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LEARNING OBJECTIVES VS LEARNING OUTCOMES

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES VS LEARNING OUTCOMES

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Learning Objectives & Outcomes
Course objectives are clear and concise statements that describe what you intend your students to learn by the end of the course. The difference between course objectives and learning outcomes-and the reason these terms are so often conflated with each other-is the former describes an intended state (what you hope your students will learn), whereas the latter expresses a present or observed state (what your students actually learned).
Both course objectives and learning outcomes are distinct from learning goals, which are more broadly conceived. For an excellent overview of the distinctions between goals, objectives and outcomes. In 2012, DePaul's faculty council and provost approved six university-wide learning goals and related outcomes. Even though you are not required to, you should explicitly state your course objectives and/or student learning outcomes in your syllabus.

By doing so, you can

more easily align objectives with course content and evaluation methods;

clearly communicate your expectations of students;

establish a logical sequence of learning milestones;

allow both you and your students to self-evaluate based on stated expectations;

provide an opportunity for students to make connections across courses and institutional goals.

The most useful learning outcomes are specific and measurable. According to Diamond (1998), they should contain the following three things:

1. A verb that describes an observable action

2. A description of the conditions under which the action take place: "when given x, you will be able to?"

3. The acceptable performance level

Diamond further proposes a very simple way to write good outcomes: take on the role of your student and ask yourself, "What do I have to do to convince you that I'm where you want me to be at the end of this lesson, unit or course?"

What is the difference between course objectives and learning outcomes?

Much confusion exists about the definition of goals, objectives, and learning outcomes. Part of the confusion results from the fact that the terms are often conflated, even in the literature. Our accrediting agencies now require and SF State policy now requires that faculty include learning outcomes on all course outlines and in their syllabi, so it's important to understand the differences in these terms.

Goal

A goal is a broad definition of student competence. You may remember that we now have six baccalaureate goals. Examples of these goals include:

*Students will be competent in critical questioning and analysis.

*Students will have an appreciation of the necessity and difficulty of making ethnical choices.

*Students will know how to make connections among apparently disparate forms of knowledge.

Objective

A course objective describes what a faculty member will cover in a course. They are generally less broad that goals and more broad than student learning outcomes.

Examples of objectives include:

*Students will gain an understanding of the historical origins of art history.

*Student will read and analyze seminal works in 20th Century Indian literature.

*Students will study the major Indian regulatory agencies.

Student Learning Outcome -A detailed description of what a student must be able to do at the conclusion of a course. When writing outcomes, it is helpful to use verbs that are measurable or that describe an observable action. Such verbs help faculty (and students) avoid misinterpretation. The best outcomes will include a description of the conditions ("when given x, you will be able to...") and the acceptable performance level.

Words Open to Fewer Interpretations.

To know

To write

To understand

To recite

To really understand

To identify

To appreciate

To sort

To fully appreciate

Words Open to Many Interpretations

To solve

To grasp the significance of

To construct

To enjoy

To build

To believe

To compare

To have faith in

To contract

Learning Objectives vs.Learning Outcomes

Objectives

objectives are statements that define the expected goal of a curriculum, course, lesson or activity interms of demonstrable skills or knowledge that will be acquired by a student as a result of instruction.

Objectives describe the goals and intentions of the professor who teaches the course.

Objectives, often termed the input in the course, state the purpose and goals of the course.

Objectives focus on content and skills important within the classroom or program. Objectives may describe what the staff and faculty will do.

Objectives can often be numerous, specific, and detailed. Assessing and reporting on each objective for each student may be impossible.
Here is a list of specific, measurable verbs you can use when writing learning objectives for each level of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy:

1. Remember. Memorize, show, pick, spell, list, quote, recall, repeat, catalogue, cite, state, relate, record, name.

2. Understand. ...

3. Apply. ...

4. Analyze. ...

5. Evaluate. ...

6. Create.

Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes catalog the overarching "products" of the course and are the evidence that the goals or objectives were achieved.

Learning Outcomes are statements that describe or list measurable and essential mastered content-knowledge-reflecting skills, competencies, and knowledge that students have achieved and can demonstrate upon successfully completing a course.

Outcomes express higher-level thinking skills that integrate course content and activities and can be observed as a behavior, skill, or discrete useable knowledge upon completing the course.

Outcomes are exactly what assessments are intended to show -- specifically what the student will be able to do upon completing the course.

An assesable outcome can be displayed or observed and evaluated against criteria.

Outcomes are clear and measurable criteria for guiding the teaching, learning, and assessment process in the course.

Samples Learning Objectives

Learning objectives

1. Students will understand fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories

2. Students will learn factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends)

3. Students will think about applications of course material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and decisions)

4. Students will have an appreciation of related applications to real-life of the theories they learn

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes are statements that describe or list measurable and essential mastered content-knowledge-reflecting skills, competencies, and knowledge that students have achieved and can demonstrate upon successfully completing a course.

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge about fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories and concepts in solid state physics

2. Students will be able to use and explain the meaning for factual knowledge (terminology, classifications, methods, trends)

3. Students will be able to apply the basic principles to scientific problem solving.

4. Students will be able to apply course material to improve thinking, problem solving, and decision making.

5. Students will be able to give examples of real-life applications of the theories they learn.

Difference between Learning Outcome and Learning Objective

Key Difference: Learning Outcome refers to the expectations kept from the student at the end of the course. At the end of a course, many teachers take a test to determine what the student has learned from the course syllabus. Learning objective is described as what the student can expect from the teacher at the end of the course. It is actually the opposite of the outcome. In learning objective, the subject matter that will be covered during the duration of course can be called as learning objective.

Learning outcomes are broad statements of what is achieved and assessed at the end of a course of study. The concept of learning outcomes and outcome-based education is high on today's education agenda. The idea has features in common with the move to instructional objectives which became fashionable in the 1960s, but which never had the impact on education practice that it merited. Five important differences between learning outcomes and instructional objectives can be recognized:

(1) Learning outcomes, if set out appropriately, are intuitive and user friendly. They can be used easily in curriculum planning, in teaching and learning and in assessment.

(2) Learning outcomes are broad statements and are usually designed round a framework of 8-12 higher order outcomes.

(3) The outcomes recognize the authentic interaction and integration in clinical practice of knowledge, skills and attitudes and the artificiality of separating these.

(4) Learning outcomes represent what is achieved and assessed at the end of a course of study and not only the aspirations or what is intended to be achieved.

(5) A design-down approach encourages ownership of the outcomes by teachers and students.

Goals, aims, objectives and outcomes are terms that are often used in educational settings. These are used to determine what is to be taught by the teacher and what is expected of students at the end of the program. One of the major reasons to use such terms is to determine if the course is successful or if there are any changes that are required to the course to teach it in any other way or any other methods that can be used to help make the course more effective. Learning outcome and learning objective are two terms that are often confusing for many people as they believe they refer to the same things in learning. However, they are not. These are used to refer to different things in learning.

Learning Outcome refers to the expectations kept from the student at the end of the course. At the end of a course, many teachers take a test to determine what the student has learned from the course syllabus. The outcome determines how effective the course was in teaching the student and how determined the student was to learn. It also helps uncover any glitches in the learning program that can help the teacher understand how effective their teaching method is. Learning outcomes are determined using tests and projects. Tests help understand how much the student understood, while projects help determine how well can the student apply the learning in real-life scenarios. Learning outcomes is basically the outcome of the syllabus. The outcome does not indicate the methodologies used by the professor to teach the subject matter or what activities are undertaken by the students to learn and understand the subject matter. It will only indicate at the end of the course, how much the student understood from the subject matter. The professor can also state the outcome expected at the beginning of the class.

Learning objective is described as what the student can expect from the teacher at the end of the course. It is actually the opposite of the outcome. In learning objective, the subject matter that will be covered during the duration of course can be called as learning objective. It determines what the course will have provided to the student. It can be described as what is the 'added value' of the teaching. Learning objective determine what the student will be able to understand after the course is completed and what the teacher will have covered in the duration of the course. Learning objectives are specific, attainable, realistic and measureable. To many the terms are often used interchangeably, however the above paragraphs state the small difference that exists between the two. While, learning outcome is what the student can expect from the course, objective is what the teacher will have taught the student by the end of the course. Both of the terms are used together to gauge the effectiveness of a course and how the course was effective for the student. It helps determine what the student learned and what the teacher taught.

WRITING GOALS, EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES, & LEARNING OUTCOMES...
· Goals are where you want to go.

· Objectives are how you get there.

· Outcomes are proof that you have arrived.

1. states a target for a course or program

2. states the general outcome of a course or program

3. describes a more general learning outcome

4. may have several learning objectives

How to write goals:
Examples:

1. The goal of the program (course) is to help students acquire relevant art history knowledge, apply it and encourage them to keep working in the field.

2. The goal of the multimedia course (program) is to present alternatives to expensive software for application in the field of study.

Educational Objectives Definition:
An educational objective states what the student will learn and be able to accomplish by the end of instruction. It describes a specific behavior which will lead to the desired goal. It is specific and measurable. It has three major components:

1. What the student will be able to do.

2. Conditions needed for the student to accomplish the task.

Norm for evaluating the student performance.
How to write learning objective

In order to ensure clear and measurable Learning Objectives, one must focus on:

1. Performance: Describe what is to be learned in with outcome of performance in mind.

2. Norm: Describe clearly what outcome is expected and what level of accuracy is expected in order for the learning to be judged adequate.

3. Settings: Describe the specific circumstances under which the learner is supposed to perform and what tools are to be used
Learning Outcomes Definition:
Learning outcomes are statements of what a student will be able to do as a result of a learning activity. They are specific, measurable, clear, and assessable statements that define what a student is able to do at the end of a course or completion of a program. These outcomes may involve:

1. Knowledge (cognitive).

2. Skills (behavioral).

3. Attitudes (affective behavior)

All three above statements must show evidence that learning has occurred.

Student learning outcomes or SLOs are statements that specify what students will know, be able to do or be able to demonstrate when they have completed or participated in a program/activity/course/project. Outcomes are usually expressed as knowledge, skills, attitudes or values.

The characteristics of good SLOs.

SLOs specify an action by the student that must be observable, measurable and able to be demonstrated!

Assessing SLOs...

1.Will help departments understand how to better facilitate student learning.

2. Will provide departments with feedback (e.g. Are your services providing what they are supposed to beyond customer satisfaction? What skills are students learning ?

Are these the skills we want them to learn? Are these the skills we are teaching them?)

3. Will enable students to articulate what they are learning and have learned from attending the college inside and outside of the classroom.

4.Will help students be able to explain what they can do and what they know.

5. Will enable students to better understand where they can go to learn particular knowledge, skills, attitudes or values. Ultimately, will provide students with a map of where various learning opportunities are available

How to write learning outcomes:

When writing learning outcomes:

1. Focus on what the student can do.

2. Address the observable outcomes, not what was taught.

3. Use active verbs since they are easier to measure (see attached list).

4. Have clear defined expectations concerning the criteria related to the outcome.

a. Including specific examples of i.e. images, software, tools etc...

b. Think of the student after they have used or read an artifact, what they should be able to do as a result of using the tools presented for each specific activity.
Example:
1. Each goal may have several Objectives associated with it.

2. Each objective will have one learning outcome associated with it.

Goal 1: The Educational Technology course (program) will enable the students to make reliable and accurate assessments of the type of assistive technology needed for a variety of disabilities.

Objective 1: The student will be able to use an appropriate technology to address the needs of autistic children in the classroom.

Objective 2: The student will be able to adapt any assistive technology to address the problems of behavioral problems.

Learning Outcome 1: At the end of the course (program) the student will be able to create lesson plans using Inspiration to teach autistic students how to draw a picture independently.

Learning Outcome 2: At the end of the program the student will be able to create an activity teaching autistic children how to behave in the classroom.
The different types of objectives/learning outcomes
With the general acceptance of learning outcomes as a key component of the systems approach to course and curriculum design, it has become fashionable to think in terms of broad types. Here, another American, Benjamin Bloom, has been extremely influential in clarifying and organizing educational thought regarding the classification of objectives, his original work being carried out during the 1950's. Bloom and his co-workers contended that objectives (which we now term "learning outcomes") are attainable in three distinct areas, or domains, to which they assigned suitably impressive jargon names: the cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. At the risk of over-simplification, these can be thought of as being respectively concerned with knowledge-related objectives, attitude-related objectives and motor skills-related objectives. Let us now examine them in more detail.

The Cognitive Domain. This contains outcomes which are related to the acquisition and application of knowledge and understanding, and probably includes the great majority of educational and training learning outcomes. An example of such might be:

"The student should be able to calculate all the dimensions of a triangle given the lengths of two sides and the size of the angle between them".Bloom and his co-workers also divided the cognitive domain into six distinct levels, each level building on those below and representing a progressively higher level of cognitive activity.

The Affective Domain. This contains objectives that are concerned with attitudes and feelings which are brought about as a result of some educational or training process.

An example of such an objective might be:

"The trainee lecturer should exercise empathy when counselling student.The affective domain was also divided into a number of distinct, hierarchical levels, this work was carried out by Bloom and his co-worker Krathwohl.

The Psychomotor Domain. This contains learning outcomes that deal with the development of manipulative or physical skills - things like measuring, setting up and using equipment, using tools, drawing graphs, and so on. An example of such might be:

"The student should be able to assemble anduse the distillation apparatus provided".

A number of hierarchical classifications of the psychomotor domain were subsequently produced, probably the best known being the one by Kibler

Although the work of Bloom and his successors has had a tremendous influence on educational thinking, the above tripartite classification of objectives/learning outcomes has since been modified in a number of important respects. First, it has been recognised that most of the levels of the cognitive domain overlap to a considerable extent, and that the only real gap is that between Level 2 (Comprehension) and Level 3 (Application). For this reason, it is now customary to talk simply of lower cognitive levels (encompassing Levels 1 and 2 of Bloom's hierarchy) and higher-cognitive levels (encompassing Levels 3-6 of Bloom's hierarchy). Second, it has been recognised that Bloom and his co-workers completely ignored one of the most important of all groups of outcomes - those covering the various 'life skills' such as decision-making, problem-solving, creative thinking, communication and interpersonal skills. Some of these fall naturally into the class of 'higher-cognitive', while others can be thought of a constituting a completely new 'domain' - the interpersonal domain. Third, it has been recognised that many learning outcomes defy rigid classification of the type advocated by Bloom and his successors, since they have overlapping aspects that fall into more than one category.

For the above reasons, a much simpler, less rigid scheme for classifying learning outcomes has achieved widespread acceptance in recent years, and is commended to all teachers and lecturers. This incorporates all you really need to know about such classification, and should prove of immense value in helping you to choose appropriate instructional methods, plan your teaching, design supportive materials, and plan your student assessment. It recognises the following five broad types of learning outcomes:

Lower cognitive - comprising the first two levels (knowledge and comprehension) of Bloom's cognitive domain, and containing all learning outcomes related to the acquisition of knowledge and basic understanding.

Higher cognitive - comprising the top four levels (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) of Bloom's cognitive domain, and including all learning outcomes related to interpretation of information, decision making, problem solving and planning.

Affective - comprising all five levels of the affective domain, ie including all learning outcomes related to feelings, attitudes and values.

Psychomotor - comprising all four levels of the psychomotor domain, ie including all learning outcomes related to motor skills, manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, practical abilities, and so on.

Interpersonal - covering all the various 'life skills' that were not catered for by Bloom's original tripartite classification, including all learning outcomes related to communication (written and oral), listening, working as part of a team, interacting with other people, and so on.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTION VERB

Action verbs result in overt behavior that can be observed and measured. Sample action verbs are:

analyze, apply, argue, arrange, assemble, assess, calculate, categorize, choose, classify, compare, compile,compute, create, criticize, critique, defend, define, demonstrate, describe, design, develop, differentiate, discuss, distinguish, estimate, examine, explain, formulate, identify, illustrate, indicate, interpret, label, list, locate, manage, memorize, order, operate, organize, plan, practice, predict, prepare, propose, question, rate, recognize, repeat, report, reproduce, review, revise, schedule, select, solve, state, translate, use, utilize, write Certain verbs are unclear and call for covert, internal behavior which cannot be observed or measured.

These types of verbs should be avoided:

appreciate, become aware of, become familiar with, know, learn, understand,

Examples

-TOO general and VERY HARD to measure...

1. ...will appreciate the benefits of exercise.

2. ...will be able to access resources at the school.

.3. ...will develop problem -solving skills and conflict resolution.

4. ...will be able to have more confidence in their abilities.

Examples

Still general and HARD to measure...

1. ...will value exercise as a stress reduction tool.

2. ...will be able to develop and apply effective problem solving skills that would enable one to adequately navigate through the proper resources within the school..

3. ...will demonstrate ability to resolve personal conflicts and assist others in resolving conflicts.

4. ...will demonstrate critical thinking skills, such as problem solving as it relates to social issues.

Examples

Specific and relatively EASY to measure...

1. ...will be able to explain how exerc

ise affects stress.

2. ...will be able to identify the most appropriate resource that is pertinent to their schoolconcern.

3. ...will be able to assist classmates in resolving conflicts by helping them negotiate agreements.

4. ...will demonstrate the ability to analyze and respond to arguments about racial discrimination.

Examples of good student learning outcomes:

Government.

When given a major decision made by a governmental leader, you will be able to identify the major factors that the leader had to consider and discuss why the action was taken and what apparent trade - offs were made.

Economics.

Demonstrate graphically and explain how a change in expectations will affect the loanable funds market.

Management.

Identify (based on readings, case studies, or personal experiences) those activities that are most likely to distinguish effective, well - managed technology development programs from ineffective programs.

Statistics.

When given two events, you will be able to determine whether they are independent or whether there is a relationship between them (that is, one event affects the probability of the other). On the basis of this determination, you will be able to select and use the appropriate rules of conditional probability to determine the probability that a certain event will occur.

Religion.

When given a definition of the term religion, students will be able to identify which of the following characteristics is emphasized: feeling, ritual activity, belief, monotheism, the solitary individual, social valuation, illusion, ultimate reality, and value.

Music.

On hearing musical selections, you will be able to identify those that are examples of chamber music and be able to identify the form, texture, and makeup of the ensemble.

Art.

When shown a print, students will be able to identify whether it is a woodcut, an etching, or a lithograph, and students will be able to list the characteristics on which this identification was based.

Psychology.

When given a case study, you will be able to identify whether it describes a case of schizophrenia, and if it does, which of the following schizophrenic reactions are involved: hybephrenic, catatonic, or par

REFERENCES

Learning outcomes resources from DePaul's Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Includes a guide, checklist and list of helpful action verbs for describing learning

TLA supports the Assessment Certificate Program-a unique collaboration between DePaul and Loyola universities- providing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff in the field of assessment

A model of learning objectives - Excellent visualization incorporating action verbs from Bloom's Taxonomy by Iowa State University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Sample learning objectives from multiple disciplines at Carnegie Mellon University

Articulate your learning objectives, also from Carnegie Mellon, explains the importance of aligning learning objectives with instructional strategies and assessment techniqu

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES VS LEARNING OUTCOMES

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Learning Objectives & Outcomes Course objectives are clear and concise statements that describe what you intend your students to learn by the end of the course. The difference between course objectives and learning outcomes-and the reason these terms are so often conflated with each other-is the for

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Powerful Presentation Course for Maldives MOE School Leaders 08 OCT 2022

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Powerful Presentation Course for Maldives MOE School Leaders 08 OCT 2022

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Institut Aminuddin Baki Cawangan Genting Highlands

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Resume :
Jawatan : Pensyarah Kanan DG54.
Post:  Senior Lecturer
Jabatan Kepimpinan Teknologi dan Digital.
IAB Cawangan Genting Highlands.

Dept. of Technology and Digital Leadership

Institut Aminuddin Baki

Genting Highlands Branch

Ministry of Education,

Pahang, Malaysia

Tempoh Perkhidmatan :
17 tahun di IAB,
34 tahun perkhidmatan di KPM.
Years of Service : 34 years in MOE
Tarikh Persaraan : September 2023.
Date of Retirement : September 2023.

Bidang Pengkhususan :
1. Educational Leadership and Management,
2. IT management in School,
3. Project Management,
4. Powerful Presentation,
5. School Improvement,
6. Training Module Development,
7. Data Driven Decision Making,
8. Change Management and Leadership,                                    9. Instructional Design,
10. Training/Teaching Strategy.                                                                                                                                                             * Pernah berkhidmat di RTM selama 3 tahun sebelum menyertai KPM .

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Emil's 3 Cardinal Rules for Presentations

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Emil's 3 Cardinal Rules for Presentations

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University of Texas Learning and Development

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How to Give a Killer Presentation and Blow Your Audience Away

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How to Give a Killer Presentation and Blow Your Audience Away

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Giving a presentation is a challenge to many people because it comes with a lot of anxiety. But there are ways in which you can overcome this and end up impressing your audience. Even with the anxiousness, sweaty palms, and butterflies in your stomach, you can still move through the performance anxiety and learn how to give a killer presentation!

Whether you are starting out or you are an experienced presenter, here are some ideas that will help you to improve.

Use the 10-20-30 Slideshow Rule

This rule was devised by Guy Kawasaki to guide the use of slideshow in Powerpoint. It states that the number of slides should be at most 10, should last at most 20 minutes and should have all the texts sizes above 30 point. Having more than 10 slides will make your audience lose track of your presentation and they will most likely forget what you started with earlier.

Having a presentation that lasts for at most 20 minutes ensures that you concentrate on what matters most, and having large font sizes is to make your text to be legible.

Be Entertaining

Apart from making your speech informative, you should also make it entertaining. This doesn't mean you have to behave like an actor before your audience. It means that your speech should appeal to the emotions of your audience so that they can feel touched by it. With this, you will learn how to give a killer presentation.

Once you get to know your audience, try to learn what appeals to them and incorporate it in your speech. Simply citing dry facts devoid of any humor or passion is likely to make them lose their attention.

Slow Down

If you are an inexperienced speaker, you will tend to be nervous. You may want to finish your presentation very fast and walk away and this will make you talk too fast. It is most likely that your audience will end up not understanding what you are saying because they will miss some of your words.

To avoid this, try to make a conscious effort to slow down your speech and, for emphasis, you can add some pauses and even some simple questions to the audience. This makes your audience to be active and also gives them enough time to digest your points.

Keep Eye Contact

As you give your presentation, don't fix your eyes or attention on only one person. Let your eyes sweep across the room so you can make eye contact will all the participants.

Most salespeople focus much of their attention on the boss forgetting that the assistants and secretaries may also give some input on the final decision. Try to bring everyone on board so they can feel that you value and appreciate their presence.

