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NMA LeaderLab

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

FOLLOW THE RULES

FIND A WAY

LEARN TO COMMUNICATE

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…

Take charge of the situation!

MESSAGE FROM YOUR CEO

All employees must implement these

instructions!

Copyright © 2006, by National Management Association, Dayton, OH

NMA…

THE Leadership Development Organization

2210 Arbor Blvd.

Dayton, OH 45349

937-294-0421

Web Site: http://www.nma1.org

LeaderLab CEU Code 05010LL .1 CEU

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NMA LeaderLab 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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

ThemeLL #10 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT “Walk the Talk”

Scenario:

Challenge:

Operations:

Reports:

Evaluation:

NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio

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NMA Employee Involvement Certificate

NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio

Certificate of AchievementIs presented to

for the completion of

Employee InvolvementACHIEVE THE STATUS OF

TROUBLE SHOOTERLeaderLab Facilitator

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NMA LeaderLab Lessons

• MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW ALL PROCESS INSTRUCTIONS to avoid ethics violations

• IDENTIFY ALLOWABLE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS AND APPROACH to streamline instruction implementation

• DEFINE BEST SEQUENCE FOR INSTRUCTION FLOWDOWN to ensure timely completion of tasks

• CONSIDER TEAM ALTERNATIVES such as team questions for the LEADER

• “You must stay within the rules….”

• “Management flowdown is always a challenge….”

• “Finding a way is a key leadership trait….”

• “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 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.

TEAM # Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

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NMA…THE Leadership Development Organization, Dayton, Ohio

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LeaderLab Evaluation Form

PLEASE CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX Excellent Good Fair Poor

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?

Check one ─

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.

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