3. Instructions
Make a Tower with your group such that it is:
• Free Standing
• Tallest among all the teams
• Closest to the plan that was initially made by your group
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Editor's Notes
Note for the Trainer: Move on to the next slide
Note to the Trainer:
This activity is called the – ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’
Say:
We are going to do an interesting activity which is called the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’ with straws and pins.
Note for the Trainer:
Move to the next slide.
Say:
You will be given in all 40 minutes to this activity. This activity as you know is called the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa.’ As the name suggests you will all have to construct a tower. The resources for the tower will be a packet of straws and a box of paper pins (Taachni).
Note to the Trainer:
For the participants to get a fair idea show them the pack of about 100 straws and the pins which they’ll be using for this activity.
Say:
As a group you will be given 35 minutes to come up with a plan for the tower and build the tower.
The aim of this activity is that as a group you need to construct a Free Standing and the Tallest Tower which is as close to the plan you had designed as possible.
The tower should be robust enough so that I should be able to pick the tower from one spot and keep it on the other spot and still it should stand.
Think of all the possible barriers that could come your way and make a plan as foolproof as you can.
Note to the Trainer:
The teams need to show you their respective plans. Only after you sign the blue print can they get the resources and then they can go ahead with making the tower. If need be give them 5 min extension.
The team which is declared as a winner has a tower that is:
Free Standing
The tallest
Closest to the blueprint
Give the winner team a reward prize. (Example Chocolates)
After the winner is declared, discuss with each team about what they learned from this activity in relation to time management.
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Note for the trainer:
Below is the debrief to the activity -
Say:
A leader needs to have a VISION for his team. This needs to be shared & communicated with the team. The belief in how tall the towers can be built & then working towards that vision is important aspect of leadership.
Whether it is a small task or a long term one, AS A LEADER it is very important to have clarity on the objectives or goals. Keep the end in mind before you get started.
For eg: in small tasks like appreciating a subordinate or big things like delegating important tasks.
As a leader understand that every job or task that you do will come with its own set of constraints – time, budget, quality and number of people involved and other resources. It’s important for you to be highly aware of these constraints and do the best you can within them.
When you engage in a new task or new job, you only get the realities of that job once you start executing it. Hence when you keep planning or thinking on a new task, you will never get anything done. Things will never go according to your plan especially when you are dealing with new projects, therefore it’s important to draw quick learning and implement them as you go along.
Convincing powers, how simply you can put forward your ideas & get people on-board to execute it.
Always have consistency in performance, a leader needs to ensure his team puts in consistent efforts to execute a task (as a Trainer you may see that participants are passive in the beginning and get very aggressive towards the end)
Keep your plans as simple as possible, think of all the possible problems or challenges that may arise while executing your plan
Note for the trainer:
Reconfirm the participant’s understanding after each point.
