The last few days have been absolutely amazing as well as extremely exhausting. Our days start at 7:30am and go until around 6:30pm with a few short breaks in between. The short breaks consist of Chi (Tea) once around 10am and once around 3pm. This is one of my favorite parts of the Indian culture as I often need a short break from whatever I am working on at these times.

What new perspectives did you learn about leadership from the leadership games/activities from the past few days?  Is your perspective of leadership changing?  Why?:

Along with the Chi, I have been able to learn so much from our leadership activities. We have a wonderful and highly experience instructor that leads us through very intentional, yet easy games. One of which was a game that taught us how to create processes and gain trust quickly with people we do not really know.

The game went somewhat like this:

• One person sits in the middle of the room on a chair.
• Four people take stances around him (one person at each armpit and knee)
• In order, everyone puts their left hand on top of the persons head, then the right hand
• They then take them off in the same order
• Each person uses four fingers to lift person off of the ground

Now, not only was this activity fun and cool as we lifted a person with just 4 fingers each, but we gained a lot of leadership abilities. We learned how to create a process easily. The process here can be seen where everyone puts their hands on top of the persons head in a very certain order and takes them off in the exact same order. The trust comes from the high stakes of the game. If we fail, this person could fall and hurt themselves so someone’s body is at risk and they need to trust the team to keep them safe.

These types of activities are changing my ideas around leadership all of the time. For example, in this game, a true leader was not designated to lead all of the activities, but everyone was still leading. The team members all had to lead their specific roles extremely well in order to complete the task, highlighting that everyone can be a leader even if the title “leader” is not there. Furthermore, it highlights the tools that a leader can utilize in order to get a group to work better together. It is less about the abilities of the leader and more about how they can provide support to make the team work as an actual team.

What does a good leader do when they make a mistake?  How can you learn from the leader’s example?:

A good leader does a lot of things when they make a mistake. First of all, a leader will take the chance to be accountable, apologizing to anyone who may have been hurt in the process (including themselves). The leader takes the opportunity of the mistake to take a moment to reflect on what happened, how it could be improved, and possibly get input from others involved on how they felt about the situation. A leader then consciously inputs this feedback into the next similar situation.

Learning from a leader isn’t just about taking notes or following a set of rules. It’s about connecting with their essence and understanding the heartbeat of their actions. There’s a saying that resonates deeply with this idea: “When you’re unsure, watch the leader.”

 A leader who navigates feedback and mistakes gracefully can teach volumes just by being themselves. So, as a follower, it starts with observing their every move. But it doesn’t stop there. Ask them why they do what they do, and you’ll often find wisdom behind their actions. They’re being very intentional with all of their moves and words.