15-Word Summary

This is another rule that ensures precision. Try to summarize your ideas in 15 words and if it fails to fit, try again and again. The spoken word is not the best medium for passing information, so it is better to have 15 words which will have a greater impact on your audience.

The 20-20 Rule

This is another rule on the slideshows. It states that you need 20 slides and each should last for exactly 20 seconds. This might appear to contradict the 10-20-30 rule but this rule (or suggestion) is meant to take care of those who might be having longer presentations that can not fit into 10 slides.

For example, a lecture that goes for 2 hours may not fit into 10 slides and the 20-second time per slide is enough for the audience to view the content of the slides and take some notes if necessary.

Don't Read

Powerpoint might make you think your presentation will be about reading but remember it is only meant to give you the cues and you still have to do the talking. If you read a lot, your audience will lose confidence in you as they will realize that you don't understand the content.

Reading a lot will also distract you from keeping eye contact with your audience and this will make them stop following your presentation.

Be a Story Teller

If you have a very long speech, don't make it so dry. What makes a good presentation is to try to come up with some short, interesting but relevant stories to help in explaining your points. Some funny quips here and there will also make your speech great.

It is all about creating an emotional attachment between your points and your audience.

Project Your Voice

There's nothing worse in a presentation than if the audience cannot hear what you are saying with some shouting at you to be audible. Do not just assume that with a microphone and an amplifier your voice will be loud enough. Many a time some speakers have been told not to whisper into the microphone.

But this doesn't mean that you have to yell, that's not how to give a presentation. It only means that you need to stand up straight and let your voice resonate in your lungs and not just in your throat so you can produce a clear and audible sound.

Breathe In

Breathing in is known to reduce stress and anxiety. Just before giving presentations, take in a long, deep but slow breath to fill your lungs with air. Hold your breath, count up to three and then exhale slowly.

Remember to draw in air through your nose but exhale through your mouth. Do this until you feel relaxed. And if you feel anxious in the course of your presentation, take a short breath in again.

Now That You Have Learned How to Give a Killer Presentation, What Next?

Hopefully, you have learned how to give a great presentation. The next step is to practice how to give a killer presentation. The more you do this, the more it becomes easier for you to experiment with what works best for you, like tonal or volume variation, and pausing to emphasize on your points.

Practicing also makes you memorize the most important points so that you don't have to rely much on your slides. It is also the best way to build confidence and reduce anxiety.

Explore our blog for more tips on how to make your speech stand out.

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How to Give a Killer Presentation and Blow Your Audience Away - Hosbeg.com

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Giving a presentation is a challenge to many people because it comes with a lot of anxiety. But there are ways in which you can overcome this and end up impressing your audience. Even with the anxiousness, sweaty palms, and butterflies in your stomach, you can still move through the performance anxiety and learn how to give a killer presentation!

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There I was, presenting to a room of my peers, completely and utterly mortified. This was the largest group I had ever addressed, and I totally blanked. I was only a minute into my talk and already had no idea what came next.

I still remember the sea of eyes locked on me as anxiety blurred my mind and burned in the pit of my stomach. All of my preparation...the carefully crafted quotes and feverishly researched material...totally gone from me. Opportunity, wasted.

Then the most horrifying and embarrassing moment of all-my 5th grade teacher asked if I needed the notes from my desk. "No, I don't want my cue cards on Monarch butterflies. I'd rather just disappear."

This is my earliest memory of public speaking, and the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of redemptive mastery.

Here's the lesson that I, unfortunately, learned early in life: most presentations disappoint.

They're stiff, boring, inauthentic, self-centred, unclear and worst of all, forgettable. That's probably why many of us hate the idea of public speaking-we'd rather not look like that!

However, for those of us who want more for our presentations... to leave the pack of fumbling 5th graders behind and become rock star orators ... we need two things:

1. Practice: to build skill and confidence

2. Insight: into what really works

I can't help with the first, but I can definitely help with the second.

Since those early days of grade 5, I've presented more times than I can count, and I love doing it. It's not because I'm special-trust me.

I've had many big presentation failures. And whatever success I've had so far is simply because I've learned to deliver presentations that feel special.

As a result of my experience, I firmly believe that anyone with enough grit, insight and practice, can grow to present with power.
How have I learned so much?
First, I've made a habit of seeking out powerful presentations and presenters. Ones that provoke laughter, tears, thunderous applause and dramatic life changes. In many cases I went just to soak up the awesomeness of the presenter.

I've also seen (and delivered) the complete opposite. Talks that produce glazed eyes, scrunched faces and wide yawns. Painful, but great for learning.

I've spent the better part of 15 years studying psychology, sociology, marketing and public speaking.

I've read books, listened to podcasts, attended events, taken courses, and practiced every method I could find. All in an attempt to master the power of presentations.

Why? Because I'm obsessed with meaning. And I believe the effective delivery of meaning makes all the difference.

In my pursuit to become an effective speaker, I've identified what I believe are 7 key elements of a powerful (if not magical) presentation. Unfortunately, delivering something great with these principles is more hard work than actual magic. Sorry to disappoint.

In fact, you might even think some of these are obvious. Even so, have you mastered them?

The truth is: you're human, and so is your audience. And because all humans share basic psychological traits, you can apply these universal principles to deliver a powerful, memorable presentation.

Ready to level-up your speaking game? Let's dive in. To start, here's a quick look at all 7 keys:

Powerful presentations are built on a bedrock of care and purpose.

Every audience wants to know you care. Not about YOU and all the reasons you deserve their praise and adoration-that's a fast track to rejection. Instead, they want to know you care about THEM and their problems.

Think of yourself as a guide, not a hero; as a friend, not a god. We've all witnessed ego-driven presentations that centre around the glorious wonders of a divine speaker who has graced us with his or her presence (insert eyeroll here). It's unpleasant for everyone, except maybe the speaker.

I've suffered through countless sales presentations that begin with 20+ slides about the company's vision, mission, history, big buildings and cool boats (not kidding). Seriously, who cares?

I've also witnessed many public speakers open with long monologues of their credentials and expertise. In most cases, it's just too much.

While showcasing your greatness at the start may seem counterintuitive, the old saying by Theodore Roosevelt is true: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

The members of your audience want to know you put them first, and that you aim to solve their challenges and improve their lives. Yes, you need to showcase your expertise, but you can't do it at the expense of warmth and caring.

When you truly care about the people in front of you, and your message puts them first, they feel it. And they're willing to open up to you because of it.

How do you care? Through empathy. It's your natural ability to understand and feel what others are feeling. And it's your first key to accessing the hearts of your audience.

Psychologists Paul Ekman and Daniel Goleman define empathy in three parts: Cognitive, Emotional and Compassionate.

Cognitive Empathy means taking on the perspective of your audience and imagining how it must feel to be in their shoes. While you don't feel it yourself quite yet, you do intellectually get a sense of the situation through their eyes. And this new perspective allows you to identify their pain, fear, frustration, hope, love, excitement, or any other related feeling.

Now that you understand what they're likely feeling, you can begin to generate those feelings for yourself.

Emotional Empathy, then, is what takes you that one step further. This is where you genuinely share in their feelings. The raw emotions of your audience become a real physical reaction inside your own body. You don't just feel badly abouttheir situation (that's sympathy); you begin to feel as though it is your situation.

Creating this emotional empathy takes effort for many of us, and you generally have two options. First, you can visualize yourself in their exact, or similar, situation. Think deeply about your own business losing money, your career at a standstill, or your family in distress. Use your imagination to access the same emotions your audience must be feeling, by relating to them.

What if you can't relate? That takes us to the second method of generating emotional empathy. Let's say your audience is a group of parents whose children are sick, but you don't have kids of your own. And to make it even more extreme-you don't really even like kids.

While you can't put yourself in their exact shoes, you still need to find a bridge to Emotional Empathy.

First, use Cognitive Empathy to identify what they must be feeling. For example: fear of losing a loved one, guilt for not doing enough, anger over the injustice, helplessness, sadness, and the list goes on. Now think of your own life and find personal experiences with those feelings.

Remember when your favourite pet passed away ( loss), when you lost the big game for your team ( guilt), or when a close friend was fired without cause ( anger). Embrace those feelings and let them wash over you as you think about your audience and their situation.

To be clear, I don't believe any of these above examples could begin to match the struggle of a sick child. However, it's not a matter of trying to match (or compete with) your audience's pain. Rather, it's about finding those same feelings, at whatever intensity you can muster, in order to empathize and care.

Here's a simple hack. Search online for " What it feels like for [PERSON] to go through [SITUATION] ". Read an article, watch a video or find a memory of that feeling in your own personal history.

Finally, we move to the last type: Compassionate Empathy. This is where the rubber hits the road and you feel moved to take action. You care so deeply that you want to help, and your number one motivation becomes a desire to serve your audience.

If you follow these steps to empathy, you're sure to care (at least a little bit more than before) about the group you're about to serve.
Only at this point can it become a little bit about you.
Once you genuinely care for the others in this equation, you can choose a purpose for your presentation. What outcome do you want as a result of your time with the audience? Do you want a project approval, to make a sale, to change a belief, to mobilize them into action?

Think of it this way: what do you want them to know, think, feel and/or do differently because of your presentation?

Remember: the ultimate purpose may serve your needs, but the path is lined with care and service to your audience. And this makes the outcome a win-win.

Many presentations underwhelm the audience because they lack one critical factor. Even the world's greatest insights fall flat without it. What is it? Meaning.

If you don't get meaning right, you're dead in the water. It feels like you're talking to a wall, eyes are down on phones, everyone looks confused or disinterested and audience members begin their own side conversations.

Why? Because you haven't given them a reason to care. And if they don't know why your content matters, they simply disconnect.

When you do get meaning right, on the other hand, everything changes. People lock in and stay with you to the end. You've captured their hearts and the reward is their attention.

Meaning's power is three-fold.
You're often an outsider, so unless you get the group onto one page with you, you'll face an invisible resistance.
Alternatively, if you gain a critical mass of supporters, the laggards will jump on board with you. Speculation begins to dissolve and a unifying energy builds as the group becomes one. This is group alignment, and it's truly powerful. It lowers barriers in the audience and pulls out your best.

In my experience, the fastest path to group unity and alignment is by activating a common identity, value and/or worldview that everyone believes in. In other words, it's about unlocking a sense of "us" as a collective in that moment.

Why does it work? Simple: we all want to be part of something awesome.

(True celebrities get exceptions, sometimes. But that's because we already feel connected to them...even though we're not.)

A common meaning lifts the conversation above you, creating a bigger idea (nay, dream) that unites you with the group. Once you're grafted to the audience, they're ready for your perspective.

Content matters, plain and simple. Here are just a few reasons.

e) It's the only path to results.
A successful presentation generates an outcome. If the outcome requires agreement, a decision or a change of behaviour, you may have to shift a belief (more on this later). And you can only modify a belief if the content is compelling, both rationally and emotionally.

Your audience needs to know you care about your topic-to the point you clearly love and know it inside-out. Some people lead with emotion (heart) first, while others lean towards knowledge (head). You need both.

Passion connects with those who value emotion and enthusiasm and creates a sense of emotional credibility. It doesn't mean they don't care about content, but they first need to know you're fully engaged. You don't necessarily need to jump around on stage (unless that's your thing), but you do have to showcase your interest (preferably love) for the topic.

Next, mastery proves you're intellectually credible. It shows you're confident in your message, and that confidence feeds your audience's faith in you. However, be careful not to mistake quality content for mastery. If your audience doesn't believe you know your stuff, they will devalue everything you give them.

Picture this: you give your friend a piece of advice you know will work. In fact, you give that advice over and over again, because you see they're not taking it seriously.

Shortly after you choose to move on, you see that same friend suddenly doing what you suggested. Not because of YOUR advice, however. No, it's because someone else said the exact same thing (JUST ONCE!) and it's like your friend heard it for the very first time.

Like it or not, that friend had reasons -whether conscious or subconscious-to believe the other person, and not you.

Or consider this: I bet if you think about it, you're more likely to accept the opinion of your boss or a senior co-worker over that of another colleague.

When a person you admire speaks, it feels easy to believe and agree with them. Not because you're sucking up and trying to please. Rather, your brain has lifted them up in power and authority, and so lowered your barriers of intellectual rigor and disbelief.

In short, perceived authority and credibility bypass cognitive resistance.

When your other colleague speaks-the one whose credibility you question-their words put you at immediate dis-ease. Everything in you is mounting a resistance and you're primed and ready to argue away their position. It's almost as though if he or she believes it, it's clearly NOT true.

And so, the opposite lesson is, a PERCEIVED lack of credibility breeds resistance, despite the quality of your ideas.

If you want to be heard and believed, you must give your audience the right reasons. But be careful: they don't want a laundry list of your credentials. Instead, they want clear evidence of your passion and mastery.

Your body and voice deliver a steady stream of information about you and your message. You can have all the right answers, but if your feet are stuck in one place with your hands in pockets, eyes glued to notes, and a wavering or monotone voice, you lose a lot of points.

Your body and voice can pull others in or push them away...keep them engaged or bore them to death...convince them you're right or call your competence into question.

Here are a few presentation mechanics to consider.

Introducing a new idea is hard work, especially if it opposes existing beliefs. Change creates tension, which pushes your audience to find reasons to reject it (and you) ... All in order to relieve the psychological discomfort they're feeling.

How you package yourself and your content can help. It makes your message easier to digest and accept. And while it doesn't mean changing who you are to make others happy, a mindful adjustment to style and delivery can significantly improve how your audience receives, values and responds to your message. This key ultimately comes down to safety, believability and effectiveness.

For you to succeed, you have to reduce or eliminate the cognitive resistance that separates you and your message from your audience. Safety removes the danger of agreeing with you...which means they won't feel rejected by their peers for nodding along, nor will they die if they follow your advice. Believability makes it easier to accept your version of reality...because it's obviously well thought-out and coming from an expert. And effectiveness ensures your message is delivered in a way that resonates and sticks...lest it be forgotten forever.

So what does it mean to package your style and delivery? Great question! I'm glad you asked.

It's unfortunate, but we don't like hearing from outsiders who seem radically different than us. If your audience perceives that you're too different, it creates a cognitive and emotional distance that's only bridged through common ground.

Without that key intersection of relatability, we struggle to connect and accept the outsider's message. Instead, we instinctively oppose their ideas as irrelevant or dangerous.

Your audience wants to know you're just like them, but simply further ahead, with the secret knowledge they need to achieve their goals. You can fit with them through clothing style and word choice, or common experiences and beliefs. Are you relatable? Do you feel like one of them? Do you really understand and care about their wants and needs?

You need to look and behave like your message is true...and that you honestly believe it. Show you walk the talk and live the life you represent. If your message is urgent, then speak with urgency. If it's health-related, then look like you follow your own advice.

It's not about pleasing others. You don't have to force yourself into a "normal" image according to someone else's standards. But you DO need to feel believable as an advocate of your message.

This is because imagination is the beginning of understanding and belief. Have you ever heard someone ask, "Can you give me an example?" That's their brain crying out for an intangible concept to be made real through story.

New ideas are difficult to grasp, making our impulse to ignore or resist them. But once your audience can see, inside their mind's eyes, they can begin to believe.

Story also allows your audience to relax and take in new information without trying to keep up with a steady stream of facts and figures. And it helps you connect at a deeper level, while you quickly and easily transfer that new meaning and emotion.

This amazingly powerful tool comes in two basic varieties: non-fiction and fiction. If you have the perfect real-life (non-fiction) account to make your point, then use a traditional story and summarize it with a purposeful meaning. Every presentation can benefit from at least one.

However, if you don't have the perfect non-fiction story to share, don't worry. The second form-one that most don't consider-is fiction. But don't worry, I don't mean you need to make up stories about fictional characters. I'm talking about VISION: painting a compelling picture of what is yet to come.

With vision, you bring to life a new idea that captivates your audience and delivers meaning in a way that most presentations lack. Saturate your audience in the story of what could be (both positive and negative); not merely what has already happened.

Your audience has more than just ears, so don't rely on words alone-especially if your message is complicated or controversial. Every sense is a pathway for meaning, so use as many as possible.

Ears - words and music

Eyes - images, videos and objects

Hands - exercises, workshops and activities

Others - smells and tastes

By piecing together a multitude of sensory inputs, you create powerful learning moments. This works because experiences create meaning-and ultimately, new beliefs. Turn your presentations from information fire hoses into transformative experiences.

We live in a day when powerful presentations are conversational and warm, not stiff and scripted. Yes, you need to practice and sound intelligent. But you need to speak like you would to a group of friends.

As a caution, don't attempt to manufacture humour by telling jokes. Most of us are not comedians, and a failed joke makes everyone feel awkward. Keep your humour to real life stories and funny observations. And if that fails, it's better to not be funny than to tell a joke and fail.

Many novice public speakers focus so much on presentation skills (the mechanics) they forget about the critical role of content design. A charming, charismatic and funny storyteller can accomplish little if his or her content feels like a toddler's first finger painting. (i.e. A messy blob only a mother could love.)
Confusion, in this case, is the ultimate villain.
In the words of Donald Miller of StoryBrand, "If you confuse, you lose." It's as simple (and as challenging) as that. As soon as someone loses track of your message or feels confused by your content, they begin to disconnect. There's only so much mental energy to give, and when confusion creeps in, that attention tank plummets to zero.

No one likes to feel stupid, so when your presentation is poor, you and your ideas are judged and devalued. Rather than accept fault, your audience secretly blames you. They assume you're wasting their time or that you're untrustworthy and incompetent.

The curse of knowledge is often the underlying offender. It tricks you into thinking others know what you know. Your material feels so natural that you struggle to remember others don't share your level of expertise. So you present as though your listeners are more advanced than they are, and it goes over their heads.

The solution: simplify, clarify and guide your audience through your content in a way that allows their brains to effortlessly process, understand and agree.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Powerful Presentations

So now you know the 7 key elements of a powerful presentation.

The bad news: they're hard work, and they'll quadruple (or more) the time it takes to design and prepare a talk. Plus, no one will ever fully appreciate how much effort you put into it. A great presentation is gruelling for you, and effortless for everyone else. Sorry for your luck.

The good news: if it was easy, everyone could do it. And you wouldn't stand a chance of standing out. Apply these principles and you'll see a dramatic increase in nodding heads, smiling faces and positive outcomes.

BONUS! Get My Personal "Power Content" Building Tool

So now you know the 7 keys to a powerful presentation...great.

But how do you apply them when building your next presentation? Easy! Use my personal content building tool.

I designed this for myself, because creating presentations is hard work. I wanted a simple tool to guide my thinking and ensure I didn't miss any critical steps.

Want it? It's all yours...Just download my free e-book, PRESENTATION POWER. The tool is included as a bonus chapter at the end.

Happy building!

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7 Keys to a Powerful Presentation - Matthew Taylor Online

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There I was, presenting to a room of my peers, completely and utterly mortified. This was the largest group I had ever addressed, and I totally blanked. I was only a minute into my talk and already had no idea what came next. I still remember the sea of eyes locked on me as anxiety blurred ...

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Home > Speaking > POWERFUL Presentations

Presenting information to a crowd in way that engages, inspires, and moves audiences to act is an art form. If you can learn to present powerfully, you can teach, motivate, persuade and help people remember your most important ideas.

The good news is, becoming an amazing presenter doesn't have to be all that complicated. Sure, good presentation skills come with time and practice, but the fundamentals for what makes presentations powerful can be summarized into a simple 8-part acronym that follows that very theme: P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L.

The P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. Approach to Presentations

There is no one right to give a presentation and there is no perfect formula or step-by-step process. As you adapt to your audience, you'll need to modify the content, structure, design, and experience. That said, there are several things that are proven to make presentation work when done well. Read more about using the P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L. acronym as an approach to presentation design, rather than as a process.

PREPARE for Your Moment

Before you put your presentation together, begin by asking questions about your key message, audience, and setting. Then, determine the purpose and presentation type. Start assembling ideas, adapting for your attendees and setting, and taking a deep breath to calm those nerves. Read more about preparing your presentation.

OPEN with Purpose

Start your presentation by introducing yourself and your topic. Then, grab their attention with one of ten ways to pull people in. Next, like giving a GPS to your audience, provide them a roadmap that orients them towards the direction you're headed. If you get your audience started off on the right foot, they're much more likely to stay with you throughout. Read more about great ways to open your presentation.

WEAVE in the Stories

One of the most effective, research-proven methods for helping people stay engaged, feel connected, and remember your presentation is to read stories. Be sure to use appropriate narrative structure and material that your audience can relate to, then weave in one or multiple stories at various points in your presentation. Read more about weaving stories into your presentation.

ENGAGE with Visuals

It's a proven fact: people understand, process, and remember visuals better than they do text, numbers, or data alone. If you want to create memorable, impactful presentation, be sure to visualize your slides, organize your deck, and avoid design and visual faux pas. Read more about how to engage your audience with well-designed slides.

RELATE with Delivery

When audiences attend a presentation, content alone will rarely be enough to make a lasting impression. As the presenter, you need to relate to your audience, to connect with them. To do this, you'll want to be strategic about your language and tone, your eyes and emotion, your body language and posture, and the way you move. Read more about how to relate with your audience.

FRAME the Message

Like in a good movie, where every scene helps build towards character development, a climax, and resolution, your presentation should be structured to build and climb towards a final destination. To do this, you'll need to have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Start strong, then use signposts and transitions throughout, always building towards a clear and powerful finish. Read more about how to frame your message.

UNIFY the Parts

As you review the script of your presentation, you'll want to ensure that there are no loose ends, that everything comes full circle, and your audience isn't left to guess or wonder about key parts of your takeaway message. Summarize your key points, bring the beginning back, and connect all the dots. Read more about how to unify the parts of your presentation.

LEAVE with Power

Last, but certainly not least, you'll want to be sure that you end your presentation with a clear, well-thought-out final statement. This may be a powerful statement you developed, an important and thought-provoking quote that summarizes the message, another short story, or a contrasting statement. You can also leave a call to action, getting people to start acting upon this new information right away. Read more about how to leave your presentation with power.

Prepare for Your Audience

Know who they are, then give 'em what they want. Knowing your audience and what they expect is the most important aspect to a successful presentation.

Who Are They? What's their education? Occupation? Position in the company? Age? Background? Experience?

Why Are They There? Do they expect formality or informality? How long do they expect you to speak? Are they expecting to be instructed, inspired, or something else?

Why Are They There? Did they choose to be there or are they required to be there? Are they happy about it? Will they likely be tired, excited, nervous, or something else?

Open with Vigor

Grab 'em early, and keep 'em hooked. Start with pithiness and punchiness and you'll enjoy the fruits of a captivated crowd. Here's a list of the ten best ways to open with awesomeness:

Tell a Story. Human beings love stories. A lot.

