NMA LeaderLab
MESSAGE FROM YOUR CEO
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
All employees must
implement these
instructions!
FOLLOW THE RULES
FIND A WAY
Figure out how to handle management
information flow-down you don’t understand,
learn how to work together as a team to
interpret and implement the associated
information, and improve your communication
skills by becoming fully engaged…
LeaderLab CEU Code 05010LL
LEARN TO COMMUNICATE
.1 CEU
NMA…
THE Leadership Development Organization
2210 Arbor Blvd.
Dayton, OH 45349
937-294-0421
Web Site: http://www.nma1.org
Take charge of the situation!
Copyright © 2006, by National Management Association, Dayton, OH
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NMA LeaderLab
Scenario
LL #10
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Theme
“Walk the Talk”
Scenario:
Your team consists of a LEADER (one of your participants whom you select to be a corporate executive),
an OBSERVER (also selected by you to be the executive’s assistant and liaison with your team) and
several local employees. The LEADER and OBSERVER for each team leave the room to receive an
urgent instruction from your company CEO which is to be implemented by your team. After the LEADER
and OBSERVER have discussed the best way of implementing the team task, the OBSERVER is sent
back into the room to communicate resultant instructions to your team using your company’s prescribed
Pantomime Role Observations (PRO) process, while the LEADER remains outside the room.
Challenge:
Your team members which have stayed in the room must remain in their seats unless otherwise
instructed; and must figure out what their instructions are and how to best implement these instructions
once these are communicated by the OBSERVER.
Operations:
In keeping with your company PRO, the OBSERVER must act out your instruction without any oral or
written messages, but can respond to any questions you may have by nodding (for YES) or shaking (for
NO) his head. The OBSERVER can return to the LEADER at any time for further guidance or to convey
team messages, but he can only speak while outside the room. You have 20 minutes total from the time
the LEADER and OBSERVER first leave the room. Failure to follow all the specified rules will be
considered an ethics violation, and your team must disqualify itself.
Reports:
Each group LEADER and OBSERVER will be allocated 5 minutes (total) to brief the team results as
follows: 1. Did the team follow its operations challenges? 2. Did the team correctly decipher the
LEADER’S instructions? 3. Was the team able to implement its instructions within the time limit? 4. Was
the team communication process effective? Make sure all questions are answered in the 5-minute team
reporting time limit .
Evaluation:
The facilitator will take the last 5 minutes to briefly comment on each team’s results. Each team which has
successfully and honestly figured out what their instructions were and has implemented these instructions
within the 20-minute time limit will receive the coveted NMA Employee Involvement Team certificate. All
other teams will have to try again.
NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio
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NMA Employee Involvement Certificate
Certificate of Achievement
Is presented to
for the completion of
Employee Involvement
ACHIEVE THE STATUS OF
TROUBLE SHOOTER
LeaderLab Facilitator
NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio
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NMA LeaderLab
Lessons
• MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW ALL PROCESS INSTRUCTIONS to
avoid ethics violations
• “You must stay within the rules….”
• IDENTIFY ALLOWABLE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS AND
APPROACH to streamline instruction implementation
• “Management flowdown is always a
challenge….”
• DEFINE BEST SEQUENCE FOR INSTRUCTION FLOWDOWN to
ensure timely completion of tasks
• “Finding a way is a key leadership trait….”
• CONSIDER TEAM ALTERNATIVES such as team questions for
the LEADER
• “If you’re not making progress, two-way
communication usually helps….”
“Things to consider in your work environment!”
NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio
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NMA LeaderLab
Facilitator Hints
You must make prior arrangement to deliver your company CEO’s instructions, which are “REARRANGE ALL
TEAM MEMBER CHAIRS IN LAST-NAME ALPHABETICAL ORDER!” to the LEADER in a sealed envelope.
Once the exercise starts, assign each team a number and go through the LL instructions. Make sure all time
limits are adhered to; and use the following script to provide feedback after the LEADER and OBSERVER
reports for all teams.
Thank each team for their participation; hopefully this exercise provided some insight into the difficulty of
management communication flowdown.
1. Did the team follow its operations challenges?
2. Did the team correctly decipher the LEADER’S instructions?
3. Was the team able to implement its instructions within the time limit?
4. Was the team communication process effective? Make sure all questions are answered in the 5-minute
team reporting time limit .
Use the following matrix to score each team results by entering Yes (Y) or No (N) for each question:
TEAM #
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
1
2
3
4
5
Team reports with all YES ratings will receive the coveted NMA Employee Involvement (EI) Team certificate.
Teams with a NO for Question 1 will be referred to ethics training. Teams which had a NO for Questions 3 or 4
will be instructed to work on their communications training, and teams with three or more NO’s will be sent to EI
leadership training before being assigned to another EI team. Conclude with LeaderLab lessons.
NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio
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LeaderLab Evaluation Form
Your comments and suggestions are very important to us. Please take a few moments to reflect on your
experiences at the LeaderLab. Your input will help us to continue to provide professional quality services
and maximize learning during the future LeaderLabs.
PLEASE CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX
1.
The overall LeaderLab program
2.
Appropriate use of the materials that made learning easy and enjoyable
3.
Opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas with others
4.
Length of LeaderLab relative to its objectives and meeting your needs
5.
Applicability to your responsibilities, needs, and roles at home, work, and
elsewhere
6.
What is the most important thing you learned during the LeaderLab?
7.
Which part of the LeaderLab was of MOST VALUE to you? Why?
8.
Which part of the LeaderLab was of LEAST VALUE to you? Why?
9.
What suggestions for improvement do you have for future LeaderLabs?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Check one ─
Yes
No
Did the facilitator(s)…
Keep the sessions “moving and interesting”?
Speak at a level that could be easily heard and understood by everyone?
Keep the discussions constructive, crisp, and well controlled?
Practice “good facilitation skills”?
NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio
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