listen to Angela (in this two-minute video interview) tell us about the "Big Temptation" - as leaders we are tempted to avoid pain, but in the long run, it often creates even more pain.

Reviews of The Courageous Leader Check out the Amazon sales page to read the rave reviews (found below the book details). Over 5000 copies have already been sold in just a few months.

Be courageous my friends! And, keep me posted.

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

0 Comments

ZOOM: On The Spot (Video)

7/10/2017

2 Comments

In December of 2016 I posted a basic presentation of the activity ZOOM along with a newer variation I learned from my friend Scott Goldsmith. A while back I tried a variation of ZOOM that was new for me - I made it up prior to a particular program. (Now, this doesn't mean I was the first one to come up with the idea - you know how they float around once someone thinks one up.) I forgot about this variation until today when I ran across some video footage I took of some ZOOMers in action. So, after a little editing on my phone I have the video for you and the step-by-steps below.

As ZOOMers know, there are about 30 usable picture pages from the book (after you cut off the spine of the book and laminate all the pages). For this example (as in the video) I'll set up play using all 30 pictures.

ZOOM: On The Spot

Set Up:

Place down 30 spots (of any kind, e.g., poly spots, numbered cards, or pieces of paper) - you could set them down in a straight line (like in the picture above & video below) or maybe a circle, or..... (Remember, you don't have to play with all 30 picture.)
Decide: How many "reference" points will you use in your line. A reference point is a ZOOM picture placed face up on a spot in its correct place in the line. For example, you will see in the video the first picture (page) of the book (the crown of the roster) is placed on the first spot. Place down three to five more picture reference points along the line - the process is easier with more references. NOTE: Placing reference pictures on the first and/or last spots make it a bit easier for the group. WARNING: Be (darn!) sure you place the reference pictures on the correct spots in the order of the story (pages in the book). You can imagine what you will have to process if you don't!
Deal out the remainder of the pictures to the participants in the group. Ask everyone to keep the picture(s) to themselves - don't show what you have. I like to first deal out one picture to everyone interested in playing (Zooming-by-Choice). Then, I ask if anyone is willing to work with another resource (picture) - I hand out another to those volunteering.
The Challenge: Place the pictures face down on the spots - one page per spot - in the correct sequence (the order in which the pages are sequenced in the book). Use the reference pictures already down on the spots as your guide to deciding what goes where.

Rules of Play:

You are only allowed to verbally describe, in any way, the picture(s) you have in your possession.
You may not give away your picture(s) to anyone else in the group.
You are not allowed to (in any way) show anyone the picture(s) on the page(s) you are holding.
You are free to walk around the playing area.
Spots may not be moved at any time.
Reference pictures cannot be moved.
The picture(s) you are holding are placed face down on a spot.
Once a picture is placed on a spot it cannot be picked up or moved in any way.
When all the pictures in your possession are placed on the available spots we can then turn them over to reveal your answer.
Optional: You have 30 minutes to complete this task.

Please let me reiterate one thing. Be sure your put down the reference pictures in the right place so that the pictures, placed down by the group members, will connect appropriately to ones visible. (I'm guessing you can guess why I know putting them in the wrong place is not fun!!)

Discussion:
Your discussion(s) will be related to two possible outcomes (or three if you misplaced a reference picture): 1) All the pictures are in the correct order (based on the order of picture pages in the book), or 2) two or more pictures are out of order. Know you will be able to discuss what led to their success, what led to them being "mostly" successful, as well as what participants focused on most when they were not successful - being mostly or not at all successful. Of course, there will be a lot more group dynamics during the activity, so pull out what relates the best to the group's objectives.

Get the Book(s) You can also play this variation with the book ReZoom - find both books at the Training Wheels Gear store.

Have FUN out there! Do you have a ZOOM variation you like? Share it with us in the comments below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

2 Comments

Riddle Me This, 2...

7/6/2017

1 Comment

The first Riddle Me This Post went up in May of 2016. In it I shared how I like to use riddles with groups. When presented as a group challenge, riddles can help us learn about asking good questions, listening to, and for, important information and provide an opportunity for a group to solve a problem, or “challenge” together.

I have another set of ponderable problems for you here (and a downloadable PDF of the same so you can have them with you on your smart phone or tablet). Once the answers are discovered to the riddles below, they can be used to open up a conversation based on the topic of the riddle - I provided some suggestions to get you started.

Spoiler Alert: Don't scroll down to the bottom too fast if you want some time to try and figure out the answers - you'll find them below. AND, some of the suggested questions do give away the answer....just FYI!

1. What appears once in every minute, twice in every moment, but not once in a billion years?
How do you spend your free time? What time of day is your favorite? Why? Why does time go faster when you’re having fun and slower when you’re not? If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go and why? What is your opinion about wasting time?

2. What grows down when it grows up?
What are the things you have in your life that come from animals? What are your thoughts about “animal” products? What are substitutes for animal products?

3. What can travel around the world without ever needing any gas?
Where have you traveled to, and why did you go there? Where would you like to travel to someday? Why do you want to go there? What is your favorite way to travel?

4. What gets larger the more you take from it?
What would you say a “hole” is good for? When holes are not good? What does it mean to get yourself into a “hole”? Have you ever gotten yourself into a hole? What’s the story and how does it end? If you could dig holes for a good cause, what would it be?

5. What do you leave behind only after you take them?
What do you want to “leave behind” from your life? What do you think you’ve left behind already? What is something left behind by someone else that you find important in your life? If you could leave behind some advice about life right now, what would it be?

6. What has four legs, a head, and leaves?
Thinking about your daily meals, where do you tend to eat these meals? Do you like to eat alone or with others? What meals do you tend to spend with family? When’s the last time you sat down around the table for a meal with others? What are some of the important details about sharing a meal with others – why might this be a good thing?

7. What can run but can't walk?
Tell us a “water” story in your life? What sorts of water sports are you involved in? How did you get involved in water sports? (Who got you started?) What do we “know” about water? What are some of the ways you can “save” water in your life? How would your life change if you had to walk two miles a day to bring water to your family? (This happens!)

8. What never was, but always will be?
When you think about tomorrow, what do you think about? What’s happening in your life tomorrow that’s important to you? If tomorrow was the same as today, what would you change? If anything was possible, what would you do tomorrow?

9. What is the difference between here and there?
How would you describe the “here” you are in right now? What is here in your life that you appreciate? What is here in your life that you would like to change? What do you believe is out “there” for you? Describe some things that are over “there” – things outside your reach. How can you get closer to those things out of reach? What resources do you need to get “there”?

10. When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
What holidays do you celebrate in your life? Which holiday is your favorite? Why? What is your overall opinion about holidays? If you could add a holiday, what would you call it and what part of the year would it be celebrated?

PDF Download of Riddles and Suggested Topics for Discussions

riddles_top10more_fdb070617.pdf
File Size:	63 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Spoiler - Answers Below...

Answers: 1) The Letter M, 2) A Goose, 3) The Moon, 4) A Hole, 5) Footsteps, 6) A Dining Room Table, 7) Water, 8) Tomorrow, 9) The Letter T, 10) In the Dictionary

Do you have some favorite riddles? Share them in the Comments below. I love to hear from you all!!

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

1 Comment

Read This: The Courageous Leader

ZOOM: On The Spot (Video)

Riddle Me This, 2...

Blog Author

Blog Purpose

Categories

Archives