Use Impressive Statistics. Not just any statistic. A "wow" statistic.

Say Something Provocative. Make 'em think. Or squirm. Just back it up.

Tell a Relevant Joke. Make sure it's funny. And relevant.

Develop an Imaginative Scenario. "I want you to close your eyes. Now imagine..."

Pull Out an Object. If it's interesting, let 'em see it.

Do a Demonstration. Show 'em how it's done. Don't just tell 'em.

Share a Personal Anecdote. You've been there, done that. So share it.

Give a Quote. A good quote. One that makes you think.

Ask a Question. Get 'em involved. Wait for their response.

Weave in the Stories

If you tell it, they will listen. People love stories. They like to know how stories end. They're intrigued by the plot, the conflict, the conclusion. If you ever seem to be losing your audience, just say, "let me tell you a story." Watch in amazement as they suddenly perk up and listen. Of course, make sure the stories are relevant and have a purpose. Good stories have five things:

Purpose: The story must have a purpose. What will your audience gain from the story?

Reality: Make it real. Don't make things up or exaggerate. Use real people, real places, real problems.

Characters: We need somebody to cheer on. Care about. Root for. Give personality and put it in context.

Conflict: What's the issue? Build the whole story around it.

Resolution: Don't leave 'em hanging. Let 'em know how it ends.

Express with Visuals

Think you're a visual learner? You are. Think your audience might be as well? They are. People remember information almost twice as well if an image is attached to the message. Text isn't near as effective. Make your slides simple, congruent, and beautiful. And use lots of pictures and simple diagrams.

Simplify the Slides. Reduce the text to few, if any words, per slide. No paragraphs, limited bulleted lists, and no complex charts, tables, or data sets. Use very simple backgrounds (plain white or black is a good option). Simple is almost always better.

Use Relevant Pictures, Not Goofy Clip-art. Use images of people, things, and processes that are relevant and interesting. Avoid cheap, pixelated, and unrelated or non-useful stock photos and clip-art.

Be Design Savvy. Use two fonts-one for headings, one for everything else. Repeat a visual element on every slide (like a logo or thematic icon). Make colors match and reduce all visual noise.

Relate with Delivery

Relate to your audience and they'll relate to your message. Be smooth, be confident, be extemporaneous.
Do:

Make eye contact

Smile often

Move naturally

Speak loudly

Intonate your voice

Keep good posture

Don't:

Look at notes, screen, or elsewhere

Appear bored or uninterested

Have awkward nervous ticks

Speak softly or mumble

Sound robotic, choppy, or monotone

Slouch, lean, or sway

Frame the Content

Give it structure, keep it organized. Let your audience know where you're headed, where you're at, and where you've gone. Transition, layer, and build towards a finish.

Provide a Road-map & Stay on Course. Shortly after beginning, tell 'em where you're headed. Then stick
to the plan. No veering off, no tangential excursions.

Give 'em Signposts. Remind your audience where you're at and where you're headed. Take them smoothly to the next point. "This brings up...," "now to switch gears from_____, let's move to...," "so we just did_____; I want to now..."

Build towards the Finish. Know your ultimate goal and head towards it. Each section of your presentation should build on the previous. Don't bounce back and forth, avoid repetition.

Unify the Message

Bring 'em home and tie it together. You've covered an array of things-now let's hear how they call connect.

Bring the Beginning Back. End where you started. Come full circle. If you started with a story, remind 'em the purpose. If you gave a statistic, tell 'em how it makes better sense now. Wherever you started, pull it back in.

Summarize Key Points. Remind your audience what the main points are. Keep it simple. Narrow the focus into three or four things, reiterating what you told them bore, only much quicker.

Connect the Dots. You've told a few stories, laid out some facts and statistics, explained a process or. But don't leave anything left wanting. Connect the dots for your audience and they'll leave filling fulfilled.

Leave with a Punch

Finish strong. Make it clear you're done so they know when to clap. Don't ever finish by just saying "thanks" or "I'm done" or "that's it; any questions"? Lead into the "thanks" and ask for questions after your pithy close.

Call 'em to Action. If appropriate, give your audience something to do. It may be as broad as changing the world or as specific as changing their toothbrush. But make it clear and make it count.

Make a Contrast. "We can do _____ or we can do _____ ; which will you decide?"

Tell Another [short] Story. Give an anecdote that puts emphasis on the message. Make it
short, but make it powerful.

Give a Good Quote. Find a quote that is relevant, credible, and awesome. Leave
your audience with something to ponder and post on their fridge.

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Home > Speaking > POWERFUL Presentations Presenting information to a crowd in way that engages, inspires, and moves audiences to act is an art form. If you can learn to present powerfully, you can teach, motivate, persuade and help people remember your most important ideas. The good news is, becoming

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What does the future leader look like…if they do exist?

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What does the future leader look like…if they do exist?

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What does the future leader look like...if they do exist? - DecisionMarketing

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What does the future leader look like...if they do exist? Bosses fall into two camps; but which one will we need in the 2020s, asks Organic’s Ben Bushby

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Leadership is inherently viewed as positive and good. The reality, of course, is something quite different. There are good leaders and there are bad leaders, male and female. There are those who believe that any action by leaders is better than no action at all. This is wishful thinking and absolute nonsense.

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What are the keys that unlock the door to business owners, managers and team leaders gaining the best in performance, sales and productivity from their salespeople, and team members across all roles and positions? Especially in the midst of this Corona Virus and time change and evolution for how we do business and survive and thrive?

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Teens are the Future Leaders of our Families

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Teens are the Future Leaders of our Families

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SIGN UP & GET Rs. 2000/- OFF Teens are the Future Leaders of our Families, our Communities and the World Future Leaders is a dynamic motivational and leadership workshop for teens between the ages of 13 and 17 who have a sincere commitment to create extraordinary results in their lives.

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Following up on my post around the 7 Principles of The Future Employee, I wanted to share another concept which is the 10 Principles of The Future Manager. When it comes to the future of work it's not just employees that are changing, managers are also having to change the ways in which they lead and in fact are HAVING to become leaders. These are 10 core principles or characteristics that managers will and must possess going forward. This image is taken from my book, The Future of Work.
Is a leader
There has long been a distinction between managers and leaders. Managers were the dictators and leaders were the visionaries. Going forward a manager MUST be a leader, that is, he or she must earn followers and not command respect. Being a manager is something you earn not something you are assigned to do. A manager cannot be someone placed in a position of power simply because they bring in the most money or are the best at delegating.
Follow from the front
This concept is all about the manager's responsibility to remove obstacles from the paths of employees. A manager exists to make his people more successful not to have his or her people serve them. When a manager follows from the front he paves the way and enables team members to become successful.
Understands technology
Managers don't need to become experts at every new technology that comes their way. However, now that technology has become such a crucial part of how we live and work it has never been more important for managers to grasp which technologies have the potential to benefit the organization and which new technologies might be coming their way in the near future. A manager must a keep a good pulse on technology.

Read the rest here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/11/20/the-10-principles-of-the-future-manager/?linkId=10652374

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The 10 Principles Of The Future Manager by Jacob Morgan

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Following up on my post around the 7 Principles of The Future Employee, I wanted to share another concept which is the 10 Principles of The Future Manager. When it comes to the future of work it's not just employees that are changing, managers are also having to change the ways in which they lead...

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Following the discussion simply hand each student a packet containing the 40 value cards. Instruct them to clear their desks and lay the cards out in front of them face up so they can see each of them. Remind them that there may be one or more "blank" cards that are to be used as "Wild Cards".

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Leadership plays an important role in the workplace as well as other community organizations.

Leadership activities are associated with benefits to business, including increased performance and productivity.

However, perhaps the sign of a truly successful leader is a happy, healthy workplace. Interested in what leadership activities can do for your workplace or school? Read on.

With the activities below, there may be some overlap with activities found under certain headings - for example, activities suitable for adults may also be useful for groups, or with employees.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify opportunities for professional growth and create a more meaningful career.

What Are Leadership Activities?

Increasingly, people are assuming positions of leadership in the workplace (Cserti, 2018). However, the journey to becoming a leader is lengthy (Cserti, 2018). Leadership activities are valuable on the journey to becoming an effective leader, and also develop confidence in leadership teams (Cserti, 2018; Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities may be conducted on or off site, and be physical or sedentary (Stepshift, 2016). Leadership activities can either be performed by a leader in their own team, or with an external facilitator (Cserti, 2018). They may take the form of specially organized themed events, such as scavenger hunts (Stepshift, 2016). Or, they may be smaller, office-based tasks built into an ordinary workday.

For example, leadership activities could consist of meeting openers or conference break activities (Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities can be an effective way for individuals to practice and strengthen their leadership and team-building skills (Cserti, 2018). They can also be fun!

The structure of leadership activities is essential. It is important that the participants can relate the activity to the workplace setting (Stepshift, 2016).

What Are They Used For?

Leadership activities are used to help individuals learn important skills to be effective leaders and to promote the growth and development of a leadership team (Stepshift, 2016). Leadership activities can be used to improve teamwork, foster better communication in the workplace and develop team cohesion (Cserti, 2018).

The working style, principles, and values of a leader is a crucial aspect in determining the behavior within an organization (Cserti, 2018). Leadership training can help leaders become role-models (Cserti, 2018). The behavior of leaders and what they consider the "norm" determines which behaviors are enforced and those which are punished (Cserti, 2018).

Given the importance of a leader's behavior, it is also essential that they learn skills, such as:

Communication

Leaders need to develop the ability to clearly, succinctly explain to employees everything from the goals of a company to the details of specific work-tasks (Doyle, 2019). Many components are important for effective communication, including active listening, reading body language and written communication such as emails (Doyle, 2019).

Motivation

Leaders need to inspire employees. They may do this by increasing worker's self-esteem, by recognizing effort and achievement, or by giving a worker new responsibilities to further their investment in the business (Doyle, 2019).

Delegating

Leaders can achieve this by identifying the skills that workers have, and as such assign tasks to each worker based on the skills they have (Doyle, 2019).

Positivity

Being positive helps develop a happy, healthy work environment, even when the workplace is busy or stressful (Doyle, 2019).

Trustworthiness

By demonstrating integrity, workers will feel at ease to approach their leader with questions or concerns (Doyle, 2019). Building trust is one of the most essential leadership skills.

Creativity

Good leaders are willing to try novel solutions or to approach problems in a non-traditional way (Doyle, 2019).

Feedback

Leaders are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to provide team members with information about their performance, without 'micromanaging' their work (Doyle, 2019).

Responsibility

A good leader accepts mistakes or failures and instead look for solutions for improvement of a situation (Doyle, 2019). This skill also includes being reflective and being open to feedback (Doyle, 2019).

Commitment

A leader should strive to follow through with everything that they agree to do (Doyle, 2019). It also involves applying appropriate feedback and keeping promises (Doyle, 2019).

Flexibility

Leaders need to be able to accept changes and creatively problem-solve, as well as being open to suggestions and feedback (Doyle, 2019).

While these skills are explained in a workplace context, they can easily be applied to other leadership situations such as sports or community groups.

Now that you have more clarity as to what leadership activities are, and what they are used for, let us look at a wide selection of activities. While some of the activities and games may not immediately appear to be 'leadership activities,' the chosen activities might develop and promote the leadership skills outlined above.

8 Examples of Leadership Activities

Formal leadership activities certainly make up what is generally thought of as 'training' or 'development.' However, many activities offer leadership development, without the person realizing they are engaged in learning how to be a leader.

Here are eight such activities:

1. Sports
Sports provide the experience of being a team member and developing leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).

2. Cross-cultural experience
Experiences with a different culture provide new, potentially uncomfortable situations and help develop communication skills that may not be learned elsewhere (Flavin, 2018). Overseas travel, or working with a different cultural group within your community can provide an opportunity to learn new skills, or may involve barriers that must be overcome - all teaching leadership (Flavin, 2018).

3. Social groups
Involvement in social activities helps potential leaders develop a well-rounded, confident personality which enhances their capacity to lead a team (Flavin, 2018).

4. Internships
Taking an internship position demonstrates initiative in finding opportunities to learn and seeking practical work - valuable skills in leadership (Flavin, 2018).

5. Volunteering
As well as showing ambition, volunteering shows that you are willing to commit yourself to something that you are passionate about (Flavin, 2018).

6. Student government and organizations
Specifically considering students, being involved in co-curricular organizations help individuals develop leadership (Flavin, 2018). Being involved in student government or organizations can provide opportunities to demonstrate leadership and have an impact on those around you (Flavin, 2018).

7. 'Passion projects'
Showing commitment to a passion for better communities; for example, mentoring shows that you are likely to focus on the greater good for a team (Flavin, 2018).

8. 'Teamwork'
This can be anything at all, from helping out with planning a family event or participating in a volunteer day, will demonstrate and develop leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).

4 Leadership Workshop Ideas

Effective leaders are aware that continuing professional and personal development is the key to ongoing success (Higgins, 2018). As such, they recognize that leadership workshops are important (Higgins, 2018). What activities can be used in such a workshop?

Here are four suggestions:

Idea 1: 'Tallest Tower' (from Stepshift, 2016)

Participants are provided with everyday items such as toothpicks, wooden blocks, uncooked pasta and so on. The task is to build the tallest possible free-standing structure from the materials provided. This activity is designed to encourage creative problem-solving and developing collaboration skills.

Idea 2: 'Centre Stage' (from Higgins, 2018)

Select four team members as volunteers. One team member plays the role of an employee who has missed meetings or been late to work in recent times. Each of the other three participants demonstrates a different style of leader (to save time, nominate the particular personality trait). Ask all participants to form a circle, and put two chairs in the middle of the circle.

After each demonstration of how to deal with the employee, ask the whole group to reflect on the different leadership approaches. For example, the group could consider what worked and what did not. Finally, to conclude this activity, ask the group to consider what the 'ideal' leader would do in the scenario.

Idea 3: 'Minefield' (from Stepshift, 2016)

This activity helps build trust and improve communication skills. It involves participants working in pairs, with one team member being blindfolded. Then, using only specified communication techniques, the pair negotiate their way around or over a 'minefield' of obstacles.

So, for example, the participants may be told they are only able to use commands such as the words 'left' or 'right,' 'forwards' or 'backwards.' The aim is to help the blindfolded team member to navigate the 'minefield'.

Idea 4: 'Magic Carpet' (from Higgins, 2018)

Provide a small tarp or rug, which has enough room for all workshop participants to stand within its boundaries. Then, inform the group that their task is to work together to flip the rug or tarp over without any participant stepping off. If (or when) a participant steps off the teams have discussed all of the paragraphs or tarp, the team must begin again.

2 Activities That Showcase Different Leadership Styles

There are three different 'leadership styles'.

These are: autocratic (also known as authoritarian), delegative (also called 'free reign)' and democratic (which is also called participative) (Clark, 2015; Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

An autocratic leader makes decisions without first consulting others, while a delegative leader allows the staff to make the decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). Finally, a democratic leader consults with the staff in making workplace decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

Here is an excellent resource for exploring different leadership styles.

The workbook also provides some helpful worksheets.

The following two activities help participants think more deeply about styles of leadership. The group should be divided into small groups of 3 - 4 participants. The participants work in groups for the first activity, and then they work individually on the second activity.

Activity One (Clark, 2015)

Provide a list of approximately 10 - 12 scenarios displaying the three different leadership styles. For example, "a new supervisor has just been put in charge of the production line. He immediately starts by telling the crew what change needs to be made. When some suggestions are made, he tells them he does not have time to consider them".

The group then works together to figure out which leadership style is used in each scenario and to talk about whether it is effective, or if a different style could work better.

Encourage participants to think about themselves in a similar situation and their reaction to the particular leadership style.

Activity Two (Clark, 2015)

Provide participants with the statement 'consider a time when you, or another leader, used the authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic) or delegative (free reign) style of leadership'.

Ask participants to reflect on the statement and make a few comments, such as: was it effective? Would a different leadership style have worked better? What were the employees' experiences? Did they learn from the leadership style? What was it they learned? Which style is easiest to use (and why)? Alternatively, nominate the style which the participant prefers (and why).

To conclude these two activities, come together as a whole group and discuss what was learned about the three styles of leadership.

3 Situational Leadership Activities and Scenarios

Situational leadership is when a leader is flexible in their approach and uses different leadership strategies depending on the situation (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). The following three games, from Johnson-Gerard (2017) provide an opportunity to explore situational leadership:

1. 'Jumping Ship'

The aim of this game is for participants to reflect upon different leadership styles and come up with a list of actual workplace scenarios which would need a leader to abandon a natural leadership style for one that is more effective (i.e., to 'jump ship').

Each group is given three large pieces of paper. Ask the teams to write one style of leadership on each (i.e., autocratic, delegative, democratic). Then, allow the groups 45 minutes to come up with real work situations for which employing the particular leadership style would be disastrous.

Ask the groups to place the sheets of paper up on the wall, and to discuss the sheets as a team. As a whole group, review the posters.

2. 'Who Ya Gonna Call'

Each participant begins by writing a one-paragraph description of a work situation that is not going well. Collect these, and at the top of each page, number them in consecutive order. Then, divide the participants into two teams.

Give each team half of the paragraphs. Then, ask the teams to choose the style of leadership that would be the least and the most effective in solving the problem. Have the teams note their answers on a piece of paper, being sure to identify the paragraph number on the top of each page, and their choices.

Then, ask the teams to swap paragraphs and repeat the activity.

When the teams have discussed all the paragraphs, discuss the scenarios and review the choices as a group. Where the team's choices are different, discuss as a group.

3. 'Ducks in a Row'

This particular activity enables participants to devise a 3-to-5 step decision-making process they can use when challenging leadership situations occur.

Ask participants to form pairs. Then, ask them to come up with the steps that an effective leader goes through in order to work out how to manage a difficult situation. After about 30 minutes, ask each pair to review the steps they have come up with for the group, and to write them on a large piece of paper.

Ask every pair to review their process, and after all the pairs have done so, have a group discussion that enables a consensus to be reached about the three to five most effective steps to take in a difficult leadership situation.

8 Games and Activities for Kids to Learn Leadership Skills

With kids' leadership games, the type of activities are not as important as discovering the leadership activities that children will find enjoyable and benefit from (Pennsylvania State University, 2012).

Edsys (2016) provides eight suggested activities for children to learn leadership skills:

1. 'Create a New You'

Provide children with materials such as textas, crayons, poster/construction paper, magazines, and scissors. Then, ask them to draw themselves, using things that clearly show that the picture is theirs - such as using cut-outs of their most favorite things to do, foods they like, pets, and whatever else makes them unique.

Once the children have finished their posters, they can show their completed work to the other children - helping kids to improve their confidence to lead.

2. 'Same or Different'

The children sit in a circle. Ask the first child to point to another child in the circle who is similar to them, either in appearance, hair-style or clothing color. Then, when the child has chosen someone, ask them to note other differences and similarities they have with the child they have chosen.

3. 'Move the Egg'

Ask children to form groups of four or five. Then, have the children select a leader for their team. Each participant is given a spoon and an egg. The leader has the task of finding an effective way to move the eggs from one point to another. For example, one option may be for children to form a line to pass each egg along.

Another leader may suggest forgetting about the spoons altogether and merely tell their group to make a run for it. The winner of the game is the group that can get their egg safely across the finish in the most creative way.

4. 'Lead the Blindfolded'

This game requires a large indoor or outdoor area. Divide the children into two groups and give them enough blindfolds for everyone except one member to put on. The teams are placed at opposite sides of the space. The child who is not blindfolded is required to lead their team to the other side of the designated space, using clear commands.

Ensure that each member of the team has an opportunity to lead their team. The winner is the team that sees its members successfully cross the finish line.

5. 'Charity Support'

Help children support a charity by organizing a fundraiser. Each child can have a different task. For example, one child may select the charity, another may find a suitable space to hold the fundraising activity, and another child can collect donations.

6. 'Planning Strategies'

Teach children to divide a large task into smaller steps. Set the children a large task, such as holding a class function. Show the children a plan that enables them to achieve the task step by step. This activity can involve a number of children sharing tasks. Suggest to the children how they may be able to improve.

7. 'Volunteer Roles'

Volunteering plays a role in leadership. Discuss with children how they would like to help someone in need. Older children may be interested in taking a role in an organization in their community. The children should be helped to select a volunteer opportunity that gives them a chance to practice leadership and work with other children.

8. 'A Quick Quiz'

In this task, ask students to be prepared to evaluate an experience when it is over. Then, after the experience, ask the child questions. For example, inquire "Do you remember the name of the dog we saw?", "What was it?", "Did you touch the dog?", "What is the owner's name?" and so on.

This is an excellent introduction to leadership for kids in grades 4 - 6 (children aged approximately 9 - 12 years).

6 Leadership Development Activities for Teens And Youth (PDF)

The following resources are appropriate for helping teens and youth to develop leadership:

1. "Leaders are, can, and think"

This looks at what a leader is, and what their role can and should be.

2. "Who do you admire and why?"

This worksheet examines leadership role models and the qualities we see in them that we want to develop in ourselves.

3. "4 Ways leaders approach tasks: Leaders Motivation"

This handout focuses on leadership attitude.

4. "Lesson Planet"

Links to 45+ reviewed resources for teen leadership which can be accessed free by registering your details.

5. The Women's Learning Partnership

This partnership has created a comprehensive manual for promoting leadership for teens aged 13 - 17 years. The manual outlines a number of sessions which guide leadership development activities.

6. "I Care Values Activity"

This is a fun, engaging and introspective activity. It is suitable for students aged 13 and upwards, so it can be used with older students or adults too.

3 Classroom Leadership Activities for Students in Elementary and Middle School

Introducing leadership activities into the classroom provides an excellent way for all children to develop their leadership skills.

Examples of such activities are:

1. 'Just Listen' (Edsys, 2016)

Make an agreement that you and the student(s) will refrain from talking about yourselves for a whole day. Ask them, rather, to listen to others, and if they do talk to another person, it should be about the person whom they are talking to. This game helps children to learn how important it is to focus on other people rather than themselves, which forms the basis of 'relational leadership'.

2. Silence Classroom Leadership Game (Stapleton, 2018).

To begin the activity, the teacher divides students into two teams, and the teams move to either side of the classroom. The desks may be pushed aside to create more space. The teacher instructs the students to, for example, 'line up according to the first letter of your surname' or 'arrange yourselves into age order by the month your birthday is in'. The students then follow the directions without speaking a word to one another.

Students are permitted to use hand signals, or even write instructions down on paper. The teacher's instruction to the students is that they are not allowed to talk. The winning team is the one that completes the task successfully.

