DiSC Team Building & Leadership simulations and activities can add application and understanding to your existing programs. There are many variations from conversational models to highly active models. Contact Mike… to discuss how to increase the learning and utilization of your DiSC training program.

Below is one example of a DiSC Team Development activity other development options;

• Using DiSC to create a shared language of team performance
• Creation of 360 feedback using DiSC
• Development of coaching & feedback using DiSC
• Flexing and developing all your DiSC Behaviors
• DiSC to increase empathy
• Experiential DiSC: a series of hands-on activities used to understand DiSC in a team setting
• and more…Contact Create-Learning to discuss how to make your DiSC team building and leadership program effective.

DiSC Perception

• Total DiSC Team Activity

Materials:

• DiSC Profiles
• Multi-Colored markers
• 3 flip charts per D, i, S, C (you will need 12 flip chart pages hung around the room)

Objective:

For team members to explore their perceptions of their own and others DiSC behaviors.

Additionally for the team to discuss what and how these perceptions, both positive and negative, affect how the work gets done.

Preparation:

Prepare three flip chart pages per/DiSC and write Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientious.

Three flip charts per/DiSC behavior, 3 pages for Dominance, 3 pages for influence, 3 pages for Steadiness, 3 pages for Conscientiousness

Below the DiSC behavior title split each page into 3 sections and label these sections;

Feel free to alter any and all of these.

Preferred Work Environment

Measures Progress By

Irritated By

Tape these flip chart papers to the walls and allow plenty of room between papers for people to write and move around.

Instructions and Facilitator Script:

In a moment you are going to work as individuals on this following task.

You will see that we have affixed flip charts with each of the DiSC behaviors listed.

Spend about 15 minutes walking to each DiSC behavior and write what you feel the type of person;

Preferred Work Environment: The environment that person expects at work

Measures Progress By: How that person is tangibly reminded of how well they are doing in their work.

Irritated By: What annoys that person most about other people.

Please write on every DiSC behavior.

Please be honest and share your thoughts with other people.

Following the 15 minutes of writing on the flip charts please find the other people on the team with the same DiSC style that you have. All the high D are together, high i together, etc…

Take down the flip chart papers about your DiSC behavior and spend about 10 minutes as a team discussing what others have written and perceive about your dominant DiSC style.

Take time as a team and reflect and question each other as to why other people would perceive and not perceive these things about your team.

After the 10 minute discussion each team will have time to explore, clarify, define, and answer to what the perception of their DiSC style is.

Facilitator Notes:

Be careful and ask the participants to keep an open mind.

If you feel that this will turn into a negative complaint-fest then DON’T DO IT.

People can be insulted and challenged when faced with how others perceive them.

Work is a very personal thing to people, respect that and encourage the people to also respect that.

Do not rush this activity, allow it to move slow and take time.

Potential Processing:

Once the teams have had ~10 minutes to look over other people’s perceptions of them, allow each team some time to report on what was accurate and in-accurate of what others perceived.

Encourage people to use their DiSC profiles to clarify what their dominant style is.

Following each team sharing, give everyone a copy of the handout below.

• This handout is available when you hire Mike, or ask Mike to develop DiSC Team Building activities for your team. Interested in that? Contact Mike

With the handout below engage them in a discussion about perceptions of others and how that can positively or negatively affect the team.

Train-the-Trainer

Mike can lead a train-the-trainer workshop for your team, click here to learn more.

• Here is another DiSC Team Building Activity called DiSC-Box
• Plus a DiSC TeamBuilding activity that strengthens the teams and individuals use of Dominance D-Quick Choice 

Hire Mike

Need experiential and hands-on ways to create lasting memories and content in your programs / workshops / and lessons.

Mike is your answer. He will create and develop customized activities and simulations for what you need. Contact Mike (mike@create-learning.com)

Mike will come to you to facilitate the action learning and processing, or can just send you a document with videos and photos of how to do everything you need.

Mike will make you a success and your next meeting and training program better than ever.

The ASQ Statistics Division, some sharing on the ASQ Team Excellence Awards from the Quality Education Division, and a closing talk by Richard Kyte and Thomas Thibodeau of Viterbro Universities Servant Leadership Masters Program, made the conference amazing.

Here are some photos from the Conference.

The Demystification of Quality Leadership

In this highly interactive workshop we will demystify what is takes to be a Quality-Leader. You will leave with a clear and distinct understanding of what Quality-Leadership within your work and life is, and how to maximize the talent you already have to continually improve the quality of your organization, team and people.

Plus these Leadership skills;

• Create an Organization and Team that attracts trust and talent.
• Use the ‘Cascade-of-Leadership’ to increase the quality and throughput of your organizations work.
• Steps to develop high performance quality teams.
• Steps to lead high performance quality teams.
• A formula that can be used to match the right person to the right work. Ensuring the task is completed on time and within quality standards.
• Knowing your Quality-Leadership Strengths.
• How to determine strengths and constraints in other leaders and what to do about it.
• Improve the problem solving and decision making of yourself and others

If you are interested in learning more and offering this workshop to your team and leadership CONTACT MIKE

michael cardus is create-learning

8 Variations of Infinite Loops

Takes a fresh and creative approach to a common teambuilding activity. Each variation can be used as a stand alone, or can be sequenced into an experiential learning and team building program. These variations all focus on creating better teams that are able to work together to solve problems and innovate solutions.

