9 Most Effective Leadership Training Activities For Employees

Many employees usually think leadership training as academic or abstract courses in a forced,  uncomfortable atmosphere. Well, they don’t have to be that way. Modern leadership training for employees can be truly inspiring, engaging, and productive in practice. The key here is how you plan different leadership training activities that are particularly effective for practicing during the program. And below are 12 suggestions of activities for leadership development from F.Learning’s experts.

Why should your organization consider leadership training activities?

Leadership training is critical for your management teams. On the other hand, you can consider fully equipping all your employees with specific management skills. Some considerable benefits to doing so include:

• Leadership training helps promote employee engagement in the company’s mission, whether they work in the office or remotely. 
• Activities for leadership development can enhance learning culture and inspire breakthrough innovation, especially for problem-solving. 
• Leadership training activities are also a great way to identify leadership potential in employees to promote advancement from within. 

Best leadership training activities that work 

In this article, we divide some easy-to-apply interactive activities into leadership training topics about the required characteristics of a leader: 

• Setting the climate of a workplace
• Inspiring team members
• Improving team spirit and cohesion
• Developing leadership skills in others

Let’s figure out what these leadership training activities are and how to apply them in your next training courses.

1. Setting the climate of a workplace

Leaders’ principles or working styles can become models to their members and organization. For example, a high-competitive leader might create a workplace where members only think about themselves. Or open-minded leaders can easily create a workplace of openness. 

So which leadership training activities can help them figure out necessary behaviors that drive a productive workplace? Here are the three to go for:

Your Favorite Manager 

Participants play the roles of three different employees to list their perceptions of the most favorite and least favorite managers. Then they compare the lists with other participants in pairs and groups. Ultimately, all participants can list do’s and don’ts to leverage managers’ or leaders’ styles.

Leadership Envelopes

In this activity, participants discuss in groups to translate abstract leadership principles into real-life applications and behaviors. Each group can take multiple rounds to build upon each other. In the end, they can together identify the best ideas or the most valuable behaviors. 

Leadership Pizza

Leadership pizza is kind of a self-assessment framework. This leadership training activity asks employees to point out skills, attributes, and attitudes that are required for effective leadership. Then they will self-assess their development and initiate goal setting in mentioned areas. In coaching sessions, you can use this framework to set development goals for individual leaders.

2. Inspiring team members

Great leaders can inspire their members. Inspirational is among the most important leadership traits that should not be ignored in your training. The below leadership training exercise will allow your employees to understand what makes inspiring leadership: 

Leadership Advice from your Role Model

The activity requires participants to ask themselves what kind of advice they can be asked as their role models. Then discuss in a group these pieces of advice and reconcile contradicting points. This leadership training exercise can introduce the situational leadership concept when there are diverse enough responses. 

3. Improving team spirit and cohesion

The actions and attitude of the leader can significantly influence their team spirit and cohesion. This comes from the way you empower members, share responsibilities, and foster a collaborative working environment. Some following leadership training activities will guide the trainees on how to facilitate their teamwork experience.

Crocodile River 

The team needs to complete a task by moving from one end of a place to another. This exercise requires all participants to support each other and work together strategically to solve the problem. It also helps to improve both team communication and cooperation. 

Human Knot (Chinese Puzzle)

Participants stand in a circle with their eyes closed, putting their hands into the circle to hold two other hands. After opening their eyes, the group has to try to get back into a circle without letting go. They can also change their grip if necessary.  Another simple game that allows team members to practice teamwork skills.

Marshmallow Challenge 

Teams have to build the tallest free-standing structure with spaghetti sticks, tape, string, and on-the-top marshmallows in a given time. Through this activity, participants can improve their leadership dynamics and leverage innovation and problem-solving strategies. 

4. Developing leadership skills in others

The best leaders are not only good at directing their teams for success. They also have to enable potential leadership in their team. In other words, leadership development for others is part of a leader’s role.

What I Need From You (WINFY)

Leaders must be clear about what they need and expect from other members. And in What I Need From You, each participant has the chance to express their expectations to others and respond structurally. This leadership training activity is also a great way to unblock conversational roadblocks in the workplace.

Heard, Seen, Respected 

The activity is kind of standing in the shoes of others so that everyone can practice empathy and build trust among other members. All members will sequentially tell their stories where they’re heard, seen, or respected without judgment. This leadership training activity especially works in both online and offline situations.

Now, it’s your time

Hope you find some of our recommendations useful for your following leadership training activities. If you’re still struggling to plan and develop materials for the leadership training program, do not hesitate to discuss with F.Learning’s consultants. 

Read more

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• Top 7 Soft Skills Training For Managers

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