3. 'The Cup Game' (Tony, 2018)

Divide students into pairs and select one student to be the leader. Each team should face each other standing up, with a plastic cup in the middle. The leader calls out simple directions, such as 'touch your knee', 'close one eye' and so on.

When the leader calls out "cup" the students should try and be the first to grab the cup. The player who successfully grabs the cup should pair up with another player who also got the cup. Those without a cup sit down and watch.

Once the new teams of two have formed, the cup is put in between the players and the game begins again. This process continues until only one person is left standing - and the resulting winner becomes the new leader... and play can begin all over again.

6 Leadership Activities and Games for High School Students

By high school, students are more sophisticated. Here are some interesting activities for high school students to develop leadership.

1. Brainstorming for change (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into groups of 4 or 5. The goal is for students to come up with possible solutions to social, political or economic problems. Working together, students brainstorm both small- and large-scale solutions to a given problem topic.

Once the groups have finalized their list of detailed solutions, the teacher facilitates a discussion with the whole class, and together they examine which of the identified solutions could be a viable option and why.

2. Leadership characteristics (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into pairs or groups of three. Then, each group member shares a story about someone whom they consider to be an influential leader. After each story has been shared, students discuss the characteristics that they think made the person in the story an effective leader.

Once each student has shared a story, students compile a list of all the characteristics of an influential leader they identified. Post these characteristics on the walls around the classroom.

3. Blindfold leader game (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher arranges the students into a single line, and comes up with a starting point and finishing point. Then, the teacher places a blindfold on every student except for the student who is at the front of the line.

The teacher tells each student to put their left hand on the left shoulder of the person in front of them. Next, the teacher says "go". The aim is for the leader (who is not blindfolded) to walk towards the finishing point, providing instructions to students behind, who are blindfolded.

An extra challenging game sees the teacher putting obstacles in the path - the leader must direct followers on how to avoid the obstacles and successfully reach the finish line. When this goal is achieved, a different student takes a turn of being the leader.

4. Buckets and balls (Cohen, 2017)

This game aims to move all the balls from one box to another. The catch is, team members cannot use their hands or arms. In equal-sized teams, players choose one 'handler' per team. This is the only person who can touch the balls with their hands.

The handler must remain behind the start line throughout the game. Team members attempt to get balls from their bucket at the finish line, and get them to the team's handler without the ball touching their hands or arms.

The handler places the balls into the empty bucket at the start line. If a team member touches the ball, they are disqualified and can no longer participate.
Give teams a 5-minute time limit. All teams play at the same time, and the team that has the most balls in the handler's bucket at the end of the game wins.

5. Team jigsaw (Cohen, 2017)

Two teams have to complete a jigsaw puzzle within a 20 - 30-minute time limit. Give each team a box containing a puzzle. At first, A body will assume that their task is to complete the puzzle. As they work on it, however, teams will realize that the puzzle is missing some of its pieces and has some additional pieces that do not fit their puzzle.

Teams then have the task to communicate with one another, and they will eventually realize that they need to work together to complete the puzzle. Teams are only allowed to exchange pieces of the puzzle one at a time.

6. 'Sneak-a-peak' (Cohen, 2017)

Divide participants into two teams. Build a structure out of Lego. Make it complicated, but able to be replicated. Ensure that there is sufficient Lego left to build two similar copies of the structure.

Make sure that this structure is kept out of eyesight.

A player from each team is allowed to see the structure for 10 seconds. Then, the players will return to their respective teams and have 25 seconds in which to give his/her team instruction as to how to build the structure. Then, the teams have 1 minute to build the structure.

When that minute is up, another team member takes a look at the structure for 10 seconds and has a further 25 seconds to deliver their instructions to their team.

This process continues until all the team members have had a chance to examine the structure and provide instructions. The team that successfully built the structure is the winner.

3 Activities and Exercises for College Students (PDF)

1. "The Leadership Training Activity Book" by Lois. B. Hart and Charlotte S. Waisman (2005) contains 50 handouts for leadership activities that would be suitable for college students. Find it on Amazon.

2. This resource provides helpful leadership tip sheets that are suitable for college students. Examples of tip sheets are "ten keys to effective listening" and "basic confrontation guidelines".

3. Another valuable resource that can be used to develop team-building - an aspect of leadership.

7 Leadership Games and Activities for Adults

A wide range of leadership activities are suitable for adults:

1. The Marshmallow Challenge

In this activity, teams use spaghetti sticks, tape and string to construct the tallest free-standing structure. They are given one marshmallow, which must be placed at the top of the structure. Devised by Tom Wujec.

2. 'Stand up' (Landau, 2018)

This game is convenient in that it requires no materials. It involves two people. They sit on the floor, facing one another. They hold hands, and the soles of their feet are placed together. Then, the task is for both people to stand up at the same time. This game builds trust and teamwork, and also develops skills in problem solving and collaboration.

3. Zoom (Stepshift, 2016)

A set of randomly provided sequential pictures are given to the participants. The task requires participants to put the pictures in the correct order to recreate the story, without knowing which pictures the other participants have. This activity can be an effective way to improve communication, patience, and tolerance.

4. 'You're a Poet' (Landau, 2018)

To harness creativity and reflect on leadership concepts, one activity for adults is to write a poem. This activity can be done individually or in small groups. The aim is to consider leadership in creative ways to find new perspectives.

5. 'Leadership Pizza' (Cserti, 2018)

This activity can help adults develop leadership. It does so by providing a self-assessment tool. People begin by identifying the skills, attitudes, and attributes that they consider being important for successful leadership. The individual then rates their own development in the defined areas. The framework can also provide a helpful tool in assisting adults in identifying their leadership development goals in a coaching session.

6. Leadership advice from your role model (Cserti, 2018)

Each participant considers a role model who they admire. They then think about a young person they know. If the young person was to ask the role model for leadership advice, what kind of advice would the role model give?

In groups, discuss and share the sort of advice identified and talk about contradicting points and how they can be reconciled. This sharing discussion may be a practical introduction to the idea of situational leadership.

7. 'Crocodile River' (Cserti, 2018)

This outdoor activity challenges a group to physically provide support to the group members' behavior move from one end of a designated space to the other.

Participants are told to pretend that the whole team must cross a wide river which contains dangerous crocodiles. Magic stones (which are represented by wooden planks) provide the only supports to be used to cross the river (which has 'banks' that are marked out by two ropes).

These 'stones' only float on the water if there is constant body contact. These 'stones' (i.e., the wooden planks) are placed next to the 'river bank' - there should be one less plank than the total number of participants. As part of the game, if a participant's hand or foot touches the 'water', it will be bitten off (if this happens during the challenge, the participant must hold the hand behind their back).

The facilitator then pretends to be the 'crocodile', keeping a close eye on the group as they attempt to cross the river. When one of the stones (the planks) is not in body contact, it is removed. When participants mistakenly touch the ground with their hands or feet, tell them that the limb has therefore been bitten off and the player must continue without using it.

This activity continues until the group succeeds in getting all group members to the other side of the 'river'. If anyone falls in, the group is deemed to have failed, and they must begin the river crossing attempt again.

5 Leadership Group and Team Activities

1. 'Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue' (Cserti, 2018)

This activity focuses on one of the most critical elements of leadership: regular, constructive feedback.

Openness creates trust, which then promotes further openness. This activity is designed to be used by a group that has spent sufficient time together in order to have a range of shared experiences they can draw from when they are providing feedback.

Each participant takes a post-it and writes the name of the person who they are addressing on it. Then, they write on the post-it:

"To.... Something I would like you to START doing is.... something I would like you to STOP doing is.... something I would like you to CONTINUE doing is......Signed: ___________"

In groups of around 4 to 6 people, participants complete these sentences on one post-it for the other participants in their group.

If they cannot think of relevant feedback for one of the prompts (i.e., start, stop, continue), they do not need to include it. Once the group has finished writing, they provide the feedback verbally, one at a time, and afterward hand the post-it to the relevant person.

2. Round Tables (Stepshift, 2016)

Four tables are set up with different tasks. Each task has separate steps that participants can be responsible for carrying out. The group select a team member, who is only allowed to communicate and delegate tasks but not take a part in the task. Each table is timed to record how long the task takes to be completed. Round Tables improves leadership and delegation skills.

3. 'Pass the hoop' (Landau, 2018)

This game requires participants to stand in a circle and hold hands. One person in the group has a hula hoop around their arm. The game aims to pass the hula hoop the whole way around the circle.

As well as promoting teamwork and problem-solving, this game develops communication skills. Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial skill for any successful leader to have.

4. 'Improv night' (Landau, 2018)

One key responsibility of the leader of a team is to encourage team bonding. One way to facilitate bonding is improvisation. 'Improv' develops skills in communication - helping teams to listen and pay attention. It also builds self-awareness, self-confidence, and creativity.

Arrange the group into 'audience' and 'performers'. Then, members of the audience take turns in calling out the specified location, profession, and scenario (e.g., coffeehouse, cop, and purchasing a donut). Chosen suggestions are fun and should promote creativity.

5. 'Shape-Shifting' (Landau, 2018)

This game requires a rope that is tied at both ends to form a loop. The loop needs to be big enough for all group members to hold onto with both hands as they stand in a circle. The group is instructed to make a chosen shape (e.g., circle, square, triangle). The group attempts to create the shape on the floor.

Progressively, ask the group to make more complex shapes - e.g., a dog, or a tree. To add another layer of difficulty, instruct the team to communicate without talking - i.e., to rely on hand gestures. Afterward, have the group reflect on their experience and discuss the importance of communication.

8 Leadership Training Activities for Employees

Leadership is an integral feature of any workplace. Here are some activities to promote leadership in employees:

1. Your favorite manager (Cserti, 2018)

To begin this activity, employees individually take the role of three different people and brainstorm the particular behaviors that each person's most favorite and least favorite managers demonstrate, from the chosen person's perspective. After the employees have had the chance to reflect, the participants compare their list of behaviors - in pairs, and then subsequently, in groups.

The teams then prepare a list of 'dos and don'ts' for developing better employee perceptions of the leader's style.

2. Explore your values (Cserti, 2018)

The values of a leader are reflected in their organization. In this activity, each participant writes ten things that they value most in their lives, each one on a post-it. Then, ask the employees to spread the Post-its in a way in which they can see them all clearly. Then, explain to them that they will have 30 seconds to select the three Post-its that are of least importance to them.

It is essential to time strictly, so that the participants rely on their gut feelings.

Repeat the process, this time allowing participants to have 20 seconds to discard two more values. Finally, give the participants a further 20 seconds to throw another two away. Participants should have three Post-its in front of them, showing their top three important values.

Following the activity, have participants reflect individually for about 15 minutes about what was found, and then to discuss reflection questions in pairs or groups of three.

Because this activity is done quickly, participants are encouraged to follow their own intuition - rather than over-thinking and finding what they perceive to be the 'right' values.

3. 'Leadership Coat of Arms' (Cserti, 2018; Landau, 2018).

Each leader has their own values and the things that they consider valuable and important. These values guide the behavior of the leader and make up a person's unique leadership philosophy.

This activity sees participants drawing their own 'leadership coat of arms' embodying their leadership philosophy.

Individuals have 10 - 15 minutes to draw their coat of arms. They can divide the coat of arms (or 'crest') into four sections. To fill each section, consider the categories of leadership skills, values that help influence others, recent achievements/accomplishments and what you like most about your current work.

They should be encouraged not to be overly concerned with how visually appealing their picture is but rather that it expressed what they personally believe to be important aspects of a leader.

Once the drawings are complete, the participants can show their drawings to the others in the group and explain their unique coat of arms. It is also helpful to reflect on the activity - consider which section was easiest to complete and whether your crest reflects your company's values.

4. Communication: Coach the Builder (Goyette, 2016)

Divide employees into groups of four to seven people. Each group should be given two sets of blocks (such as Lego). Each set should have a minimum of 10 blocks.

Beforehand, you should construct a sample object (e.g., a house) from one of the sets of blocks. In each group, select a leader, a delegator, a builder and a note-taker. The note-taker watches and records the group's behavior during the task. They take note of what appeared to be done well and how employees could improve.

The leader is given the item that you built - however, they are the only group member to see the object. Set a timer for ten minutes. To begin with, the leader describes to the delegator how the builder should build a replica of the item. However, the delegator does not see the object, and at this stage of the activity, the builder should not hear the instructions.

The delegator can speak with the leader as often as necessary during the 10 minutes. The builder attempts to build the same item that the leader can see. However, they are only relying on the delegator's instructions. At this stage, the delegator should not see the object that the builder is constructing.

When the time is up, reveal both objects to all participants and see how closely they match. Finally, to wrap up the activity, employees can discuss what was either frustrating or easy about the process and discuss how they may do things differently in order to achieve better results.

5. Accountability (Goyette, 2016)

Begin a meeting by saying to the group - "the seating arrangement is totally wrong for today's meeting. You have 60 seconds to improve it". If the employees ask further questions, only repeat the instructions. While some employees may continue asking questions, others may start moving the furniture around straight away. Observe the team and what they do without giving any further information, feedback, or instructions.

After 1 minute, let the employees know to stop. Then, ask them whether the objective was achieved, and how. Discuss with employees how and why a lack of clarity makes it challenging to complete a task.

Then, discuss who asked for clarification and how they felt when the leader refused to give further details. Use this opportunity to highlight to employees how if they fail to ask questions, and when the person in charge of a project doesn't provide the necessary clarification, the whole team is at risk of making mistakes or even not completing a task.

Finally, ask how the time pressure affected behavior. Discuss how employees may be more likely to respond to pressure, or stress, by taking action without first confirming a plan and the significant problems this approach can lead to.

6. The "what if" game (Deputy, 2018)

Present different hypothetical problematic scenarios to employees. Either individually or by providing a document that requires written answers, present situations such as "you didn't follow the rules, and subsequently lost an important client. You have lost a lot of money for the company. How do you justify this? What is your solution?".

The questions only need to be rough, and employees should only receive a short time with which to think of their responses. If there is a particularly challenging question, provide a time limit of five minutes.

7. 'Silver Lining' (Cohen, 2017)

Employees form teams of at least two people who have shared a work experience - e.g., working on a project together. One person shares an experience from working together that was negative for them.

Then, the second person reflects on the same experience but instead reflects on the positive aspects of the experience (i.e., the ' silver lining '). Then this same person shares their own negative experience, and this time it is up to the other person to focus on the positive aspects of it.

Often, when people reflect on an experience, they do so with a particular perspective. By looking at the positive aspects of a 'negative' experience, this helps individuals shift perspectives. Furthermore, by sharing experiences, employees develop deeper relationships, and team bonding is promoted.

8. My favorite brand (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Ask employees to bring three or four printed logos/brands that they use regularly or admire most. Then, form groups of 3 - 4 people. Teams have a period of ten minutes to share and discuss their chosen logos.

Their task is to agree upon the team's top 2 logos or brands which is their team's choice. The team also selects a team spokesperson who will report to the bigger group about why the team chose the specific brands/logos.

Participants are encouraged to share personal experiences or stories that they had with their chosen brand. After the ten minutes elapses, each spokesperson presents the logos that the team began with as well as their two top chosen logos/brands. It is their role to explain to the group why the team voted on their top brand/logo.

5 Leadership Building Exercises for Managers

1. Manager or leader? (Training Course Material, n.d.)

Even though in the corporate world the terms 'manager' or 'leader' are used interchangeably, these are very distinct roles.

Small groups of managers work together to create two tables, one titled 'leader' and one titled 'manager'. In each table, the group writes statements describing either management behavior or leadership behavior.

For example, the 'manager' table may contain statements such as "schedules work to be done" or "delegates tasks". On the other hand, statements in the 'leader' table could be "motivating staff" and "creating culture".

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate to managers the difference between management versus leadership, and show that while 'every leader can be a manager, not every manager can be a leader'. However, by brainstorming leadership behaviors, managers begin the process of becoming a successful leader.

2. The race of the leaders (Deputy, 2018)

This activity encourages leadership behaviors. To begin with, write a list of leadership qualities - approximately 10 - 20 statements - on a piece of paper. Describe the qualities - e.g., 'I determine everything that happens to me', and 'I will not blame others for my problems'.

Read these statements out loud, and participants take a step forward if they believe a statement describes them. They must be prepared to give reasons as to why they think they possess each quality. Continue reading the statements until there is a definite 'winner'.

3. The best team member (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into teams of about 4 - 5 participants. Give each team a large, blank piece of paper and markers. Each group has the task to come up with as many characteristics of their 'ideal' team member as they can. Teams should consider what this 'best team member ever' would be like.

After ten minutes, the groups should examine the characteristics that they have written and work out the portion which are 'technical' skills and those which are 'interpersonal'. The aim is to work out whether most of the traits can be classified as technical or interpersonal skills.

Teams usually come to realize that interpersonal skills in employees are especially critical and that these have a tremendous impact on the quality and quantity of workplace performance.

This activity can be adapted according to the setting. For example, if the focus is on leadership development, teams could discuss their ideal leader/supervisor.

4. The importance of feedback (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into three teams. Provide each team with poster paper and markers or pens.

Team A is required to consider as many reasons as they can that would make them apprehensive to provide feedback to another person.

Team B is asked to consider what feedback can help them so, i.e., what feedback will help them accomplish.

Team C comes up with as many things as they can that would make a feedback session effective.

Each team has 15 minutes to brainstorm their ideas, then, each team can present their ideas.

Point out to Team A that the hurdles they suggested are self-imposed ideas that will lead to the manager fearing the worst. Instead, managers should be encouraged to share feedback on a more regular basis to gain the necessary experience in having such conversations. Furthermore, by having an awareness of the most effective way to prepare and deliver feedback can help a manager conquer the issues holding them back.

Point out to Team B that providing constructive feedback as needed is imperative for developing a productive work environment. A feedback discussion that is well-planned and thought out delivers an opportunity to share what you have noticed about another person's job performance and bring about productive change.

Finally, after Team C has shared their ideas, point out that effective feedback is specific, honest, and backed up with evidence. The feedback will help others to come up with goals, make and reinforce positive changes, promote self-confidence and encourage action in the workplace.

Thank all the teams for their participation and input.

5. 'Shark Tank' (Deputy, 2018).

This activity is derived from a famous TV show that gives people a chance to show their entrepreneurial skills. Managers may work individually or in groups. The aim of this activity is for employees to come up with a business plan that outlines the steps of how to build a successful company from 'startup'.

Once the managers have a plan, they can create a 'pitch', which should contain the brand's name, its' tagline (or slogan), a detailed business plan, a detailed marketing plan, financial predictions (sales, profits and market) and potential problems (competition, lack of resources).

In a role play, appoint a few chosen managers to be the 'sharks' (the ones who consider the projects' merit and offer imaginary 'investments'). The winning group, or individual, is the one who raised the most money from the 'shark'.

11 Leadership Exercises for Team Building in the Workplace

1. The Human Icebreaker (Stepshift, 2016).

This is a simple activity that can alleviate tension and promote discussion and contribution. Participants devise a list of questions that relate to people generally - for example, "who is left-handed?". Participants then discover which team members meet the question's criteria. After 10 minutes, the participant who has the most answers wins. This activity promotes communication and helps team members build inter-personal skills.

2. 'Office trivia' (Cohen, 2017)

This quick activity can help as an ice-breaker and provides a flexible option for team building. Create a list of trivia questions that are related to the workplace. For example, "how many people named 'John' work in the accounting department?" or, "how many people work in the IT department?". Read the questions out loud to the whole group. The employee with the most correct answers at the end is the winner.

3. Plane crash (Stepshift, 2016)

The participants imagine that they are on a plane which has crashed on a deserted island. They are allowed to select a specified number of items from around the workplace that would help the group to survive. Each chosen item is ranked in importance. The whole group must agree on their decision. This activity helps with creative problem solving and collaboration.

4. 'Magazine story' (Cohen, 2017)

Each team works together to come up with an imaginary cover story of a magazine, about a successful project or business achievement. The team designs the images, headlines, and come up with quotes.

5. The Human Knot (Stepshift, 2016)

Relying on cooperation, this is a good problem-solving and communication activity. Participants stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle. Then, they put their right hand in the hand of a person who stands across from them. They then put their left hand in the hand of another different person (but not someone standing directly next to them).

Participants are required to untangle the human knot without breaking the chain. If the chain is broken, the participants must start over.

6. Make your own movie (Cohen, 2017)

This is a fun activity that is suitable for both indoors and outdoors. Although it requires the necessary equipment (i.e., camera, tripod, and microphone), teams enjoy it. Employees should work in large groups (more than eight people) and divide responsibilities. Teams work together to come up with scripts for a 5 - 7-minute movie.

7. Radio Play (Cohen, 2017)

This activity can provide an alternative to making a movie. Employees work together, spending about one-hour planning and writing a play and taking a further 15 - 20 minutes to 'perform' it, keeping in mind that it is designed for radio.

8. Chairs

Each participant places their chair, in no particular order, around the room. The room should be cleared of tables and other furniture. Each person should sit on their chair, pointing in a different direction. Then, request one manager to volunteer and come to the front of the room. Their task is to walk slowly back to their empty chair and sit down.

If their chair is occupied, they can move to the next empty chair available and sit on it. However, everyone else has the task of stopping the volunteer from sitting down.

Only one person at a time can stand and move. No one can make two consecutive moves. A person cannot sit on the chair that they have just left. Once the activity begins, the room is required to be silent. No one is allowed to touch the volunteer.

Give the managers 2 minutes to come up with their strategy. After every round, the participants should discuss what happened and select a new volunteer for the next round. The team is given 2 minutes preparation time each round. It is important that the volunteer's movement is kept at a slow walk.

At the conclusion of the activity, it is beneficial for the team to discuss the activity. They may reflect upon whether they need a leader, what made planning difficult, whether everyone agreed on the plan, and what would make the task easier.

9. Back to back drawing (Cohen, 2017)

Provide vector shapes on separate pieces of paper (they can be shapes of signs, objects or merely abstract shapes). Participants sit in pairs, back-to-back. Employee A is given a sheet of paper and a pen, and employee B is provided with one of the printed shapes.

The aim of the activity is for employee A to draw the shape relying only on verbal instructions from employee B. Person B cannot only tell the other person what the shape is - he/she is only able to provide directions about how to draw it, or to describe its uses. Each team has two 2 minutes to draw the shape.

10. 'All Aboard' (Stepshift, 2016).

Teams use various materials, for example, pieces of wood or mats, to build a pretend 'boat'. All the participants must stand on the 'boat' at once. Then, pieces of the 'boat' should be removed. The team should still strive to stand in the diminished space on the 'boat'. All Aboard can promote communication, problem-solving and critical thinking.

