Oh, and you've all been blindfolded.
This was one of several unique (to say the least) activities
the AIA Emerging Leader's Class of 2013 participated in at our kick-off retreat
at the Pump House in January, led by Dr. Peter DeLisle. We arrived at the Pump House bright and early
on a Saturday morning, and began with breakfast, coffee, and an interesting
fact from each person that they wished to share with the group. The morning and afternoon sessions were
grandly titled “Connections and Communications” and “Leaders and What Makes
Them Effective.” What followed was a
series of group activities in which the class examined leadership and teamwork
in the microcosm of simple activities like group juggling or building the
tallest possible Tinker-toy structure in 30 seconds or less. The tasks we were given for each exercise
were straightforward and uncomplicated, allowing us to observe truths about the
way people work together and how leadership develops within a team without the
distraction of the complications of day-to-day work. Like a science experiment, by carefully
controlling external circumstances (the parameters of the activity), we were
able to study the resulting behaviors in isolation.
So what does this have to do with tents? During the afternoon session (formal title:
“Leaders and What Makes Them Effective”), we were split into groups of five or
six, blindfolded, then told that our task lay before us. Feeling around with our hands in the
darkness, we found a bag with sticks and plastic-y cloth. We quickly realized our skill levels varied
tremendously, from the inexperienced (“How did you guys know it was a tent?”)
to the expert (former Eagle Scout).
Those of us with experienced team members quickly learned to listen and
take instructions, as the leaders of this task naturally emerged from among the
sightless. In my own group, the fastest
way to accomplish this task was for team members to quickly communicate what
they observed from their perspective, and then allow the leader to assess and
instruct accordingly. The simplicity of
the activity allowed us to think critically about the process and reflect on
what concepts might relate back to our day-to-day work.
As the day drew to an end, we gathered together to talk about
what each person hoped to gain by attending the class. As people shared their backgrounds, current
projects, and goals for the next year, it became clear that the activities we'd
engaged in throughout the day had served another purpose beyond conveying
leadership concepts. Those activities
had transformed a group of strangers into a group that had learned to work
together and begin to trust one another.
Although the Emerging Leader Program takes place over 9 months, the
group meets together formally only once a month, in other words, only nine
times. Yet in those nine meetings, a
class project must be selected, developed, coordinated, published, and
executed. Taking nine months to feel at
ease working with the other members was not an option. One crazy day of practice working out small
challenges has us primed and ready for the big one to come.
Plus we learned a thing or two about tents.
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Gwen Morgan, SHW Group
