Challenge 1: Motivating Others: Persuasion & Influence
Use effective involvement and persuasion strategies to gain acceptance of ideas and commitment to action that support specific work outcomes.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Watch the video: True Leader
- Reflect on the video. What motivates others? How does a leader inspire others? What characteristics did the leader in this video exhibit that brought people together for the cause? What do you think motivates a good leader? What metaphors can you draw from the circumstances, the weather, and the behaviors of others in this video to your own work environment? Can anyone be a leader if they take accountability? How might the culture on your team empower others to lead when necessary?
- What motivates you? Identify a worthy cause and use the characteristics that you identified from the video of leadership to inspire your team. Share your idea and the RESULTS in a short reflection with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson.
Advanced Lesson (200 points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: Motivation & Generations on 4/10/19 or Employee Engagement on 4/17/19 to learn more about engaging your team members. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skills Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click here for the Motivation & Generations post-class reflection form or the Employee Engagement post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Watch the TEDTalk by Scott Geller: The Psychology of Self-Motivation
- Reflect on the video and the four C’s. How will you use the four C’s to inspire self-motivation with someone on your team? Are some C’s more important than others? Why?
- Identify and implement one idea to foster motivation with your team members. Share your idea and the RESULTS in a short reflection with your Leadership Challenge Instructor.
Challenge 2: Motivating Others: Coaching and Developing
Engage and Involve: Ask questions to clarify issues and causes, collaboratively develop a plan by seeking and building on other’s ideas.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Read the article from Harvard Business Review on Coaching by Julia Milner and Trenton Milner.
- What does it mean to be a coach? Reflect on the article; what were the biggest takeaways?
- Who has been a great coach for you? What did they do and how did they impact you? What kind of coach do you want to be? What are your next steps? Identify one or more individuals on your team with whom you want to build a coaching relationship. Initiate the conversation and share a short reflection on the results with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson.
Advanced Lesson (200 points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: Leader as Coach on 1/23/19 or iLEAD: Giving & Receiving Feedback on 1/30/19. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skills Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click for the Leader as Coach post-class reflection form or the Giving and Receiving Feedback post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Watch the TEDtalk by William Ury: The Power of Listening
- Answer the following questions and email your response to the Leadership Challenge Instructor.
- Why is it so important to listen? What three things does listening accomplish?
- How should we listen? What does William Ury say we should listen for in a conversation?
- What are your biggest obstacles to listening? What tip does William Ury suggest? Develop a coaching plan for yourself on how you will change this behavior, then use active listening in your next coaching session or one-on-one meeting and send a reflection on the results. What did you learn about the other person? What emotions/needs did you discover from listening to what “wasn’t said”? What was the result?
Challenge 3: Achieving Results: Inspiring Action
Help others envision future success and move toward higher levels of performance; stimulates enthusiasm for potential contributions and accomplishments.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Watch Stuart Brown’s TED talk on play.
- Read the article by Margarita Tartakovsky M.S.: The Importance of Play for Adults.
- Reflect on the TED talk and article. Then “Take a Play History.” Mine your past for play memories. What did you do as a child that excited you? Did you engage in those activities alone or with others? Or both? How can you recreate that today? Share your ideas and a short reflection on the results with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson.
Advanced Lesson (200 Points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: Delegation & Empowerment on 2/13/19 or iLEAD: Leading Innovation on 4/24/19. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skill Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click for Delegation & Empowerment post-class reflection form or the Innovation post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Read the book by Ed Catmul: Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration.
- Answer the following questions and email your response to the Leadership Challenge Instructor.
- How would you describe the culture of feedback at Pixar? What is the culture of feedback like on your team currently?
- How was an environment of innovation created and supported at Pixar?
- Reflect on a time when you were creatively inspired. What was the environment like? What was the project? What was the result and how did you feel?
- What do you think the unique challenges are to creating an environment where people are willing to take risks and challenge the status quo? How can you create that environment and reward those behaviors? Using what you have learned from the book and your own personal experience, what are 2 or 3 things you will do to create a more innovative environment for your team?
Challenge 4: Building Trust: Teamwork
Involve Others: Leverage others’ skills and gain support by asking for their ideas, opinions, and participation when solving problems, making decisions, and carrying out plans.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Read the article from Forbes by David K. Williams: The Most Valuable Business Commodity: Trust.