11. Body of words (Cohen, 2017)

Participants are divided into teams of between four and eight people, and each team elects one leader. To prepare the activity, record words that have one less letter than the number of people in the team (i.e., if there are five people in the team, a suitable word could be 'book' which has four letters). Randomly select a word, and then the teams have the task of making the word using only their bodies.

Each team member moves and bends their body to form a letter. The team leader can direct their team.

A Take-Home Message

What stands out to me from this article is the complexity of leadership. This article demonstrates that even if one is not a 'natural' leader, there are plenty of activities that can promote leadership skills. Even children can develop leadership, and what's more, have fun with activities at the same time.

What do you think espouses leadership? Do you think that there are people who might tend to be leaders more than others? Perhaps you have a story about a leadership activity you have participated in or delivered - I would dearly like to hear about your experiences.

Thank you for reading.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free.

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83 Leadership Activities, Building Games, and Exercises

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Effective leadership is associated with increased performance and productivity. This article shares 83 activities to boost leadership skills.

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The ACR systems incorporate HAIPICK robots

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In the complete Goods to Person solution, HAIPICK robots are dedicated to improving transport efficiency from warehouse to workstation. HAI ROBOTICS also developed HAISTATION, which is used to improve the efficiency of workstations to order cases.

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In the complete Goods to Person solution, HAIPICK robots are dedicated to improving transport efficiency from warehouse to workstation. HAI ROBOTICS also developed HAISTATION, which is used to improve the efficiency of workstations to order cases.

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International Journal Of Sales Transformation

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9th November 2020 | Rainer Stern

What are the required leadership behaviours that will help leaders succeed in the digital age, and to what extent do our leaders need to change their leadership behaviour in the future?

Over 24 years I have held various sales and sales support roles at SAP. I had the chance to work with the largest customer (Siemens) as a Global Account Manager, I spent three years in our channel organization selling to the smallest customers (some of them with as few as ten employees) directly and through partners, and I developed the Competitive Intelligence Network to support salespeople in competitive sales deals across all industries in Asia Pacific. Today, I am responsible for global sales enablement at SAP.

The most important lesson I learned very early in my career was "Listen to your customer." Why? I never signed a contract with a company, only with an individual with whom I had created a personal relationship. Putting myself into the situation of the other person, the human individual, creatively finding joint solutions and celebrating project successes always motivated me most. As a manager of a global sales enablement team, I now train and inspire around 6.000 salespeople and leaders how to engage successfully with our customers. My focus is always on the individuality of my customer and this focus is also reflected in SAP's vision statement: "SAP helps the world run better and improves people's lives" (SAP, 2019).

Today, our customers are confronted with fast-paced changes due to technologies which were not around just a few years ago. Most people I know complain about the expectation that they can be reached 24 hours, seven days a week. Upcoming technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain or big data are creating disruption in markets and this digital transformation of businesses has an impact on leadership. I follow the argument of Sheninger (2019) who emphasizes that, while technology will continue to drive change, human interaction remains the key component for change in business now and in the future.

What is a digital leader?

These changes in technology are disruptive and they also disrupt leaders who must constantly act outside their comfort zone, outside their typical reference for behaviour: "Digital Leadership" is the new reality. But what exactly does it mean: is it a new leadership approach or just a trend that rides on the current wave of technology innovation? What's new about the phenomenon of a "Digital Leader"?

Today, another factor is becoming increasingly important: what is the view of the young generation of digital natives?

I see a lot of uncertainty when I talk with sales leaders about a growth mindset, leading with trust and dealing with five generations as part of the current workforce.

Identifying how leaders can deal with the new reality is my new passion and thus I use my thesis to find relevant insights that I can use in my enablement programs.

Generally speaking, "a Digital Leader represents the digitalization in the organization and is responsible for digital transformation" as Velten et. al. (2015:8) point out.

The sociologist Utho Creusen (2018) has defined the term "Digital Leader" as a digital company leader who does not necessarily have detailed technological knowledge, but rather a specific mindset. They demonstrate the ability to learn and to flexibly adapt to new challenges: nonlinear thinking which opens new perspectives in contrast to logical and rational thinking is the key to value increase and success. This includes the personal curiosity to learn and try in order to achieve innovation. Creusen points out that a general understanding of software and technological context is important to evaluate new developments, but technology is not in itself the driver for change, it is an enabler.

Dweck (2014 and 2016), Marasek (2016) and Braehmer (2017) add that digital leaders have two main competencies in addition to being a transformative leader: a digital mindset that enables them to view digitalization as a chance for innovation and digital skills that they can leverage as a role model.

Bawany (2019:29) defines the world of technology change as the new normal: "This new normal is challenging leaders to find new ways to lead their organizations and achieve sustained success". The implication is that leaders will be confronted with expectations by their employees and other stakeholders that are new and unpredictable. I acknowledge that this implication is the main challenge for digital leaders and my intention in my research is not to focus on digital tools and platforms. Instead, I focus on the behaviours and perspectives that are important in tomorrow's world: "It is the ability to learn, and not the technology, that will decide among winners and losers of digitalization" (Haack, 2018:40).

Objectives

The aim of my research project is to identify how sales leaders at SAP can deal with the acceleration of change: what determines the evolution towards becoming the future leader in the digital age? And more precisely: what makes them more successful and stay ahead of the constant waves of change?

To achieve my aim, I needed to ask two main research questions:

1. What are the required leadership behaviours that will help leaders at SAP (and outside of SAP) to succeed in the digital age?

2. To what extent do our leaders need to change their leadership behaviour in the future?

My research project is a practitioner review through the lens of my experiences in business reality and my observations within and outside of SAP. Hence, I have defined my own hypothesis for my research project, because I am convinced that there is a relationship between the rate of externally driven change and leadership:
The more digital technologies influence the behaviour of people eventually resulting in different behaviours of companies, the more unforeseen and unplanned challenges will hit today's and tomorrow's leaders. They will have to deal with these challenges in new ways and demonstrate different leadership behaviours to be successful.
I believe that through my research, I can find insights from a business reality perspective that will be relevant to the sales organization, because I see an urgent need in our company to address the challenge that our customers are confronted with: leadership in the digital future.

Why is "Leadership in the Digital Future" important?

Whiteman (1998) created the term "VUCA-world" with its individual elements "Volatility", "Uncertainty", "Complexity" and "Ambiguity". Although he originally used it in the context of the military, the term and its elements were soon adopted to describe the rapid changes that are occurring in the business environment (Whiteman, 1998; Bennet et. al., 2014; Saleh and Watson, 2017).

What are the most significant implications of a VUCA-world for leaders?

In a study by McKinsey, Goran et al (2017) surveyed 2,135 business leaders and identified that cultural and behavioural challenges are the single most important metric for leaders to meet the priorities of the digital age ( Figure 1).

Figure 1: Most significant challenges to meeting digital priorities.

The results imply that there are multiple risks for companies not to be ready for digital transformation from an organizational, process or infrastructure perspective. But the largest challenge deals with the cultural environment and behaviour of leaders and employees. While this outcome is very interesting in the sense that digital priorities do not rely so much on technology but more on the human factor, Goran et al do not provide additional insights in how this special focus could be initiated or implemented.

Schwarzmüller et al (2017) take a more holistic approach in their study of 44 digital experts in economy, science, public associations and politics in Germany. Their results show three areas of impact. First, there is an impact on companies: although Skype is the largest phone company, it only manages telephone infrastructure without owning it. Facebook and Twitter represent the most known media companies, yet they only manage content provided by others. These are representative examples on the changes in the value chain and thus on the new business models that are possible due to new technologies. "Digitalization leads to the growing importance of customer requirements so that companies have to align their offering to fit better with the specific demands of their customers." (Schwarzmüller et al, 2017:2)

Second, leaders must deal with the impact on how people work. While I have been used to going to my office for more than 20 years, the importance of the company´s workspace is decreasing. Telekom (2015) points out that the virtualization of meetings and even corporate events increase the importance of cultural aspects which is true for SAP where the workforce is being recruited on a broader worldwide basis.

Third, the impact for the role of the leaders themselves is the following:

Decrease of power, democratization (less influence of leader)

Increase of relationship-building measures (coaching, enabling, networking)

Increase of required skills and competencies (agility, change management, distance leadership).

Marasek (2016:109) adds that leaders should provide opportunities for networking and openness, personal development and participation, so that they enable their employees to work more in a more agile way: "This is the reason why leaders must learn to trust their employees." However, while these authors structure their arguments very well, they don't provide further recommendations for leaders to take specific action.

How are leadership models evolving to reflect Leadership in the Digital Future?

As part of my research project I wanted to identify how leadership needs to evolve and how the latest evolution in literature reflects the requirements and urgency for leadership in the digital future. Marasek (2016) is one of the authors who shows how such a leadership framework could look ( Figure 2). She focuses on the conservative and change leader in relation to transformation intensity. Based on a higher level of digital intensity of leadership, her framework then adds two leadership types: expert and digital leader.

Figure 2: Digital Leadership Matrix. Source: Marasek (2016:107)

The model may provide a good starting point to engage with a leader about current and desired state. But the definition of the digital leader does not differentiate very much from my own management approach except that it adds focus on and knowledge about digital technology.

Abbatiello et al (2017) provide a more comprehensive view on the required leadership skills in the digital age ( Figure 3). Their model consists of three main levels of required transformation: cognitive transformation describes the personal aspiration to deal with disruption and refers to the mindset; behavioural transformation includes all adaptive activities to deal with the changing environment including other colleagues; and emotional transformation is important to deal with situations when they happen.

Figure 3: Leadership skills needed to succeed in a digital world.. Source: Abbatiello et al (2017:87)

This model reflects the required skill mindset and digital mindset of a digital leader which I have experienced as the biggest challenge in our sales organization. Sales leaders struggle to start to implement personal change on an ongoing basis and they spend too little time on reflection and learning from experiences.

The latest evolution in literature enhances existing approaches dramatically. Brett (2019:67) points out that future leaders "need to evolve faster than the pace of change". He even goes beyond that: if you are not fast enough, you will be selected out (Darwin, 1859). Based on technology as the origin of these waves of change, his idea unfurls as one of "unnatural selection":

"All too often, leaders and innovators achieve success and then stagnate. They fail to paddle back out into the swell, to adapt, change, and learn new skills. Digital Leadership is a game of survival of the fittest" (Brett, 2019:3). What he calls the "Unnatural Selection" framework can be applied by leaders throughout their entire work life ( Figure 4). Brett's intention is to build a community of leaders who may adjust the approach continuously, applying the relevant experiences to eventually build "a meta-application of the framework on itself" (Brett, 2019:76).

Figure 4: The Unnatural Selection framework. Source: Brett (2019:88)

The framework contains four phases:

Awareness describes the consciousness of the leader, the state and change of beliefs, values, preferences, motivations, emotions of the leader and interacting people.

Intention focuses on investing time on dealing with the situation and responding to the environment on personal, team and stakeholder focus (eg, enabling others, creating long-lasting relationships).

Attention drives proactive choice how to perform and interact with teams and stakeholders, valuing and supporting the other person, for example through coaching.

Reflection covers all previous parts of the framework and can be supported by various methods like journaling, feedback gathering, mentoring.

Ideally the reflection phase leads to a higher level of perspective, a new cycle and a permanent growing process. The framework provides a simple structure for a very comprehensive leadership approach which also reflects the models of Marasek and Abbatiello. Like the models of the other authors, it does not provide a detailed roadmap or specific action plan to put it immediately into practice. To address this shortcoming, I needed to continue my literature research as well as validate my ideas with the interviewees in my research project.

What behaviours do leaders need in the digital future?

In 2012, Erik Qualman developed the first action-oriented comprehensive activity guideline for digital leaders and called it STAMP, representing the five main recommendations: Simple, True, Act, Map, People. For each recommendation he suggests specific actions and behaviours. What stands out in his approach is his clear focus on the person: it is fine to make mistakes if you openly admit them, be true to yourself and trustful to others. He also embraces one of the foundational principles of Design Thinking: fail often and fail early. I have started to apply this behaviour with my team members and received very positive feedback when I encouraged them to experiment and provoke mistakes so that they make new experiences which will help them to grow. It felt disruptive in the beginning, but soon it has been recognized as my new and distinctive leadership style.

Wilen (2018:63) points out that "disruptive leadership need to integrate change in the operation in a company". She proposes five key behaviours:

1. Seek out the truth. It is critical for the leader to also take their employees on the journey.

2. Help others through the chaos. Communication skills are critical to explain all required changes in relation to the objectives of the company.

3. Be decisive. The leader needs to explain exactly what needs to be done, by when and how the team can be supported.

4. Provide rationale. The leader must always explain why specific action is required and how new approaches should be found.

5. Deal with uncertainty. The leader should encourage experimenting instead of predicting the future.

These behaviours can foster collective intelligence because of new networks that can be leveraged or experts that need to be included. In addition, these behaviours instil credibility and trust among the people involved. "Trust is the new currency" says business futurist Leonhard (2017), which provides stability in a world of uncertainty. Marlier (2017) adds that trusted leaders "align their Ethos (actions) with their Logos (words)", and thus mobilize their employees emotionally. At SAP, I have experienced that gaining trust is very important when engaging with colleagues in any project: if I demonstrate being authentic, credible and inspiring - the behaviours that I focus on as part of my personal practice - I observe that I gain trust of people.

The more digital technologies influence the behaviour of people eventually resulting in different behaviours of companies, the more unforeseen and unplanned challenges will hit today's and tomorrow's leaders. They will have to deal with these challenges in new ways and demonstrate different leadership behaviours to be successful.

According to Crummenerl et al (2015) and Reibmayr (2017), these behaviours are factors that influence trustworthiness. She states that "If you want others to trust you, then you need to stand in the center of yourself" (Reibmayr, 2017:8). With this statement she confirms the proposed leadership models of Abbatiello (2017) and Brett (2019) which both start with cognitive transformation of the leader and then embrace other people.

From my experience in business, trust is key in leadership and it will become even more important in dealing with people in the VUCA-world. But what precisely are the leading factors to build personal trust? Covey et al (2006) have identified 13 behaviours which help to express and develop trust. It is a practical guide which is lacking the aspect of the digital age: while some of these behaviours such as "talk straight" or "demonstrate respect" represent fundamental manners in a professional world, others like "listen first" or "confront first" should gain a higher priority in that list given their importance in the digital leadership frameworks.

Methodology

I chose the qualitative research approach: I intended "to select information-rich cases for in-depth study" (Patton, 2002:43) so that I could derive important learnings in relation to my research objective. As Yin (2010:8) states: "Qualitative research differs because of its ability to represent the views and perspectives of the participants in a study".

I used two qualitative research methods: observation and interviews. Using semi-structured interviews helped me to explore the personal beliefs and feelings of the three different target audiences in my research (existing sales leaders, digital natives and external CEOs). In personal conversations, I captured their individual contextual conditions (eg, career maturity, value system, internal or external pressures), a process which is more challenging to achieve with quantitative research. Instead of using a predefined survey with fixed questions and response categories, I sought to be flexible for potential new questions or additional topics that could arise throughout the research (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994).

I conducted the interviews in-person or virtually using Skype, depending on the location of the interviewee. I formulated eight questions in relation to my literature review and research objectives of my project. For each question I also prepared further descriptions to explain the context. The questions were the guideline for the interview and built upon each other. In addition, I prepared an activity by leveraging the 13 behaviours of Covey et. al. (2006). My plan was to let each participant prioritize these behaviours and explain their thought process. By introducing this exercise, I intended to provoke additional comments to gain further insights from the participants.

Whenever I had the opportunity to meet the interviewee in person I arranged face-to-face interviews. The advantages are the direct feedback, the possibility to observe the facial expressions and body language, and to see and observe the work environment of the other person. I conducted most interviews (13 out of 20) by phone, because of the international spread and working locations of my interviewees. Being unable to see the other person required me to listen carefully to every spoken word and to concentrate on the tonality of the voice.

Thematic analysis

Analysis of the data indicated that trust is the one overarching theme that was consistently mentioned in all my interviews. Trust is the foundation for successful leadership, and it will continue to be the ultimate value in the digital future. SAP's former CEO, Bill McDermott, stated that "trust is the ultimate currency" (McDermott, 2014; Eades, 2016). Indeed, 12 of my interviewees used the exact quote from McDermott. Trust is the core value that human beings connect with and when it is absent, people will leave and follow other leaders (Taylor, 2018).

I then identified three additional themes: communication, ability to change, and innovation. Each of these aspects builds on trust.

I created the following theme names: 1) Trust is the ultimate currency; 2) Communication is key; 3) Disruption is the new normal; and 4) Only those who fail will learn to lead.

Trust is the ultimate currency
"I had the most success, when I built teams with a diverse set of skills, expertise, culture and gender. In the future, we need to focus more on demonstrating unity, expanding a growth mindset, be authentic and reachable. All of this leads to trust. And trust will remain the most important value in the future." Response from a CFO at SAP
The CFO not only confirmed my literature research, he pointed out that trust is the most important value in the future. Following Leonhard (2017), I wanted to further investigate my hypothesis: the more digital disruption leads to accelerated exponential change, the more human behaviours and personal interactions that lead to trust will become important.

In my research, I have identified three important elements of trust which will be relevant for the digital leader.

Leadership trust

1. "Trust" is perceived as the foundational value and "extend trust" is the most important behaviour.

2. The factors that lead to trust are numerous. The most common factors have been described as:
a) Authenticity: "Leaders behave how they are. They walk the talk."
b) Empathy: "Leaders are able to put themselves in the shoes of others."
c) Honesty: "Leaders mean what they say and are truthful."
d) Humanity: "Leaders include the human aspect in their behaviour."
e) Values: "Leaders with the same set of values create followership and trust."

Personalized trust

I made another key observation: Trust was always seen as something personal in contrast to trust of an organization, government or institution. As defined by Botsman (2017:20), "personalized trust is about confidently relying on another person". Having more interaction between individuals over time can lead to more confidence about the behaviour of the other person. This confidence leads to more trust. Why is this so important to my research question of required behaviours of leaders in the digital future? In the VUCA-world, moving from the current "state of the known" to a future "state of the unknown" means that there is risk. Trust can help to overcome this risk in the big ocean of uncertainty. Botsman (2017) calls this the "trust leap" ( Figure 5).

Figure 5: The trust leap.. Source: Botsman (2017:20)

Trust in advance

One aspect of trust which I did not find in my literature research was the concept of "trust in advance". It was one of the digital natives who pointed out that she expects her leader "to extend trust in a blind way". When I asked her to explain this in more detail, she responded: "as a digital native I can take on any task. You can expect me to know how to find the solution to any problem. That is the reason why I expect to receive trust in advance."

Of course, I can imagine many situations where extending trust in advance is applicable, but I believe that there needs to be a comfortable level of established trust as a foundation. Based on my experience I would not trust someone who claims to be able to figure out how to fly a plane for the first time. There needs to be established trust first. Thus, the leader needs to gradually increase the level of expectation towards a team member to gain this established trust.

"I turn around this argument of trust in advance" said a sales leader in an interview. "If I extend trust up front, I also clearly communicate my expectation and need confirmation that we have a joint agreement on what needs to be achieved in detail." This statement demonstrates that there may be different views on "trust in advance" and that this concept needs an honest conversation to bridge the risk gap.

Communication is key
"Defining a clear vision, mission and strategy is important. Communicating with people will be the art. You need to communicate in an open, honest and transparent way. Only then you can get people behind you and your vision." Response from a COO at SAP
I fully agree with the COO's statement above; however, my personal reality looks different. When I look at my own communication at SAP, I often wonder what I would do without email: on average, I receive about 80 emails per day, most of which I must respond to. For years, I have applied the Eisenhower principle or "Urgent/Important method" to navigate through the ocean of never-ending emails. Over the last few years, digital databases, collaboration tools, chat rooms, integrated messaging apps, or social media functionalities have added to the height and frequency of the information wave. It seems that it is more important to be able to find relevant information than to consume all the content. But if I am struggling, how are others coping with this phenomenon of perceived communication overload?

Communication is about connecting people through trust
"First, you need to establish your vision and objectives. Then think about how to connect with your team members." This statement is the summary of a sales leader and it covers the key point of setting the targets and connecting with people.
The first aspect, setting the targets may include vision, mission, strategy, programs, projects, operations, goals, objectives, key performance indicators, processes, in short: the why, the how and the what of working with the team. I once had a new manager who was reporting directly to the Board of SAP. In our first meeting, he lectured me about communication: "Rainer, you should know that I'm not a micromanager. But at this point, I want you to send me all the details on anything you do, every day." Certainly, this was an unexpected answer (which included a brilliant definition of micromanagement). Yet it gave me clear directions.

Digital leaders have two main competencies in addition to being a transformative leader: a digital mindset that enables them to view digitalization as a chance for innovation and digital skills that they can leverage as a role model.

The second aspect, connecting with people, is at least as important, because as a leader you need to bring people behind your goals, behind you as a leader personally and you need to get them on board for the joint ride ahead. In the example with the new manager, this connection finally happened. After three months he not only asked me to stop the daily flood of communication. He also demonstrated openness by including me in sensitive communication, he asked me for my opinion, and he encouraged me to provide thought leadership in executive conversations. I realized that he had his own and unique style of communication that eventually led him to trust me and have a trusted business relationship.

One of the sales leaders who I interviewed called this business relationship "people competence". It is the ability to get people behind you and your vision: "It is important to understand that the journey is a collaborative one. You need to know your stakeholders, need to include feedback loops and provide customer experience in your communication." She summarized very well why communication needs to connect people, within and outside of the organization. SAP's new cloud-based business model only works if communication connects with all the stakeholders. I realized that she was explaining Brett's model of "Unnatural Selection" which reflects the tornado of the VUCA-world in a continuous process of four phases: awareness, intention, attention and reflection. The communication must not only include yourself as a leader, the team and the stakeholders inside the organization, she also pointed out (and thus enhanced the model) that the outside view towards customers and external stakeholders is as important.

Communication needs to be open
"It's not what you say, it's how you say it" (Qualman, 2012:123).
I could identify a common denominator across all interviewees about open communication: "communication needs to inspire me. It needs to fill my heart so that I work with my whole heart." Inspiration is one important aspect about open communication that connects with people. In addition, I extracted further findings of open communication that leaders need to consider in the digital future.

Expect the unexpected

Communication does not necessarily end at a certain point in time. As a leader you are required to continuously communicate with your team members. Be open to new findings and expect the unexpected! One of my interviewees reminded me of my first telephone conversation with her and that I came across as strict and humourless. That conversation happened three years earlier! Why did she never tell me about her experience with me? When I reflected on that situation, I realized that I should rephrase my question: Why did I never ask her about it? I decided to practice my telephone skills by listening to recordings of my own voice, because I do not want to be perceived again as strict and humourless.

