Book of the Month:

StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths (Hardcover) by Tom Rath

Description:

Learn how to discover and apply your strengths in your everyday life to maximize your potential!

M&M Ice-breaker (unknown source)
*This is a great icebreaker for a medium to large group of people who are familiar and/or comfortable with one another but perhaps do not know many specifics about one another’s lives.

Supplies needed:
A large bag of M&M’s, enough for a handful for each person involved.

Directions:
Tell the group to take as many M&M’s that they’d like but to not eat them yet.  After each person picks out how many they want, then explain the icebreaker.

For each individual M&M, that person must say something about themselves.  For example, if Sam took 5 M&M’s, he needs to tell 5 facts about himself.  This can be anything they choose to bring up (which can give you a good idea about what that person finds interesting or characteristic about themselves) or you can do the alternate instructions.  These directions allow for a broader understanding of an individual.

Alternate instructions:
Instead of telling the group to mention anything about themselves, you can have people discuss specific topics by M&M colors.  For example, you can ask for each red “tell me about a favorite vacation” and blue “tell me about a difficult situation you’ve been in”.  If Sam pulled out 2 red and 3 blue M&M’s he would have to tell about 2 vacations and 3 difficult situations in which he’s been involved.  These directions can allow for smoother transition into a specific topic of your meeting, retreat, training, etc. 

“If you were stuck on an island and only were able to bring 5 items, what would you bring?”  This activity centers off this question, where you and your team must choose amongst a list of items to ensure your group’s survival.  This promotes teamwork, problem solving, and communication skills.  For full information and description, visit:

http://wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/SurvivalScenarios.html

Leadership Checklist

What are your leadership strengths? Take this brief quiz and see what your strengths are and where you can work on to become a more effective leader. If you agree with the statement, write a checkmark. If you are unsure or are neutral, write a +. If you disagree with the statement, write an x.

- I find ways to encourage and motivate people around me on a daily basis
- I run meetings, finish tasks, and contact people in a timely manner
- I feel comfortable speaking in front of a large group of people
- I communicate professionally in person and in my writing
- I know when to let my team members take control of a task and when to coach them
- I make time to support my team members regularly
- I hold my team members accountable and feel comfortable confronting them about any problems
- My team always feels comfortable to express their feelings, questions, and concerns
- I always look for new opportunities to improve programs, procedures, and connections
- I am aware of and able to accommodate for those with disabilities every day and every event, task, or project

Now take a look at your answers. Each person will have a different pattern of symbols which means that everybody has a different set of strengths and different areas of improvement. Every individual is stronger in some skill sets than others. For example, look at one of your checkmark answers. You might find it easier to implement this practice than others might feel about the same statement. Take note of your strong abilities that enable you to be a good leader and share these with fellow students! By emailing graduateassistant@csunas.org, you can share your experiences, thoughts, advice, and reactions to material on the page. These responses (with your permission) might be placed on the website so others can gain knowledge and advice in areas that need help with!

Now look at the statements which you wrote +’s or x’s. These are skills and abilities you might need some additional help doing. Let these guide you to opportunities, reading material, and student responses that address these skills. This will give you a more focused approach in becoming a better leader! From time to time, revisit your checklist and see what else you can check off as a result of this strategy.