- Reflect on the article and examine the culture of trust for your department and on your team. Answer the five questions under the “Quality of Promises” in the article for your own team members. What will you do to increase the culture of trust?
- Share your idea and a short reflection with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson.
Advanced Lesson (200 Points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: Outward Mindset on 1/9/19 or 4/11/19. You can also register for iLEAD: Leading at the Speed of Trust on 2/27/19 as a third option. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skill Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click for the Outward Mindset post-class reflection form or the Speed of Trust post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Watch the TEDTalk by David Horsager: What’s Trust Got to Do With It?
- Answer the following questions and email your response to the Leadership Challenge Instructor.
- What does David Horsager identify as the cost of trust? How do you see this cost on your team and the organization?
- What are the some of the pillars David Horsager explains as behaviors that build trust? In which pillars are your behaviors strong? Identify 2-3 pillars where you could improve? What will you do? With whom will you start practicing these pillars of behavior? How will you measure the impact?
- What is trust and teamwork like on your team? How might you apply what you’ve learned from this video to increase the levels of trust and engagement on your team?
Challenge 5: Leading Vision: Decision Making
Gather Information: Recognize the need for and collect information to better understand problems and opportunities.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Read the article from Harvard Business review by Walter Frick: 3 Ways to Improve Your Decision Making.
- Reflect on the article. What two things does decision making require? What three rules does the article suggest for making better decisions?
- Think of decision you need to make (personal or professional). Apply the three rules to your decision. Share your decision, how you applied the rules, and the results in a short reflection with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson.
Advanced Lesson (200 Points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: Decision Making on 3/20/19. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skill Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click for the post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Take the short lesson on How to Avoid Decision Fatigue.
- Answer the following questions and email your response to the Leadership Challenge Instructor.
- What areas of your life could be simplified to address decision fatigue?
- Reflect on a time you had a difficult decision that did not produce the results you wanted. How was the decision made? What blunders or obstacles did you face? What was the result? What would you do differently next time? Did decision fatigue play a role at any point? How might you have applied some key points from the lesson and the article to get a better result?
- Take the one week challenge: Simplify your closet, dinner menu, emails, or other areas of your life you identified in step one above for just one week. Create a plan of how you will simplify your decisions for one week and stick to it. Share your experience and the results at the end of the one week period. What did you notice? How did it feel? What did you learn? How will you use what you learned moving forward in your approach to decision making?
Challenge 6: Clarifying Goals: Change Management
Encouraging others to implement better approaches to problems and opportunities; leading the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace.Basic Lesson (100 Points):
- Watch the TEDxTalk by Mark Mueller-Eberstein: Lead and Be the Change.
- Reflect on the TEDXTalk. What is the “Theory of Transition” and how does it apply to change management? What percentage of change initiatives fail because they lack clear vision? What are the 5 steps to address the emotional curve of change for your team members? Identify a change you are currently managing or are planning to initiate. Use the five steps to navigate with your team or to map out your plan if it is an upcoming change.
- Share your plan and the results in a short reflection with your Leadership Challenge Instructor to complete the lesson
Advanced Lesson (200 Points)
Option #1:
- Register for and attend iLEAD: ECHO Change Management on 3/27/19. (Note: Space is limited. Sign up early to reserve your spot).
- Let your classroom instructor know at the time of your attendance that you are part of the Leadership Skill Challenge in order to receive your points. If you have already attended this class within the last 12 months, you can still get the Advanced Track points for the challenge by completing a short reflection. Click for the post-class reflection form.
- OR -
Option #2:
- Read the book Mindset: The New Phycology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
- Answer the following questions and email your response to the Leadership Challenge Instructor.
- Which mindset do you tend to identify within your day-to-day life? Which situations trigger one mindset over another?
- In which areas of your life could you apply more of a growth mindset? Where do you see yourself having “natural talent?” And how has that belief affected your approach to learning things outside your range of “natural ability?”
- Share a time when you found yourself in a fixed mindset. What was the situation? What was the result? How did you feel? What would you do differently next time?
- Identify a change you want to make in your professional environment. How will you apply what you learned from Mindset to tackle this change and the new challenges it will present?
- As a leader, how will you use a growth mindset approach to help your team members succeed? What message do you send to your current employees, children, or relationships when it comes to learning and facing new challenges? How can you improve those messages to represent more of a growth mindset?
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