Be open to new communication methods
"When we conduct a team workshop, the usage of PowerPoint is not allowed."
When an experienced sales leader shared this comment with me, I was very surprised, because PowerPoint is the de-facto standard for workshop-based communication at SAP. "I must integrate the innovative ideas of the early talents in my team" he said and pointed out that there are many tools that help to overcome communication barriers. ¹ The key factor is to agree on a select number of tools within a team (or organizational unit) and to consistently use it. That makes communication open, team members will feel included which increases trust.

¹ For example: "Microsoft Teams" enables teams to virtually connect and work across time zones. "Mural" supports virtual Design Thinking exercises. "Allego" is a tool for video-based collaboration within project teams.

Without appreciation you will soon be lonely

To my surprise, the responses from all digital natives supported one particular argument: they want their leaders to implement and foster a communication culture of appreciation. Every time when a task or project is finished, they expect the manager to express their acknowledgement. One interviewee stated very clearly: "For every 'please', I want to hear a 'thanks' afterwards." Why is this aspect so important? Digital natives want to be respected as equal, otherwise they don't feel recognized and eventually look for a different job or even a new employer. This is clearly a different attitude compared to mine and it shows how important the human factor is for leaders to be part of their leadership behaviour.

An example given was in relation to leveraging new technologies: "By looking at Instagram, Fortune 500 CEOs can either roll their eyes and judge how entitled and vane the young generations are, or they can actually participate on the platform with an open mind and understand how the young generations are different and why Instagram is so popular." Throughout the interviewing phase and also by my own experience I realized that many managers do not use social media, because they view them as not serious. Yet they are missing the understanding that digital natives communicate through these channels. I believe leaders could build a lot of trust by appreciating the behaviours of digital natives and by encouraging other leaders to do so as well. On reflection, I think this is a good example of behavioural change for the leader of the digital future and from now on I will encourage my peers to adopt more digital technologies.

Disruption is the new normal
"When I joined this team, my mission became to create an exciting experience for my internal customers. My manager encouraged me to invent something completely new. I felt that he truly trusted me on my specialized expertise in Virtual Reality technology." Response from a digital native
Over the past 24 years at SAP, I have experienced change in our solution portfolio and related markets, in our organization, and in our culture. The speed of change is apparent across all Board areas and Lines of Businesses. It seems that disruption is the new normal and we have to identify new ways of dealing with uncertainty. In my research, I have identified four recurring patterns in relation to change at SAP.

A growth mindset to deal with disruption also leads to a culture of enablement.

Disruption requires a growth mindset

Almost every day I observe behaviour of fixed versus growth mindset. I typically call these situations "glass half empty" or "glass half full" which refers to the perception of the viewer, how to deal with a certain state. The pessimists tend to step back and point out the risks (and can spend a lot of time on it) whereas the optimists view anything from a positive angle and demonstrate an attitude that leads to solving any challenge.

Sales leaders whom I interviewed stated that many of the current leaders "are afraid of change and the corresponding risk". This fixed mindset drives their behaviour as a leader, and they tend to stay on known territory, unable to bridge the risk gap. According to Dweck (2014:28), the implications are significant.

"Employees in a "growth mindset" company are:

47% likelier to say that their colleagues are trustworthy

65% likelier to say that the company supports risk taking

49% likelier to say that the company fosters innovation"

Consequently, organizational units of SAP with a growth mindset hire from within the organization, developing talent further for future growth.

One interviewee pointed out, that "as a leader I have to be a coach and mentor to others. But I also seek coaching and mentoring from my peers and other experts. It is a continuous process." I realized that growth mindset requires us to learn and re-invent your own behaviours. To stay in the "glass half full" image: a true leader needs to learn and accept different points of view.

The leader of the future is an enabler

A growth mindset to deal with disruption also leads to a culture of enablement. "When I seek advice, I do not necessarily ask for the solution. In fact, I want to be challenged to create several options and then provide a solution. I am rather looking for help to remove any potential obstacles or barriers." When I reflected on these remarks of a sales leader, I found two specific aspects that I consider as very relevant:

First, I remember from my coaching practice that asking the coachee to create options is a very suitable approach to foster creativity when confronted with change. Coaching is a method to develop a growth mindset even further.

Second, leaders sometimes forget to offer their support or to simply ask "what else can I do for you?" When one of my previous managers asked me this question I was not prepared and caught by surprise. I believe that encouragement to ask for help is a very gentle way of enabling the other person, because it is an ask that offers your support as a leader.

One of the start-up CEOs added that "a leader deeply cares about investing in her followers, their talents and their abilities to become leaders themselves". Helping others to navigate through change so that they become navigators is the ultimate art of leadership.

Only those who fail will learn to lead
"Agile innovation is a combination of mindset and skillset. You can only develop both if you continuously learn from mistakes. Leaders define a culture of curiosity and experimenting. This is how you bring out the best of people." Response from a CEO of a start-up
In the world of increased uncertainty, leaders will no longer be able to rely on traditional behaviours that led to past successes, they rather must innovate themselves and become innovators as leaders (Leonhard, 2017). All my interviewees mentioned innovation capability and flexibility as important factors for leaders. However, the CEOs of the start-ups were extremely clear about the aspect of business pressure: "If leaders don't innovate constantly, they will be eaten by others". Hence, they supported the argument of Brett (2019:3) that "Digital Leadership is a game of survival of the fittest". I feel that as a corporate employee I don't sense this pressure of survival like an owner of a small business. But as a leader I must understand how to innovate myself to succeed in the future.

Innovation curiosity leads to confidence

One of the start-up CEOs said: "as a leader in the digital future you have to look at what's coming, identify new trends, learn, experiment, learn again, have no fear and take risks." He pointed out that the theme of innovation is closely related to a growth mindset and the intrinsic motivation to explore new territories. Exploration includes failure and one of the fundamental principles of Design Thinking is to fail early and to fail often (Uebernickel et. al., 2015), because failure leads to learning and eventually succeeding. The interesting implication for leaders is, that experimenting, failing and succeeding also leads to a higher level of confidence. The higher level of confidence helps to overcome the next wave of challenges which is already moving towards us.

I found this connection of leading (curiosity to experiment) and lagging indicators (higher confidence) very interesting, because it captures Brett's (2019) digital leadership framework very well. It is a continuous cycle and a permanent growing process which leads to higher levels of perspective. My key learning from the interviews with the start-ups is, that each cycle is a conscious process and it is driven by the reflection of the leader. Taking risks to bridge the gap to the unknown is required to build trust and closely connected to Botsman's (2017) trust leap.

The aspect of confidence also applies to the team members: Leaders give their employees the permission and space to stretch outside their comfort zone even if it possibly means failing. Otherwise the employees will be like robots in an assembly and not independent thinkers who take the company to a whole different level that the leader couldn't have imagined. It's amazing what driven talent can achieve when trusted and encouraged in the right way.

Be open for craziness

I was very surprised that three start-up CEOs pointed out explicitly that leaders "have to be open for craziness". They explained that "old school leaders have old mentalities", yet the digital future needs different ways of doing things.

Source: Bennett and Lemoine (2014:313)

One example they provided was the current view of the hierarchy: Why should the org chart of the team not be upside down? The leader is shown at the bottom and the team members are on top. This organizational structure can be changed based on teams and their projects. The leader can be selected each time by the team. While I believe that this approach is rather hard to realize for a large corporation like SAP, I am intrigued to apply this idea in my team for a new project setup next year.

Emotional intelligence makes you more human

"As a long-term manager at SAP, I have innovated my leadership style to reflect the human aspect which will become very important in the future." When I heard this statement in the beginning of my research, I was not very clear how emotional intelligence and innovation fit together as a theme. Through the interviews, I started to realize that emotional intelligence and the "human factor" are one of the most important required aspects of leadership in the digital future. It is the key area where leaders need to innovate, learn and change themselves to become the leader of trust. In the connected digital future, it is necessary for a leader to be able to keep re-inventing both their business as well as themselves as a leader. This is especially true when dealing with different generations and their respective expectations.

My key criticism in my literature research was the lack of specific recommendations for leadership action. Based on my field research, I believe that emotional intelligence will be a key area for leaders to be addressed. My interviewees outlined specific actions:

1. Innovate the team structure and include a balance regarding diversity, skills, gender, culture.

2. Implement a flexible project setup by including experts from other teams.

3. Demonstrate unity and enthusiasm for the team.

4. Empower team members to make decisions on your behalf.

5. Openly challenge your own thinking.

The first four points may depend on the size, location and focus of the team. To me, the last point is universal and, based on my experience, it is the most difficult one: challenging yourself in front of others makes you vulnerable. However, if you have established real trust as a leader, the potential risk to be exploited is low. In fact, I believe that challenging myself in front of others is the first step to leading by example and making a conscious change.

Implications of my findings

Leaders need to constantly challenge themselves to stay ahead and set an example. Establishing trust remains the core component for leadership, yet it becomes even more important in the world of increasing digital change. Instead of acquiring a different set of leadership skills, leaders will need to focus on the human factor in their behaviours, which include the three main themes of communication with people, dealing with change. and mastering innovation.

My analysis confirmed my hypothesis that the more digital disruption leads to accelerated exponential change, the more human behaviours and personal interactions that lead to trust will become important. My research project will be significant for the sales organization at SAP: my findings will help me to redesign the enablement programs for sales leadership that I am responsible for.

Conclusion and recommendations

Based on the feedback from internal and external stakeholders, four themes were identified which address the required leadership behaviours today and in the future: trust, communication, dealing with disruption, and innovation.

Trust is the foundation for leadership in the VUCA-world of accelerated exponential change. New technologies may change the way how we accomplish tasks more efficiently, yet the human factor determines how leaders will interact with their people in the organisation. By establishing trust, the tornado of change morphs into a solid rock in the surf and employees raise their profile from workers to innovators.

One of the key behaviours of Leaders in the Digital Future is communication. The importance of communication is not to deliver a message through technology: the real opportunity lies within reaching the individual with a relevant message. Leaders in the Digital Future will need to put a lot of effort in identifying what is relevant to their team members. In particular, digital natives have different or "unusual" thoughts about their preferences and communication which leaders need to consider.

Dealing with disruption will continue to be a main challenge for most leaders: they need to demonstrate a growth mindset and be open for the unexpected. This behaviour goes hand-in-hand with innovation, because new challenges will need new and different solutions. At SAP, we need to innovate in leadership to stay ahead in the technology business with all its fast-paced technology-based disruptions.

Here are my recommendations from these findings:

1. Personal trust is an aspect of the foundational theme of "trust". Trust can help to overcome the risk of the unknown in the big ocean of uncertainty. I am convinced that this is a big opportunity for SAP because, if the company establishes trust within the organization, it will also have an impact on how we interact with customers and partners. Herein lies an opportunity for SAP and it is my first recommendation: establishing a culture of trust must become the top priority in our "How We Run" behaviours. My action will be to engage with the Center of Excellence in HR with the aim to include my findings in their leadership programs for SAP.

2. Communication across age groups, cultures and experience levels will be the next big opportunity, or leaders "will soon be lonely". My recommendation is to include all levels of leadership at SAP to be involved not only in the recruitment process of talent, but also in the development for growth of these individuals, because they will be vital for the continuous success of SAP.

3. Innovation cycles are too complex and take too long. I remember when SAP was a small company with fewer than 500 employees: people were motivated, positive, energized and believed they could achieve anything. What has changed since then? The company moved from an agile speed boat-like behaviour towards a slow tanker-like big ship which cannot change direction quickly. My recommendation is to review opportunities where we can "be open for craziness" to truly foster innovation. If employees feel this new explorative thinking and sense their management trusts them in advance, I am convinced we will have many more speedboats surrounding the main mothership.

In conclusion, my research underlines the advice I would offer any sales leader, that you have to continuously learn, lead by example and encourage your team to learn - try, fail, succeed, gain confidence - as part of a continuous cycle. Extending trust, adjusting communication and innovating is a permanent growing process which will lead to higher levels of perspective and proficiency (similar to the model proposed by Brett).

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Breathe Marketing and Design (Henley-On-Thames)

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Leadership in the digital future and how to succeed

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9th November 2020 | Rainer Stern Over 24 years I have held various sales and sales support roles at SAP.

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UNESCO World Report - ICT in TVET - Herd + Mead Richardson

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UNESCO World Report - ICT in TVET - Herd + Mead Richardson

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UNESCO World Report - ICT in TVET - Herd + Mead Richardson

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University Graduate Students and Digital Competence: Are Future Secondary School Teachers Digitally Competent?

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University Graduate Students and Digital Competence Are

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Bryn Mawr Digital Competencies Framework

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Bryn Mawr Digital Competencies Framework

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A Design Thinking Mindset for Data Science

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A Design Thinking Mindset for Data Science

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I have worked in technology full-time for nearly fifteen years. Prior to this, I built PCs and was somewhat of a technical hobbyist. Occasionally, I am faced with the question, "How does one get into computers?" or "How can I get into computer networking?" There are many paths and correct answers to these questions. The general field of technology can be rewarding both personally and financially. However, it is not a field that everyone is well suited. I would encourage those asking questions about how to get into this field to look inward. The goal is to understand the traits they naturally possess that are most likely to help them achieve success.

Several traits seem common to those who have achieved great satisfaction in the field of technology. Within these characteristics, there are some overlapping areas. One key trait that I find in all technology rockstars is what I like to call a technical mind. An individual with a technical mind has some natural abilities to visualize how things work. That does not mean that they have an inherit full understanding of the inner workings of a sophisticated network that they have never worked with. Likewise, it does not insinuate that they grasp a protocol that they have never been exposed to. It simply implies that their mind processes things beyond a simple cause and effect relationship.

Let's look at a couple of examples to expand on this. One example for me is the very first time I hooked up a VCR. Since I had never done this before, I had to look at the manual. After reading the manual and understanding the concept of cable in, cable out, audio out, audio in, video out and video in, I really had no need for the manual in the future. The point is not that I memorized how to hook up a VCR, but that input and output made a lot of sense to me.

A person with a technical mind breaks things down into pieces that are digestible and works through them in an orderly process. As this person gains experience, he or she has the ability to see the logic and mentally visualize areas where problems are more likely to develop. Additional experience will allow this person access to new processes and logic that can be layered on top of previous knowledge.

One attribute of the technical mind is the desire to understand how things really work. Some people are completely satisfied with knowing that if you press button "A", result "B" will occur. This simple cause and effect relation is often sufficient in other fields and even in some areas of technology. However in order to excel, it is more appropriate to ask and understand why "B" occurred. Individuals who never have this desire to understand these inner workings will find that technology frustrating and will likely create barriers for themselves. It is this continual "digging" that leads to holistic understanding necessary to troubleshoot complex environments.

Technology is constantly changing field. This dynamic nature creates a lot of exciting career choices. Such a career choice can be lucrative and enjoyable for those well suited. To do well in technology, an individual should thrive on change, and enjoy critical thinking, and always ask why. For those looking to make a career change from a non-technical to a technical career, I always first recommend self-examination. Making certain that the career choice is one that fits well with their personal traits is very important. A key trait in any career in technology is a technical mind.
The Tech Interview would love to hear from its readers and encourages the use of the comment system below.
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I have worked in technology full-time for nearly fifteen years. Prior to this, I built PCs and was somewhat of a technical hobbyist. Occasionally, I am faced with the question, "How does one get into computers?" or "How can I get into computer networking?" There are many paths and correct answers to these questions.

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IV Lab's David Piech recently shared his perspective on how to develop a toolkit that can help STEM students achieve their goals. David started at IV as an intern immediately after graduating from Duke University, and is heading off to graduate school this falls. For David, finding his path wasn't only about education and experience - it was about developing the right mindset.
We've previewed a few of David's tools below, but for the full set, make sure to check out his post on IV Lab's blog David's Note: I have found these techniques to be useful in developing a technical mindset. I provide neither guarantee that they will be of similar aid to you, nor assuredly that they are even correct in their advice. They are biased towards the fields and projects I have been involved with, and are not intended to be exhaustive. I fully acknowledge that I am far from having a full grasp of these techniques and having a mature technical mindset. Take them for what they are. For more on David and all of the compelling work that IV Lab is doing, check out the Invent, Investigate, and Inspire blogs. .

First Principles: Learn the first principles of at least one field (likely the one you are studying) and how more complex ideas and capabilities in the field are built from those first principles. A deep knowledge of first principles in one area will help your understanding of how they work in general and will help you understand how other fields build up complex ideas and capabilities from their first principles. This will take the mysticism out of other field's impressive capabilities and turn it into a respect for their first principles and methods of systematic inquiry, which in-turn makes you more confident to interface with other fields.

Breadth: Build technical confidence by being exposed to a number of different areas and problems. This is NOT intended to make you deeply knowledgeable in those areas, but will make those areas less unknown, less frightening to work with, and will give you a better sense of how problems are worked and solutions built in general.

Tinker: Tinkering allows you to test a core concept, develop your mind's eye and intuition for an idea, and (importantly) communicate the idea to others. Be aware that while tinkering has immense value, sometimes a well-engineered system behaves fundamentally differently than one quickly put together. As long as this is acknowledged, both tinkering and thoroughly-engineered systems are valuable. Tinkering allows you to quickly iterate through simple physical prototypes.

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IV Lab's David Piech shares his perspective on how to develop a toolkit that can help STEM students achieve their goals. IV Lab’s David Piech shares his perspective on how to develop a toolkit that can help STEM students achieve their goals.

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Technical Knowledge or Technological Mindset?

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Technical Knowledge or Technological Mindset?

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Technical Knowledge or Technological Mindset?

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Technical knowledge or Technological Mindset? The Beating Pulse of Technology in Communications Blog by Jess McMurray and Fiorenza Mella What matters more in technological fields: technical knowledge or a technological mindset? At Xpresso Communications, we position ourselves as integrated PR and Marketing communications experts who work 'in the field of technology'.

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Characteristic Features of Technical Mindset and Ways of Developing It in Future Engineers

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Characteristic Features of Technical Mindset and Ways of Developing It in Future Engineers

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👋 Hi, I’m David, creator of PM Tech Lessons. Let’s talk about why technical knowledge helps PMs, and what you can do to help yourself.

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Six Core Principles of the Continuous Improvement ModelPosted by Maggie Millard Find me on: LinkedIn Twitter

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There are a host of methodologies that businesses use to bring structure to the process of identifying and acting upon opportunities for improvement. You may be familiar with Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, Toyota Production System and others. Although these methodologies differ, the heart of each of them is the continuous improvement model.

The continuous improvement model reflects the idea that organizations should undertake incremental improvements to services, products, and processes. It is guided by a few core principles:

Principle 1 - Improvements are based on small changes, not only on major paradigm shifts or new inventions

This concept is important, because large changes often feel frightening and destabilizing to organizations. By approaching change in small, incremental steps, the continuous improvement model reduces the fear factor and increases speed to improvement. When following this principle, the organization does not need to wait for a strategic shift or a new product release to begin to advance.

Principle 2 - Employee ideas are valuable

The continuous improvement model relies greatly on employees, not only top management, to identify opportunities for improvement. This bottom-up improvement is effective because employees are closest to the problems, and thus better equipped to solve them.

When thinking of these two principles, consider the value of engaging your staff. If you were to ask everyone in the organization for ideas to create a new product line or revolutionize the way they care for their patients, you're not going to get anything; staff are focused on their own day-to-day work. They (understandably) can't come up with monumental ideas at the drop of a hat!

Instead, ask people what improvement they could make that would save them 5 minutes a day. Then empower them to implement that improvement, and spread it to everyone else in the organization doing the same process. In this way, you can take a small idea that anyone could come up with and drive a big impact. For example, say get one idea from ten employees, each of which saves them five minutes per day. That's ten ideas. Share all ten of those improvements with one hundred other employees, so that every one of them is now saving fifty minutes per day (10 ideas x 5 minutes each).

By asking people for a small idea that shaves 5 minutes off their day and propagating their ideas around the organization, you're about to save 3.4 YEARS of manpower with the ideas of just 10 people. Imagine how much you would save if you extended the "ask" of a five minute idea to your entire organization!

Another way to encourage employees to spot opportunities and implement improvements is to ask "what bugs you?".

Most complaints involve a delta between the current state and the employee's ideaof how things should be. Sometimes the gripe includes a specific recommendation. It might go something like, "If they would just do X, Y, and Z, the problem would be solved." Sometimes there is no solution included. You might hear, "There's got to be something they could do to fix this!"

Did you notice the operative word in each of these examples? They. When employees are disempowered and disconnected from the improvement process, all they can do is wait for "They" (management) to recognize and correct problems. When that doesn't happen it's natural (and probably healthy) for people to express their frustration.

Leaders who adopt the continuous improvement model don't shy away from employee complaints.

Quite the contrary, they embrace them as opportunities for improvement. If a team member notices something amiss and says something about it, that's a good thing. That's the beginning of the improvement cycle. Companies with a culture of improvement take it even further. They give employees a process for reporting and acting upon ideas to save money, improve processes, satisfy clients, and improve quality. What's more, they provide systems and structure for doing so and they recognize those who contribute to making the organization better one small initiative at a time.

People are often told not to complain about something unless they are willing to do something about it. That's only fair when there is something they can do. Good leaders give people that opportunity.

KaiNexus customers have cumulatively saved over one MILLION hours of manpower, time that can now be spent on value-adding activities. Check out this article to see what can be accomplished in one million hours for a better picture of the impact of incremental improvements.

Check out this video to learn about the "What Bugs You" program at Springhill Camps and see how leaders used this approach to engage their frontline employees in solving problems - resulting in the invention of an incredible new product.

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6 Principles of the Continuous Improvement Model

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There are a host of methodologies that businesses use to bring structure to the process of identifying and acting upon opportunities for improvement. You may be familiar with Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, Toyota Production System and others. Although these methodologies differ, the heart of each of them is the continuous improvement model.

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The captain of the Vancouver Giants junior hockey team sat opposite us in the Giants office. James was an affable and articulate young man, but the scar on his left cheek, the swollen bridge of his nose, and the gaps between his teeth were clear signs that he plays a physically dangerous sport.

When James started to describe the Giants' year-upon-year success as the top junior hockey team, he talked about the vision of the owners, the passion of his coach, and most of all, the importance of the team. It's a cliché to say that teamwork matters in sports. But at the Vancouver Giants, you can measure it.

