Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 4, Session 2: Team Leadership | Page 23 of 91
“I’d like you to talk with other members of your team about putting your puzzle pieces together.
Consider each of the leadership actions in lines 1 through 8 and try to think of specific examples of
when someone on your team took that action. For example, think through what happened and come up
with a moment when someone had a good idea or when someone made a suggestion or when a
decision was made. Identify who did those things. Try to find a leadership action for each member of
your group.”
- While the teams are working, move around the learning space, listening to the conversations. Be
prepared to coach teams to include all their members and identify a leadership action for each of
them. If they cannot identify a leadership action for someone, find out what that person did do and
connect it with an action. For example, if someone only put her or his puzzle piece down, that could be
“Making a suggestion” or perhaps an action can be added to the list, such as “Making a contribution.”
If someone did not speak much, maybe her or his leadership action was “Listening to others” or
“Asking someone to repeat or clarify their comment.”
- Distribute Handout 1: I am a Leader and ask each participant to put her or his name on it. Say:
“Here is a list you can use to keep track of the leadership actions you know how to use. Think
individually about the leadership actions you took in the puzzle activity. Write a three- or four-word
example in the middle column for those actions you used. Also, think about other team or group
situations you have been in. Identify the leadership actions you used in those situations too. Remember,
these are actions you could have taken whether you were the leader or a group member.
“When you are finished, think about which actions you would like to learn to do more often. Try to pick
at least one that you would like to do better. It can even be something you have already shown you can
do. Mark an ‘X’ in the right column for at least one action.”
- After participants have finished Handout 1, choose discussion questions for the whole group, as
appropriate, from the following:
Note: Among the discussion questions, those in BOLD are the most important.
What is a leadership action we have talked about that you hadn’t thought of before?
What is a scenario where you used one of the actions but didn’t realize you were being a leader?
How much do you agree that someone can have the influence of a leader even if they do not
have the title of leader?
What is a time in the near future that you might be able to try one of the leadership actions that
you’d like to do more?
Which of your leadership actions are you most happy about or proud of?
Note: You may choose to have participants talk about the last question with a partner or in groups of three.
Note: Be sure to collect Handout 1 from each participant after they have completed it so they can use it again in Session 3,
“My Leadership Role.”
Note: Completion of Handout 1: I am a Leader and the discussion questions in “Remember When” are an assessment of
Learning Objective 2.