Here is 1 variation ‘Partner Separation” which is the Team Building Activity that sparked the variations…for ALL 8 and they are very excellent you can purchase the entire Team Building Book. 

To Purchase the Paperback for $17.00 – CLICK HERE

To purchase the Kindle e-reader version for $10.00 $3.99 – Click Here

What others have said

“I admit it. I’m a big fan of the work Michael Cardus does with teams. I like what he does and how he does it. Michael is able to use simple activities to help individuals and groups make profound shifts. Case in point: Michael’s new e-book "8 Variations of Infinite Loops" provides you with a simple team building activity that you can now use to help the groups you serve learn powerful leadership lessons. The "Infinite Loops" game is a tried and true activity for a reason but oddly, few know how to get the most out of the activity – - luckily, Michael does. The variations he shares are wonderful and best of all, Michael provides detailed debriefing (processing) strategies which is so important. Thank you Michael!”

- Tom Heck of the International Association of Team Work facilitators (IATF)

michael cardus is create-learning

CLICK HERE

8 Variations of Infinite Loops takes a fresh and creative approach to a common team building activity. Each variation can be used as a stand alone, or can be sequenced into an experiential learning and team building program. These variations all focus on creating better teams that are able to work together to solve problems and innovate solutions. To purchase all 8 variations Click Here

Partner Separation

Outcomes & Objectives:

• Get to know others
• Exercise in solution finding
• Developing resiliency
• Communicating lessons learned throughout the group

Materials:

• 1 Infinite Loop per/person. See How to make the Infinite Loop on page 7.

Group Size:

• Ideally 6 – 20 is a good size.
• Larger and smaller groups can accomplish this activity. With adjustments, this activity can be led for as few as two, or as many as 2000 or more.

Time Frame:

• 20 – 45 minutes, including processing.

Preparation:

Ensure that you know how to complete this challenge. Practice, practice, and then practice more. Simply reading this will not prepare you for the possible challenges and the questions you will get from the group.

Go through all of your Infinite Loops and check the knots. Always have more Infinite Loops than people you are expecting.

This activity can take place while people are sitting at a table and/or standing. Make sure that there is sufficient space for people to spread out and move around as necessary.

Instructions and Facilitator Script:

This can be confusing to many people and it should be, allow for confusion and frustration.

Here is one way to introduce the activity. You may choose to modify it for your needed outcomes.

“In a moment, we are going to be involved in a process of problem solving, and working with our brains and team mates to find solutions to complex problems. When working in teams and finding solutions, it doesn’t matter to your brain whether we are separating Infinite Loops, crunching numbers on a spread-sheet, or learning something new. To your brain, solving problems is solving problems. The more we can, as a team, solve problems and then discuss how we solved problems, what was learned and how to apply that back to our lives, the better equipped we will be when these challenges arise outside of here.”

At this point, have the participants get with their partner. There are many ways you can do this, you decide what is best. If there is an odd number of participants make one team of three people, the set up is the same.

Have these guidelines written on a flipchart paper or on a slide.

• The overall objective is to get everyone free from their partner so they can walk away.
• One partner places their wrists in the loops. The other partner then places one of their hands in one loop, takes the other end of the rope and intertwines once with the partner’s rope before placing the other wrist in their loop. You will want to physically show people how to do this.
• Once the partners are connected, the ropes must remain, at all times, on the wrists they started on.
• Partners cannot switch ropes, or take their hands out of the ropes.
• The knots must remain tied as they are and you cannot physically alter the ropes or knots or partners.

Allow a brief time for questions and clarification. Be careful not to reveal too much, this is supposed to be challenging.

As the activity progresses, walk around and observe the teams. Look for information and specific actions that can be brought up during the processing time. For example, if one team or one person knows the answer do they share and help the rest of the team or do they keep the information to themselves? The objective is for the information to spread and everyone to be free from their partner. This is when your judgment as a facilitator is needed. How much do you interfere with the team? When should you comment?

Allow the group to work on the task for about 10 minutes. Next, ask everyone to stop and gather around you.

Ask some initial questions:

• What is your initial reaction to this activity?
• What if anything is working so far?
• How are you measuring progress and setbacks?
• How might you act if you knew the solution?

“In a moment I am going to show you the solution. Following that, you are going to go back to your partner and practice for three minutes. Practice getting separated, then reconnect, then separate again. Even when you think you know it, keep practicing, we want to move your skills from rote copying to personal mastery of this process.”

Verbal Instructions this can be tricky, practice.