The Giants work harder than any other team. They may not be the most skillful team or even the fastest, but they're tougher than anyone else. "We're brash," said the coach, and James agreed. They outlast their opponents, scoring more goals in the final period than any of their competitors. They also do well on blocked shots, a metric that indicates how often you're prepared to put your body in the way of a 100-mile-an-hour puck to prevent an opponent's shot on goal. If a player's blocked shot ratio goes down, the coach takes him aside to go through videos and review where he might have interposed himself between puck and goal.

For Ron Toigo, the Giants' president and co-owner, starting up a hockey team in Vancouver was a counterintuitive move. The Giants are the only junior hockey team that's located in the same city as a professional National Hockey League (NHL) team (the Vancouver Canucks, in this case) and isn't owned by that pro team. But that's not a bad thing. Instead of seeing the high-flying Canucks as a competitor, the Giants regard them as an opportunity and an ally. When the Canucks do well, it's also good for the Giants, because it raises the profile of hockey as a whole. Vancouver is a big city, and many people who want to watch hockey can't afford the ticket prices or stay up late enough for the professional Canucks games. So the Giants are the team that attracts families rather than corporate types.

In the final game of the 2011 season, we watched players line up on the ice to give young fans the shirts off their backs in a ceremony that bonded players and fans together throughout the stadium. The Giants draw bigger crowds than some NHL teams.

What can we say about the Giants' leadership?

The Giants and their leaders know who they are. They are "brash," and they are family.

As a team, they all push and pull one another to higher levels of performance.

By setting up shop in Vancouver, they did something counterintuitive that none of their predecessors had considered before.

They are the only minor league hockey team to coexist collaboratively with their competitors from the NHL.

They use a broad range of valuable, just-in time data meaningfully and motivationally.

Their owners have learned to build sustainable success rather than make quick gambles just to get the next win.

The Vancouver Giants represent a particular kind of leadership. After studying them and more than 15 other organizations in three sectors (business, sports, and education) in eight countries on four continents over seven years, we found what we believe to be the secret of success in organizations that perform better than they used to, that have created something from almost nothing, or that have turned failure into success. Drawing on an extensive review of other cases in the literature and more than 200 interviews with leaders in these diverse organizations, our answer to how they achieved such remarkable success comes down to just two words: uplifting leadership.

We discovered uplifting leadership in an astonishing range of places. In business, these places include Italian auto manufacturer Fiat, Boston-based Internet footwear retailer Shoebuy.com, and iconic craft brewery Dogfish Head beer. The sports cases include Burnley Football Club-the smallest club ever to be promoted to the English Premier League of soccer-and the national cricket organization for Australia.

In education, one of the best examples is the island nation of Singapore. Arguably the world's biggest startup, Singapore established itself in 1965 as a new developing country with fewer than a million people. In little more than a single generation, it led the world on most measures of education achievement. Even so, it now seeks to "kick away the ladder it is standing on" (to use the words of one of the country's leading education experts, Pak Tee Ng) by sponsoring innovation and creativity and by trying to "teach less" so that children will "learn more."

Here's another example, from the United States. After the California Teachers Association successfully sued Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and forced him to return nearly $3 billion to the education budget, the association then changed the game of union leadership by deciding to take responsibility for turning around more than 400 of the lowest-performing schools in the poorest communities in the state.

The association achieved measurable success by supporting the Quality Education Investment Act of 2006 (QEIA), incorporating an improvement strategy of reduced class sizes in grades K-12, lower counselor-to-student ratios in high schools, and school-based control of professional development. In addition, the teachers' association networked teachers across the state in every identified school, providing them with information, resources, and support.

By 2012, QEIA schools as a group improved significantly on Academic Performance Index (API) measures compared to similar schools not participating in the program. Beyond test scores, the schools had better climates, parent participation, and reputations in their communities.

What Is Uplifting Leadership?

The first important thing to understand about uplifting leadership is that it demands consistency between what you lead, why you lead, and how you lead. In uplifting leadership, the ends and means are inseparable.

Second, uplifting leadership raises the spirits, hopes, and performance of the professionals and other adults in a community so that they will uplift all those they serve. We are uplifted by the inspiring words and actions of others, and our own deeds uplift others in turn. Like laughter, uplifting leadership is infectious.

Third, uplifting leadership is a journey-a narrative quest that people pursue together to be part of something greater than themselves. Uplifting leadership begins from firm foundations; it gets lift and takes flight from the resistance that it encounters; it has a clear sense of where it is headed; it has good instrumentation and piloting to ensure that it stays on course; and it strategically conserves its fuel and resources to ensure it will reach its destination. Uplifting leadership doesn't just connect the dots of a list of competencies; it also makes them flow in a positive direction.

Our research revealed six factors crucial for uplifting leadership in all sectors. We've already described how these factors operate in the case of the Vancouver Giants. These factors are paradoxical combinations of opposites-bringing together the hard and soft skills that are often set against each other in leadership practice.

Let's look at a systemwide, 10-year turnaround effort in Hackney, a borough in London, England, where we see these six factors at work.

A Case Study in Education

Hackney's 7.4 square miles accommodate a quarter of a million people living in some of the poorest real estate in London. The borough's 12 high schools and 53 elementary schools educate 30,000 students, well over half of them English language learners who speak 178 different languages among them. About 35 percent of students live in out-of-work families; most of the rest get by on very low incomes.

For decades, Hackney schools were the lowest-performing in England on national tests. In 2002, just 31 percent of students in Hackney scored proficient on five General Certificate of Secondary Education exams (the United Kingdom equivalent to high school graduation). More than 60 percent of families living in the borough sent their children to high schools in other boroughs.

Although the local education authority struggled to improve the schools, all the standard turnaround solutions failed. An ineffective top-down Hackney Improvement Team was infamously dubbed the HIT squad. A private company was paid to manage school improvement, but it ignored existing expertise and failed to build relationships with the community. It dragged the community down even further.

After these failed efforts, a creative and counterintuitive move placed the entire education system in the hands of a private, nonprofit company called The Learning Trust, which was under a 10-year contract to improve student achievement. This move appealed to the political Right, who said it would rescue poor students from Hackney's hopeless public services, and also to the Left, who said it would put an end to profiteering in education services.

Another counterintuitive move was the appointment of a well-respected educator to chair The Learning Trust, rather than a business leader (the government's usual strategy of choice). Sir Mike Tomlinson had retired in March 2002 as head of the national schools inspection service. Coming from a working-class background himself, Tomlinson went to Hackney with genuine humility and respect for the people who worked there.

Tomlinson set the stage for dreaming with determination when he told everyone, "I believe that at the end of this journey, you are going to be proud to work in Hackney." The Learning Trust's chief executive, Alan Wood, kicked off his first meeting with high school principals by presenting an imaginary inspection report about Hackney 10 years into the future that described the high standards the schools would achieve. Together, these leaders articulated an inspirational dream: By the time The Learning Trust had finished its work, parents would vie to get their children into Hackney schools. (That dream was realized two years ahead of target.)

The inspirational vision was matched by dogged determination and years of relentless hard work. The Learning Trust counteracted the negative press that schools had suffered for years by celebrating each successful step along their journey. Positive news stories about Hackney schools started appearing in local and national newspapers. Steadily, confidence started rising among both the community and the workforce. A well-respected principal told us that unlike its private-company predecessor, which had regarded existing Hackney employees "as being incompetent, inefficient, and not knowing what they were doing," The Learning Trust realized that "the solution has got to come from within Hackney."

As in the United States, successive governments in the United Kingdom have gradually turned the education system into a competitive market of schools. In England (unlike the other three UK nations), parents can send their children to the school of their choice, assuming that places are available, within or beyond the borough in which they live. Schools' budgets are determined by numbers of students, so popular schools thrive at the expense of the others. Yet in similar ways to the other organizations and sectors we studied, The Learning Trust showed that combining competition with collaboration creates more uplift.

One of The Learning Trust's initiatives was to establish five new high school academies, similar to U.S. charter schools. Academies are public schools (known in England as state schools) but with some degree of outside investment and governing control from companies, universities, or faith-based organizations. The Trust was insistent that, unlike many academies elsewhere in England, these academies had to be nonselective and to view themselves as members of the family of Hackney schools. Parents still had choice of school, but schools could not select students on the basis of their ability or achievement.

Sponsors of the academies also had to have an existing link with Hackney. For example, Sir Clive Bourne, who was born in Hackney and made his fortune through the courier service Seabourne Express, sponsored the first academy, named in honor of his father, Moss Bourne. According to Tomlinson, The Learning Trust told the principals, "OK, so you're head of one school, but you have a collective responsibility for every young person in Hackney."

First, any school identified as failing by the national schools inspection service was closed, and students were dispersed to other schools. School principals were inevitably under the spotlight, and those who couldn't adjust to change were quickly persuaded to step out of the way. Next, the old school was demolished and replaced by a new, state-of-the-art building. Then the new academy started with a single grade and grew year to year. Other high school principals took responsibility together for accepting the dispersed students as each failing school was closed, even though each new academy that replaced a closed school actually increased competition among them. The principals felt they belonged to a family of schools. By collaborating and competing, they also knew they would improve the overall quality of schools in Hackney so that more parents would find them attractive and stop sending their children to schools outside the borough.

Federations were also established among the borough's primary (elementary) schools to support one another when they were struggling. The first federation started in 2004, when Siân Davies, a principal who had turned a failing school into an outstanding one before The Learning Trust was established, agreed to take on a second school while still running her own. As executive principal of both schools, Davies could now switch around teachers and build mentoring and coaching relationships using outstanding teachers in her original school. Within 12 months, inspectors proclaimed the school Davies had taken over to be a good school. By this time, both schools shared common values, teaching practices, and a sense of collective responsibility for all students.

When another school failed its inspection, Davies's federation took it on, followed by more after that. The Primary Advantage Federation, as it is now called, currently includes six elementary schools. In a well-judged blend of pushing and pulling, the federation pulls staff together into one large faculty with much more collective professional capital than a single school could have. At the same time, the schools push one another to higher performance and compete in a friendly rivalry over test scores. Other federations were formed and followed the same pattern.

The Primary Advantage Federation uses a wide range of meaningful measurements to judge the quality of instruction, including lesson observations with constructive feedback; analysis of students' progress using test data; scrutiny of students' writing and other work; monitoring of teachers' lesson plans and self-evaluations; learning walks to gauge the quality of instruction in classrooms; soliciting and supporting students' voice; and surveys of the social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of classrooms. Within the federation, colleagues (rather than just principals) assess one another's schools and classrooms using these common measures.

At the start of this improvement journey, The Learning Trust separated out short-term and long-term strategies. Find and fix strategies dealt with short-term issues, such as a weakness with 5th grade math in a particular school, which could be remedied by assigning coaches to deal with the problem. Predict and prevent strategies dealt with the long-term challenges like investing in the early years before children fell behind with their learning. The trust pursues these long-term and short-term changes together, ensuring that improvements are secure and sustainable for many years.

The results speak for themselves. By 2012, Hackney performed well above the national average on all key indicators of student achievement. The school workforce has also been uplifted. More than 90 percent of staff members recommend Hackney as a good place to work, and for the first time Hackney doesn't have a recruitment problem.

A New Leadership Direction

Leadership should lift us up, not drag us down. We should be shooting for the moon, not racing to the top. We should be stimulating and supporting our teams and their leaders to be as creative as we want our students to be. We should be collaborating with other schools for mutual advantage and greater good rather than trying to vanquish them in a win-lose competition. We should be combining good data with good collaborative judgment rather than being driven only by the data in everything we do. We should pull our people forward whenever we can by inspiring them, yet push them out when we absolutely must. Last, we must not pursue short-term gains in test scores or other outcomes at the cost of long-term, sustainable success. If you uplift others in this way, you will also uplift yourself. But most of all, you will uplift a whole generation of students who deserve a far better approach to leadership and change than many of them have been experiencing.

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The captain of the Vancouver Giants junior hockey team sat opposite us in the Giants office. James was an affable and articulate young man, but the scar on his left cheek, the swollen bridge of his nose, and the gaps between his teeth were clear signs that he plays a physically dangerous sport.

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A 3-step sustainability action plan for business leaders

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A 3-step sustainability action plan for business leaders

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Company executives have moved way past questioning why sustainability is important.

Instead, leaders ask how to transform their business model to generate a triple win: operational efficiencies that cut costs, reduce demand on shared natural capital and improve quality of life for communities of people they serve. These leaders seek a new model that returns business value through efficiency and top-line growth drivers.

The sustainability imperative is particularly important for B2B supply chains. Large "keystone" companies in retail, health care, sports and entertainment have stepped up scrutiny of their suppliers' sustainability profile, including environmental management systems, their engagement with consumers and suppliers, carbon emissions, waste, recycled materials, water and energy use.

"By the end of 2017, Walmart will buy 70 percent of the goods it sells in U.S. stores and in U.S. Sam's Clubs only from suppliers who use the Index to evaluate and share the sustainability of their products," according to Walmart CEO Mike Duke.

Working at the leading edge requires collaboration. Working collaboratively with supplier networks to amass materials recovery and sustainability best practice databases can help businesses meaningfully improve their profile through a triple win philosophy.

Here are three key tips to manage this transformation to a new model and improve your standing with your customers:

1. Assessment

Customer sustainability indices, such as those we've seen at Walmart, Target and hospital general purchasing organizations, evaluate two levels of supplier performance: company and product sustainability. Most have set zero waste goals. A "brown" company will struggle to make a green product, and runs the risk of savvy consumers or the Federal Trade Commission perceiving environmental product claims as greenwash.

Get a comprehensive assessment of your company's sustainability core competencies and product attributes. Then put a management system in place that assures both company and product sustainability indicators continually trend in the right direction and seek to eliminate waste.

2. Materials

Material choices matter in the design of products and packaging. Depending on the product, relative to other parts of the life cycle, the greatest environmental impacts may be associated with the extraction and manufacture of materials. This is especially true for short-lived, non-durable goods. Often it is assumed that renewable materials have a better environmental profile. This is not always the case and in a world where bio-based feedstocks for materials or fuels are vying for land that is needed for food production or set aside for conservation, the considerations are getting ever more complicated, especially in regions with dwindling resources. Materials need to be selected with their specific application and technical requirements in mind, balanced against pre-determined, prioritized environmental objectives and performance standards. Getting to these priorities means understanding impacts across the life cycle, taking a strategic approach, and effectively directing efforts. For instance, Nike shared in its fiscal 2010-11 sustainable business report that 60 percent of the environmental impact in its running shoes comes from material choices.

Outside of life cycle considerations, customer demands can set priorities. Recyclability is commonly an attribute in which customers are interested. Performing a recyclability assessment is a comprehensive way to understand and communicate recyclability.

3. Waste

While waste is not always the most significant impact on a company's environmental profile, it's everywhere and actionable. Collaborative stewardship approaches that pool resources are critical to helping achieve zero waste. Join or, if one doesn't exist, form a private-public group that has a shared interest to overcome the barriers, such as lack of processing infrastructure. Sharing data and logistics capabilities to build infrastructure in a region or locality can attract new outlets for a range of recycling and reprocessing options, including material recovery, energy recovery and composting. Zero waste programs continue to produce significant cost saving opportunities that help finance participation in these collaborative efforts to transform business models.

There is much more to learn and do as we strive for growth by applying restorative thinking that optimizes shared value. One thing is certain: More can be achieved by working together across fence lines, thereby improving our chances of passing on a world that our grandchildren can enjoy.

Plan image by Ivelin Radkov via Shutterstock.

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A 3-step sustainability action plan for business leaders | Greenbiz

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Sustainability imperative is particularly important for B2B supply chains.

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Happened Change

This kind of change is unpredictable in nature and is usually takes place due to the impact of the external factors. Happened change is profound and can be traumatic as it's consequences are unknown and out of direct control. This kind of a change happens when an organization reaches the plateau stage in its life cycle and gets victimized by the environmental pressures or demands. For example, currency devaluation may adversely affect the business of those organizations who have to depend upon importing of raw materials largely. In certain cases, some political, as well as social changes, are unpredictable and uncontrollable.

Reactive Change

Changes which take place in response to an event or a chain of various events can be termed as Reactive Change. Most of the organizations indulge in reactive change. This kind of change usually occurs when there is an increase or decrease in the demand for company's products or services. It can also be a response to a problematic situation or a crisis which an organization may be faced with. For example, due to the advancements in technology or growing technological changes, an organization may be forced to invest more in technology to stay ahead to face the stiff competition. Recreation can also be regarded as a reactive change, which involves the entire organization and occurs during the stage when an organization is undergoing a serious crisis.

Anticipatory Change

If a change is implemented with prior anticipation of the happening of an event or a chain of events, it is called as anticipatory change. Organizations may either tune in or reorient themselves as an anticipatory measure to face the environmental pressures. Tuning in essentially involves implementing incremental changes which mean dealing with the subsystems individually or just with the part of a system. Reorientation essentially involves changing the organization from the existing state to a desired futuristic state as an anticipatory measure and then dealing with the entire process of transition.

Planned Change

Planned change is also regarded as the developmental change which is implemented with the objective of improving the present ways of operation and to achieve the pre-defined goals. Planned change is calculated and is not threatening as in this the future state is being chosen consciously. The introduction of employee welfare measures, changes in the incentive system, introduction of new products and technologies, organizational restructuring, team building, enhancing employee communication as well as technical expertise fall under the category of Planned Change.

Incremental Change

Change which is implemented at the micro level, units or subunits can be regarded as incremental change. Incremental changes are introduced or implemented gradually and are adaptive in nature. It is based on the assumption that these small changes will ultimately result in a large change and establish the basis for forming a much healthier and a robust system. It even offers an opportunity to an organization to learn from its very own experiences and create the adaptive mechanisms for meeting the ultimate organizational vision. The extent of damage due to a failed incremental change effort is expected to be much lesser than the change which is implemented on a large scale or introduced universally.

Operational Change

This kind of change becomes a requirement or the need when an organization is faced with competitive pressures as a result of which the focus is laid more on quality improvement or improvement in the delivery of services for an edge over the competitors. Similarly, changes in the customer's buying patterns or demands or the internal dynamics of an organization equally necessitate the implementation of operational change. Operational change as the name implies means introducing changes in the existing operations for realizing the intended goals. This may include bringing in changes in the current technology, improving/re-engineering the existing work processes, improving the distribution framework or the product delivery, better quality management and improving the coordination at an inter-departmental level.

Strategic Change

Strategic Change is usually implemented at the organizational level, which may affect the various components of an organization and also the organizational strategy. A change in the management style in an organization could be considered as an example of strategic change. A multinational organization like Toyota has taken a step ahead in bringing in a change in the overall organizational philosophy for availing the advantages of being a leaner organization structurally, flexibility, decentralized decision making and functioning of organizations and equally allows a greater extent of freedom or autonomy in implementing proactive decisions. This kind of change is expected to have a cascading effect on the entire organization and accordingly would be having an influence on the overall performance.

Directional Change

Directional change may become a necessity due to the increasing competitive pressures or due to rapid changes in the governmental control or policies, which may include changes in the import/export policies, pricing structure and taxation policies, etc. Directional change can also become imperative when an organization lacks the capability of implementing/executing the current strategy effectively or during the circumstances when a strategic change is required.

Fundamental Change

Fundamental Change essentially involves the redefinition of organizational vision/mission. This may be required during extremely volatile circumstances like volatility in the business environment, failure of the leadership, a decline in productivity as well as the overall turnover or problems with the morale of the employee.

Total Change

A Total Change involves change in the organizational vision and striking a harmonious alignment with the organizational strategy, employee morale and commitment as well as with the business performance. Total Change becomes a requirement during those circumstances when an organization is faced with many criticalities such as long-term business failure, incongruence between the employee and organizational values, failure of leaders/management in anticipating the realities of business environment or the growing competitive pressures and concentration of power in the hands of few. A new organizational vision along with major strategic changes as well as complete organizational surgery can be the only solution at this point of time.

Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written By "Prachi Juneja" and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.

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This kind of change is unpredictable in nature and is usually takes place due to the impact of the external factors. Happened change is profound and can be traumatic as it's consequences are unknown and out of direct control.

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Our work helps boost school communities' collective belief in their ability to create equitable change. For us, belief is an action. It's through belief that we can change and truly achieve the aspirations of our students and schools.

Our experience working in schools has led us to a single conclusion: building collective belief is the best way to create lasting, equitable change in schools.
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Our program is based on practices and frameworks that are intended to foster a supportive learning culture. They aren't revolutionary, but have been refined through long-term collaboration with school communities across the United States.

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Our work helps boost school communities' collective belief in their ability to create equitable change. For us, belief is an action. It's through belief that we can change and truly achieve the aspirations of our students and schools.

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Teaching Empathy Through Design Thinking

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Teaching Empathy Through Design Thinking

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Teaching Empathy Through Design Thinking

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While empathy is the first step in the design thinking process, keep your students focused on this necessary element as they move through definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing.

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Innovative Innovation Meetings: Formats, Designs, and Examples

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Innovative Innovation Meetings: Formats, Designs, and Examples

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Innovation Training | Design Thinking Workshops

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Design more innovative innovation meetings that boost creativity and strengthen engagement.

We've all been to uninspiring organizational meetings before. Far too often, engaging and innovative meetings are rare and fall short of accomplishing their goals. They can be too passive, boring, yield few ideas (and even fewer creative innovations), last too long, and result in too much discussion and too little action. However, it doesn't need to be this way. You can host more innovative innovation meetings that inspire.

The top innovative companies in the world know that hosting effective, engaging meetings makes all the difference. Empowering their teams with technology and creative tools that guide their brainstorming sessions goes a long way in changing the outcome.

If you're interested in running more effective, innovative meetings with your team, you've come to the right place. In this post, we'll share some tips and hints centered around innovation and design thinking frameworks to help you deliver an engaging and impactful experience.

Implementation: 6 Questions to Help You Design Innovative Meetings

Follow along to the questions below to design a more effective innovation meeting.

What are your goals?

Productive meetings set out to accomplish a single large goal or only a few smaller ones. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish by hosting a meeting with your team, and how will you know if those goals are accomplished? For example, if your goal is to brainstorm a solution to a problem your customers are experiencing, perhaps the way to accomplish this goal is to decide on 3 high-impact ideas by the end of your session. A follow-up innovation meeting can push further on these three ideas.

Who is involved and what is their role?

Avoid bringing in just anyone to your meetings. Instead, choose specific employees based on their role and experience or knowledge in the topic at hand. If they work directly with customers on the issue you are trying to solve, for example, their input is invaluable. Innovation meetings tend to require a facilitator, participants, and a notetaker who will help keep track of the conversation and deliverables.

What environment is best suited for their success?

Meetings can take place in a variety of environments, from a traditional conference room to a more unique offsite or virtual setting. Considering the topic of the meeting at hand, what environment will help facilitate their success? From comfort to access to the right technology or materials, there are many factors to consider here when choosing the place (virtual or in-person) to host your innovation meeting.

