Leadership Workshop: Cup Tower Challenge

I designed a workshop a few months ago for Leadership Summit. It's the same workshop I had a few years ago in my previous company, but we increased the difficulty, just to make it fun-er : ) Below is the outline on how to run the workshop:

Lessons to be learned

The Cup Tower challenge can provide valuable insights into several aspects of corporate governance. Here are some potential lessons and morals that can be derived from the game:

1. Communication and Collaboration: The game emphasizes the importance of clear communication between different levels of management. It illustrates how effective collaboration and information flow are crucial for achieving common goals within an organization.
2. Hierarchy and Delegation: By having specific roles (Boss, Manager, Associate), the activity reflects the hierarchical structure in a corporate setting. It highlights the need for proper delegation of responsibilities and the importance of trusting and empowering subordinates to carry out tasks effectively.
3. Adaptability and Flexibility: The ability of the team to adapt and adjust their strategy based on evolving information from the Boss or changes in the game conditions demonstrates the importance of being flexible in a corporate environment. Corporate governance should allow for adaptability to changing circumstances.

Objective:

The Cup Tower Challenge is designed to promote teamwork, communication, and leadership skills among our senior leaders. The goal of the game is to stack the highest cup within our team.

Teams:

Form three teams, each comprising three members: one Boss, one Manager, and one Associate.

Roles:

1. Boss: Provides guidance but can only whisper instructions to the Manager. No directcommunication with the Associate.
2. Manager: Communicates Boss's ideas, expectations, and stacking instructions directly to the Associate.
3. Associate: Listens to the Manager's instructions and attempts to stack the cups as high as possible while blindfolded.

Rules:

1. The objective is to build the highest cup tower.
2. The winning team is the first one to achieve the goal.
3. The Boss can only whisper instructions to the Manager but cannot directly communicate with the Associate.
4. The Manager communicates the Boss's ideas, expectations, and stacking instructions to the Associate.
5. The Associate, blindfolded, listens to the Manager and attempts to stack the cups accordingly.
6. The Boss can provide additional guidance or changes to the Manager's instructions during the game.
7. The Manager can revise instructions to the Associate based on the Boss's input.

Key Points:

● ?Effective communication is crucial for success.

● ?Team collaboration is essential to overcome the challenge.

● ?Adaptability and flexibility in response to changing instructions are key.

● The blindfolded Associate represents the importance of trust and reliance on effective communication.

Winning Criteria:

The team that successfully stacks the highest cup tower first will be declared the winner.

Acknowledgment:

Please confirm our understanding of the rules before the game begins. Feel free to ask any questions or seek clarification.

Now Let’s draw a lottery to define our roles.

Let the Cup Tower Challenge begin, and may the most creative and communicative team emerge victorious!

Time: 9 minutes

● ?First 3 minutes: All going in Normal

● ?Second 3 minutes: Change Managers (Different team)

● ?Third 3 minutes: Change Associates (Different team)

Post Workshop Questions for the Participants :

1. What are the lesson learned? (Key Takeaways)
2. What is your most favourite observation that we can learn in our leadership and management?
3. How can we implemented those key learning?

Further Takeaway

1. Leadership and Decision-Making: The game underscores the role of leaders in providing direction and making decisions. It showcases how effective leaders can influence outcomes through strategic guidance and decision-making, even when indirect channels of communication are involved.
2. Trust and Accountability: Trust is a critical element in this game. The Boss trusts the Manager to convey accurate information to the Associate, and the Manager trusts the Boss's guidance. This mirrors the importance of trust and accountability in corporate governance, where leaders and teams must rely on each other.
3. Innovation and Problem-Solving: Encouraging creativity and innovation is essential in overcoming challenges. The game encourages thinking outside the box to build the tallest cup tower. In a corporate setting, fostering a culture of innovation and problem-solving can lead to more effective governance.
4. Feedback and Continuous Improvement: The ability of the Boss to provide feedback and the Manager's flexibility to revise instructions reflects the importance of feedback loops and continuous improvement. In corporate governance, it's crucial to have mechanisms for feedback and a commitment to ongoing enhancement.

By reflecting on these lessons, our senior leaders can draw connections between the game and real-world scenarios, fostering a deeper understanding of effective corporate governance principles.