• Step 1: Partner and you face each other.
• Step 2: Grab the middle of your partner’s rope
• Step 3: Take your partners rope and it goes from your elbow UP your palm
• Step 4: Over your fingers
• Step 5: Down the back of your hand
• Step 6: A slight pull and you are separated!

Allow at least three minutes for practice and mastery. Walk around and offer tutoring and help as needed. Remind the teams to keep practicing this skill.

Following the three minutes for mastery, pull the team together for some processing.

Facilitator Notes:

As mentioned earlier, YOU MUST MASTER THIS.

Sometimes when separating, the ropes will wrap twice around each other this happened because you sent the rope to the wrong wrist. This explanation is often the most challenging to explain. Practice will make you a master at this.

Remember that this challenge is about finding solutions and developing resiliency. Let the team struggle. When you feel the energy dropping, you may supply some clues.

Potential Processing Questions:

· At what point did this activity seem impossible?

· What made you continue, even though it may have seemed impossible?

· What was the objective of this challenge?

· Did you notice that in the beginning everyone did the same thing?

· Why was that?

· On a scale of 0 – 10; with 0 being “give up easily” and 10 being “never give up” where would you place yourself?

· If you were two points higher on the same scale, how would you approach problems differently?

· Do you currently approach anything like that already, even a little bit?

· Looking at what you accomplished so far, what lessons can you take with you?

· How might you apply those lessons outside of here?

This is a sample of my new Team Building Booklet 8 Variations of Infinite Loops. This is 1 of the variations….for ALL 8 and they are very excellent you can purchase the entire Team Building Book.

CLICK HERE

michael cardus is create-learning

Consulting & Coaching a Management team, we created this 4 x 4 Goal (what-by-when) matrix. We found that when you look at the system that the work is being completed in, the goals that are established and how they are set affects how the work gets done or even if it gets done.

Try it yourself and with your team. Look at the 4 boxes of the 2 essential components of a Goal what-by-when.

• Choose one goal you are currently working on and see which box you fall into.
• Determine what is needed right-now for your team / you to complete the task within quality and time specifications.
• What is already somewhat successful about your progress on this goal so far?
• If you were operating in the upper-right What-by-When is clear and distinct, how would your work be different? What would you be doing? How would your team work?
• What is one step you can take to improve what you are already doing?
• What would be happening, how would you know that your team / you were operating in the upper-right quadrant?

What do you think?

Is the above chart helpful to you? How?

michael cardus is create-learning

In 2009 out of desperation with a group one day I created a Team Building Activity called ‘Bottle Tower’. I shared the activity with Thiagi, you can see it on his gameletter here.

People contact me asking about the “Right way to lead the activity”… Below is one interaction.

Mike, I saw your Bottle Tower activity on Thiagi’s website and have a couple of questions. What is the most effective size of the water bottles and I assume they are filled with water, rather than being empty. Correct? Also, being a visual learner, I wonder if you have any visuals of what successful towers would look like. Many thanks. It looks like a great activity. I have a team of 13 software developers that I am doing a cross cultural workshop for. Appreciate your input…

Do you see what is wrong with this request and question? Think like an experiential facilitator. 

My response…

When I originally came up with the idea it was with 25 Hard Plastic Nalgene Bottles. Since then I have led it with all types and sizes of bottles.

The size and kind of bottle doesn’t matter much, the bottles can be full or empty – that is up to you as the facilitator to decided.

Being that I believe in facilitation and that ‘my solution won’t work for you’ my response to the photos is – Try it and see what happens.

The power of any experiential activity is not in Following the Rules…it is in how people work together. The activity is just a vehicle to focus on teamwork and creativity.

Just like at work, you set guidelines and telling people the ‘right’ steps to take is micro-managing. Give them the guidelines you control the process, they are in control of the path they take to achieve the end goal – which is a tall Free Standing tower of bottles with a rope, used in some context.

Think about;

• 1. What is the goal of the company.
• 2. How will you contribute to the people achieving that goal.
• 3. How might the bottle tower be a catalyst for planning and work with the group.
• 4. In what ways will you, the facilitator, make that happen?
• 5. How will they know that you are contributing to their work?

Take some photos of the tower and share them with me. and let me know how you facilitated the experience.

There is no ‘wrong way’ to do this…I am wrong, the wrong way to do this is to NOT have the participants find meaning in what they are doing.

You are a talented and smart facilitator, and using your judgment is what they are paying you for.

Perhaps I didn’t answer his question…

His response…

Mike, sorry to say my co facilitators want to go with another team building activity. They are concerned about the outcome…want to see pictures of possible outcomes. I explained this is about the process not the task but…. Personally, I like this activity and plan to use it on another occasion and I WILL send pics. Thanks again for your input. Have a nice weekend

What do you think?

How would you have responded to this request? As a facilitator how much control do you have? What is the purpose of leading an experiential activity?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Plus if you are looking for a train-the-trainer team building program…check out what I have to offer—>click here.

michael cardus is create-learning

image by by gingerpig2000