What tools can be used to facilitate their success?

Innovation and design thinking tools and technology can help you facilitate a better, more effective meeting with your team. We personally recommend top software tools such as Miro, Zoom, and Mural. Some of these tools are designed specifically for virtual or off-site meetings, while others can be useful even when your participants will all be in the same room.

What activities can be used to boost participation and engagement?

Positive participation and engagement make or break innovation meetings. Using activities that encourage this early on during the meeting can help kickstart the feedback and input you are looking for. Consider using different icebreakers to bring the team together and set the meeting off on a good note. Then, break-out sessions, challenge mapping and sketching sessions, rapid prototyping, and other design thinking and creative process activities can keep teams moving, thinking, and working together toward the desired outcome.

How will you hold your team accountable after the meeting is complete?

So, your meeting has wrapped up. What's next? Make sure team members walk away with action items. A plan in place will hold your team accountable and make sure that things actually happen, rather than fizzle out as soon as they exit the room.

These simple questions can help you facilitate and create an innovation meeting that is effective and accomplishes your organizational goals.

Innovative Meeting Approaches that Work

When it comes to building an innovative meeting format that works for your team and project, allow the following approaches to serve as inspiration! You can bring the facilitation power to your own brainstorming session!

1. Hackathon

"Hack" = experimental, creative problem solving with a playful approach

"marathon" = 24-48 hour event

Hackathons are up-and-coming innovation formats dedicated to addressing a specific topic or challenge. Participants will work in small groups in an environment that encourages creative thinking and innovative brainstorming and prototyping. The quick pace of this format is great for teams who are looking to move fast, make ideas tangible, and quickly test their potential. With planning engaging activities, a hackathon can yield more collaboration, interaction, and networking. This helps your audience to create and present more valuable ideas.

2. Agile Stand-Up

Designed as a daily meeting involving the core team, stand-ups are an effective format for quickly and efficiently getting at the heart of the problem or topic at hand. The sharing of progress and reinforcement of successes and roadblocks can bring the team closer together and get everyone excited about the team's overall contribution to the project/organization.

Stand up meetings can work well as an entry point into an agile practice in your organization. A simple three step format that is easy to facilitate (even for non "scrum masters") is for each employee to share while standing: 1. What they worked on yesterday, 2. What they are working on today, and 3. Any obstacles impeding their progress.
Learn more about agile and find agile training resources on our blog.
3. Idea Sharing

When the goal of your innovation meeting is to generate as many ideas as possible from your attendees, you'll want to rely on an idea sharing meeting format that is designed to do exactly that. This meeting format relies on rapid brainstorming and brainstorming activities to get your team's creativity flowing and transform them into innovators. If a great new idea is what you need...your innovation meeting design should focus on generating many, many ideas from your meeting participants.

If your team is interested in this format, review these 11 templates for brainstorming sessions that can help you get started. These templates could be good foundations for brainstorming sessions for larger groups or smaller attendee sizes. Different brainstorming activities can yield a diversity of innovative ideas or ways to solve a problem. You don't need to be the CEO of a Silicon Valley company to engage your group in the innovation process.

4. Problem Solving

Need to solve a specific, identified problem? Want to focus on creating strategies and plans to navigate the future of your organization? A problem solving-centered innovative meeting format may be for you. The underlying goal of this meeting format is to leave with a new strategy designed to counter a current issue preventing or hindering your team's progress. In order to do this, the team must work together to identify possible solutions, and evaluate these ideas based on the relevant criteria or requirements.

Innovation Training can help you build a creative problem solving workshop that teaches you the techniques, activities, and methodology your team needs to be successful in these meetings.

5. Team Building

Getting everyone to work well together toward the same goals can be a challenge, especially if you are bringing in people from different backgrounds or experiences. This is where a team building meeting can fit into your organization. These meetings help establish your team culture, strengthen team communications, and streamline future processes. Getting everyone to open up and collaborate is essential for future innovative and design thinking processes, so this team building format is a wonderful place to start.

These large-group icebreakers and other activities are a fun way to get started with your own team building meeting format! You can lead the internal changes for a different way of meeting in your organization. Try less of a presenter presenting a power point presentation and more facilitation of collaborative activities and reflection from your colleagues.

Innovation Meetings Conclusion

Running a successful innovative meeting requires more than just coordinating schedules and booking the meeting room! In this blog, we talked about some of the questions, formats, and activities you can use to design and facilitate an innovation and design thinking-centered meeting that accomplishes your unique organizational goals. For help incorporating this innovation and design thinking methodology into your planning, contact us! We have helped organizations just like yours address their challenges and design successful meeting formats that accomplish everything they've set out to do and more.

Looking for more innovation and design thinking resources? Check out the following top articles from our blog:

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Innovative Innovation Meetings: Formats, Designs, and Examples

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We've all been to uninspiring organizational meetings before. Far too often, engaging and innovative meetings are rare and fall short of accomplishing their goals. They can be too passive, boring, yield few ideas (and even fewer creative innovations), last too long, and result in too much discussion and too little action.

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In the Ideation stage, design thinkers spark off ideas - in the form of questions and solutions - through creative and curious activities such as Brainstorms and Worst Possible Idea. In this article, we'll introduce you to some of the best Ideation methods and guidelines that help facilitate successful Ideation sessions and encourage active participation from members.
When facilitated in a successful way, Ideation is an exciting process. The goal is to generate a large number of ideas - ideas that potentially inspire newer, better ideas - that the team can then cut down into the best, most practical and innovative ones.

"Ideation is the mode of the design process in which you concentrate on idea generation. Mentally it represents a process of "going wide" in terms of concepts and outcomes. Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions into the hands of your users."
- d.school, An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE

The main aim of the Ideation stage is to use creativity and innovation in order to develop solutions. By expanding the solution space, the design team will be able to look beyond the usual methods of solving problems in order to find better, more elegant, and satisfying solutions to problems that affect a user's experience of a product.
Author/Copyright holder: Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 In the Design Thinking process, the Ideation stage often follows the first two stages, which are the Empathise stage and Define stage. There is a significant overlap between the Define and Ideation stages of a typical Design Thinking process. Interpreting information and defining the problem(s) and ideation both drive the generation of problem solutions. This overlap is represented in the types of methods design teams employ during these two stages. For example, Bodystorm and "How Might We" questions are often used in both of these stages.
Ideation Will Help You:

Ask the right questions and innovate.

Step beyond the obvious solutions and therefore increase the innovation potential of your solution.

Bring together perspectives and strengths of team members.

Uncover unexpected areas of innovation.

Create volume and variety in your innovation options.

Get obvious solutions out of your heads, and drive your team beyond them.

Ideation Methods to Spark Innovative Ideas

There are hundreds of ideation methods. Some methods are merely renamed or slightly adapted versions of more foundational techniques. Here you'll get brief overview of some of the best methods:

Active Facilitation

Although many of us may have previously participated in a Brainstorm session, it is not always easy to facilitate a truly fruitful ideation session, which may be the reason why many of us have had negative experiences in the past. However, Ideation sessions can indeed be fun and exciting, but they demand a lot of preparation and team member concentration in order to be fruitful. To sit the team down with a blank piece of paper and ask them to come up with ideas will likely result in failure. Likewise, to have everyone shout out their own ideas is likely to result in failure.

People need guidance, inspiration and activities, in a physical and cognitive manner, in order to get the process started. Ideation is a creative and concentrated process; those involved should be provided with an environment that facilitates free, open, and the non-judgemental sharing of ideas.

In Ideation sessions, it's important to create the right type of environment to help create a creative work culture with a curious, courageous, and concentrated atmosphere. Instead of using a boardroom with the CEO sitting at the head of the table, Design Thinking and Ideation sessions require a space in which everyone is equal. The Ideation room must have sufficient space for people to feel comfortable, but the atmosphere shouldn't be sterile, and team members shouldn't have to shout in order to be heard. You should also designate someone to take down contributors' ideas and draw/write them on the whiteboard/wall/poster. If the process begins to slow down and people seem to be running into a dead-end, the facilitator should impose constraints, such as: "what if there was no top-level navigation bar?" or "How-might-we go about the task if we were 8 years old?" Alternatively, you might want to set targets, such as filling a brainstorming sheet within ten minutes. To start understanding what it takes to facilitate a successful Ideation session, we'll take a closer look at the best Brainstorming rules.

Brainstorming Rules
Author/Copyright holder: Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
At its most basic level, a Brainstorm session involves sprouting related points from a central idea. Brainstorming is one of the primary methods employed during the Ideation stage of a typical Design Thinking process. Brainstorming is a great way to generate many ideas by leveraging the collective thinking of the group, engaging with each other, listening, and building on other ideas. This method involves focusing on one problem or challenge at a time, while team members build on each other's responses and ideas with the aim of generating as many potential solutions as possible. These can then be refined and narrowed down to the best solution(s). Participants must then select the best, the most practical, or the most innovative ideas from the options they've come up with.

We've summarised the best practices and brainstorming rules from the Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school) and the successful design company, IDEO who celebrates Design Thinking.

1. Start with a problem statement, point of view, possible questions, a plan, or a goal and stay focused on the topic: Identify the core subject or the main aim of the exercise. For example, what are you trying to achieve? Are you trying to improve a certain feature? Are you focusing on ways to improve the overall experience? Condense the main issue into a problem statement and condense it into a short "How Might We" sentence. You may even be able to synthesise this into single word. Your ideas should always branch off from this central headline.

2. Stay on Topic: It is easy to veer off and take lots of different directions during brainstorming sessions, especially when you are trying to be open-minded and unconstrained in your efforts to come up with ideas. It is important that members stay on topic. Focus is essential; otherwise, the process can become confusing, or ideas can become muddled and cross between solutions for other problems. Every effort should be made by the facilitator to keep members on the central theme and goal. You might even want to designate a particular brainstormer to maintain the thread and prevent team members veering off course.

3. Defer judgement or criticism, including non-verbal: The brainstorming environment is not the time to argue or for questioning other members' ideas; each member has a responsibility to foster relations that advance the session. For this reason, judgement comes later so rather than blocking an idea, you and your other team members are encouraged to come up with your own ideas that sprout off from those provided by the other members of your team.

4. Encourage weird, wacky and wild ideas: Once again, as brainstorming is a creative activity, each member should try to encourage other members and create an environment in which they feel comfortable verbalising their ideas. Free thinking may produce some ideas that are wide off the mark, but brainstorming is about drawing up as many ideas as possible which are then whittled down until the best possible option remains.

5. Aim for quantity: Brainstorming is effectively a creative exercise, in which design thinkers are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild. The emphasis is on quantity, rather than quality at this stage.

6. Build on each others' ideas: One idea typically leads on from another; by considering the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of other team members during the brainstorming session, new insights and perspectives can be achieved, which then inform one's own ideas. Thus, the team will continue to build ideas which hopefully become progressively more refined and targeted towards the central issue.

7. Be visual: The physical act of writing something down or drawing an image in order to bring an idea to life can help people think up new ideas or view the same ideas in a different way. The brainstorming session is more likely to evolve if team members visualize and bring ideas to life rather than rely on discussion alone.

8. One conversation at a time: Design thinkers (or brainstormers) should focus on one point or conversation at a time so as not to muddy their thinking and lose sight of the thread or current objective.

Ideation Methods to Select Ideas

Once the Ideation session is complete, the ideas must be collected, categorized, refined, and narrowed down, so the team is able to select the best solutions, ideas, and strategies from a shortlist. These methods can help you select the best idea at the end of an Ideation session:

In the following section, we'll provide you with a brief introduction to some of the best methods.

Post-it Voting or Dot Voting
Author/Copyright holder: Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
In post-it voting, all members are given a number of votes (three to four should do) in order to choose their favorite ideas. Ideas that are generated in the Ideation sessions are written down on individual post-its, and members can vote by using stickers or a marker to make a dot on the post-it note corresponding to the ideas they like. This process allows every member to have an equal say in choosing from the shortlisted ideas.

Four Categories Method
Author/Copyright holder: Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
The four categories method involves dividing ideas according to their relative abstractness, ranging from the most rational choice to the 'long shot' choice. The four categories are the rational choice, the most likely to delight, the darling, and the long shot. Members then decide upon one or two ideas for each of these categories. This method ensures that the team covers all grounds, from the most practical to those ideas with the most potential to deliver innovative solutions.

Bingo Selection
Author/Copyright holder: Teo Yu Siang and Interaction Design Foundation. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Similarly, the Bingo selection method inspires members to divide ideas. However, in this method, contributors are encouraged to split ideas according to a variety of form factors, such as their potential application in a physical prototype, a digital prototype, and an experience prototype.

The Take Away

Ideation is often the most exciting stage in a Design Thinking project because almost unrestrained free thinking can occur within the given field. In the Ideation stage, the aim is to generate a large number of ideas - ideas that potentially inspire newer, better ideas - which the team can then filter and narrow down into the best, most practical, or most innovative ones. There are many great methods that can help the design team during the Ideation sessions.

References & Where to Learn More

Course: "Design Thinking - The Ultimate Guide".

IDEO U: Brainstorming.

d.school: "How might we" questions.

d.school, An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE.

Hero Image: Author/Copyright holder: Adriadne. Copyright terms and license: CC0

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Stage 3 in the Design Thinking Process: Ideate

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In the third, ideation stage of Design Thinking, design thinkers spark off ideas-in the form of questions and solutions-through creative and curious activities.

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Design thinking principles & the therapeutic alliance

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Design thinking principles & the therapeutic alliance

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There is something about being a designer that is aspirational. We hope and dream for something better, to create something that makes impact and leads to change. We create out of raw materials, with the resources at hand. We build. We research and identify patterns. We solve problems. There has been a lot of attention towards social innovation, a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than current solutions. While this is a human-centered approach that I am passionate about and will also cover, the emphasis is primarily on larger groups. What I am concerned about in this series is matters of the heart, mental and emotional health and well-being that starts on a deeply individual level.

We are meaning seeking creatures. Many seek therapy looking for answers on how to live, but first therapy addresses the why questions. Why do we live? Why do we do the things that we do? In therapy, great emotional work is demanded from the practitioner. Therapists come from many schools of thought and integrate various techniques in their practice to work with patients to make change happen. While there are many forms of therapy, such as CBT, family systems therapy or EMDR therapy, (see therapy list) the aim of therapy is to help the patient cure him or herself. Looking at it another way, the patients are the change agents, and ultimately are the ones responsible for re-creating their thoughts, their attitudes and their lives. In both design and therapy, there must be a willingness to empathize and get messy, to enter into chaos so as to bring order.

I'll give a very brief overview of psychotherapy which is talk therapy, and the design thinking process as we lay a foundation to explore the synthesis of both in greater depth. For more information, there are great resources for design thinking over at IDEO U, Standford's d-school and Hasso-Plattner Institute. For more information on psychotherapy, Goodtherapy is a good place to start, as well as Irvin Yalom, a contemporary psychiatrist and educator who has written extensively about existential psychotherapy.

Design Thinking

Design thinking stems from a mindset of empathy, collaboration and experimentation. It is a problem solving approach focused on creating experiences to address people's needs. Here are four design principles laid out by Christoph Meinel and Larry Leifer, of the Hasso-Plattner-Institut-Stanford Design Thinking Program.

The design process is by no means linear, but it does follow these 5 general phases: 1) empathize with and engage customer needs, how they think and feel, 2) define the challenge and opportunities, 3) ideate and brainstorm based on insights gained, 4) prototype to think through and answer questions, 5) test out your hypothesis and get feedback. As you progress, the process narrows until you reach a solution and are ready to execute. Meaningful and innovative design happens at the intersection of desirability (making people's lives better), feasibility (achievable) and viability (able to work successfully). Looking at IDEO U, I think their 4 phases of design thinking would translate well to the therapeutic realm.

Therapeutic Alliance

The therapeutic alliance, also known as the therapeutic relationship, helping alliance or the working alliance, refers to the relationship between a healthcare professional and a client (or patient). It is the means by which a therapist and a client hope to engage with each other, build trust and effect beneficial change in the client. Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a humanistic psychologist who believed that for a person to achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. He pioneered Person Centered Therapy, based on his theory that each person has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change. A patient needs an environment that provides them with genuineness (openness and self-disclosure), acceptance (being seen with unconditional positive regard), and empathy (being listened to and understood). Rogers believed that we can all achieve our goals, wishes and desires in life.

Irvin Yalom affirms that the capacity to tolerate uncertainty is a prerequisite for the therapy profession. (design connection: see the ambiguity design principle in the first diagram) The temptation to achieve certainty through a certain ideology or therapeutic system only serves to block the uncertain and often spontaneous encounter that is vital for effective therapy. This encounter insists that as the therapist enters into the life of the patient, the therapist would be affected and perhaps even changed by their therapeutic encounter. Patients can sense genuine care and compassion - it is the person of the therapist that most impacts a therapeutic relationship. In both therapy and design, how much we care matters.

Finally, I love what interior architect Ilse Crawford has to say about design. "Design is not just a visual thing. It's a thought process. It's a skill. Ultimately, design is a tool to enhance our humanity. It's a frame for life." What are the particular ways in which we frame our lives? How can design impact our emotional lives, our lens through which we view our worlds?
*note: I used an image of a Holi Festival symbolically, as this festival of colors celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and is for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. I also wanted to represent the joyful blend of design and therapy in this mixture of colors.

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Design thinking principles & the therapeutic alliance

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There is something about being a designer that is aspirational. We hope and dream for something better, to create something that makes impact and leads to change. We create out of raw materials, with the resources at hand. We build. We research and identify patterns.

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Design thinking in 3 steps: How to build a culture of innovation

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Design thinking in 3 steps: How to build a culture of innovation

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A version of this tutorial originally appeared in the free Primer app.

Ideas can come from anywhere, and everyone is creative.

That belief is at the heart of design thinking, a practice that combines creativity and structure to solve complex problems. At Google, design thinking helps us foster a culture of innovation, and lets our teams generate and test ideas creatively and effectively, whether they’re trying to bring internet access to remote communities or developing new methodologies for interviewing potential employees.

Design thinking builds people’s capacity to innovate by having them adopt and practice a certain mindset. The skills developed through design thinking can then be applied in a variety of ways, such as a design sprint — a process for testing ideas that involves fast prototyping.

So how do you get started with design thinking? The next time you need to solve a problem, you can grow your team’s creative capacity by focusing on three core design thinking principles, or the 3 E’s: empathy, expansive thinking, and experimentation.

Empathy

It’s great to create an innovative product or service. It’s not so great to build one that’s useless to people. That’s why your users should be your No. 1 focus. When you can empathize with them and take inspiration from their needs, feelings, and motivations, your team can create meaningful solutions to actual problems.

Begin each ideation exercise by discussing the people who will use your product or service. If possible, talk to those people directly. In the mid-2000s, Google re-evaluated its hiring process, which used to take six to nine months. Part of this re-evaluation included hearing how “everyone had a story about their bad interview experience with Google.” By empathizing with interviewees, Google’s HR team could come up with effective ideas that focused on substantially reducing Google’s time to hire and improving the overall candidate experience.

Expansive thinking

Expansive thinking, also known as brainstorming, is all about creating multiple ways to solve a problem or improve a situation. Instead of trying to think of one perfect solution, think about reframing your problem or looking at it from all conceivable angles to get several possible solutions. It’s OK that most of the ideas your team comes up with won’t end up working.

To begin your brainstorm, try challenging your team to come up with ideas that aren’t just 10% better than the status quo but 10X better. Basically, thinking big — like, really big — can give you radical new ideas.

When a Google team began working on what would become Loon — an initiative to provide internet service to unconnected communities around the world (and now an Alphabet subsidiary) — they applied 10X thinking. This moved them from limited solutions, like installing more fibers, to a truly innovative solution: using a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space to deliver connectivity.

Experimentation

Once you have a list of ideas, you’ll need to start learning which ideas work and which ones don’t — fast. This is where you begin experimentation or building prototypes.

In the prototyping phase, you’ll build an early-stage version of your idea and test it out on a small group to see what actually works. Then, gather data to decide if it makes the most sense to move your idea forward, kill it, or tweak it.

Decide based on the project how you’d like to prototype. For example, you can test a product internally before releasing it to the public, or release a new service in beta to get feedback from people outside the company before a wide release. In 2014, the Google Primer team released a stripped-down, beta version of their educational app containing only 12 lessons that they then tested with select users. This helped the team refine both the UX and the content of the app, preparing them to launch the official Primer app a year later.

Design thinking is an innovative problem-solving methodology that’s accessible to anyone and everyone. By empathizing with your users, practicing expansive thinking, and experimenting with your ideas, you and your team can tap into your collective creative power.

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Design thinking in three principles - Think with Google

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At Google, design thinking helps foster a culture of innovation and helps generate and test ideas effectively. Here are 3 design principles we live by.

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Presentations remain one of the most important leadership communication skills. Whether it’s speaking to a few slides in a virtual team meeting, delivering a formal talk at a townhall, or sharing the organizational strategy with the Board, leaders at all levels must be able to seize the opportunities that presentations present. The ability to assess what that opportunity is and how best to execute on it is a skill that can and must be learned and practiced.

In Presenting as a Leader™, your employees will learn what it takes to build and deliver presentations that inspire an audience to act. By bringing their own past presentations into the classroom and rebuilding them, learners have a chance to see where they typically go wrong and how to make a greater impact with their approach, their slides, their speaking notes, and their delivery style. Both the virtual and the in-person learning experiences are led by an expert Humphrey Group facilitator and provide extensive opportunities for peer discussion, feedback, and practice. Your learners will leave with a new mindset about what presentations can and should do, and greater confidence in their ability to inspire others.

This learning experience is part of the persuasion stream of leadership communication. You can learn more about our development philosophy here.

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Presenting as a Leader | Presentation Skills Training

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Presenting as a Leader offers leaders at all levels presentation skills training so they can create and deliver more effective presentations.

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1 Hour Innovation Workshop - Lightning Decision Jam

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WORKSHOP ON USING CAUSE AND EFFECT TOOLS

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WORKSHOP ON USING CAUSE AND EFFECT TOOLS

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WORKSHOP ON USING CAUSE AND EFFECT TOOLS

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WORKSHOP ON USING CAUSE AND EFFECT TOOLS

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Program  Leader and Head of Delegation from Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand

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Presentation by MA students from Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand

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Presentation by MA Student from Prince of Songkhla University, Thailand

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BRAINSTORMING_IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE

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BRAINSTORMING_IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE

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Presentation by MA Students from Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.

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User Research - Is It Worth It? (Design Sprint Test)

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Design Sprint WORKSHOP -  (Lightning Decision Jam AJ&Smart)