Activity - Leadership skills - You get what you inspect

Learning Objectives

• Enhance verbal communication and leadership presence under constraints
• Build trust and collaboration through clear guidance and active inspection
• Understand how regular leadership attention and feedback improve team performance

Materials Needed (Per Team)

• 5 A4 papers, each printed with one word from the phrase: “You”, “get”, “what”, “you”, “inspect”
• 5 plastic pegs (or clothespins as an alternative)
• 3 rubber bands
• 4 blindfolds (for all team members except the leader)
• 3-meter clothesline or string
• 2 chairs

Setup & Instructions

1. Team Formation: Divide participants into groups of 5 and assign or allow each team to select a leader.
2. Leader Briefing (Outside the Room): Brief all leaders privately. Emphasize their role is to lead and communicate clearly but they cannot touch team members or materials during the task. Reinforce the importance of precise verbal instructions.
3. Team Instructions (Inside the Room): Each leader returns and blindfolds the 4 team members. Teams must set up two chairs 2 meters apart and tie the clothesline between them like a clothesline.
4. Using only verbal guidance from their leader, blindfolded members must attach the A4 papers to the clothesline using rubber bands and pegs to correctly display the phrase “You get what you inspect.”
5. The leader must not touch any items or participants during the task.
6. The first team to complete the phrase wins; record completion times for all teams.

Trainer Tips

• Use visuals or photos beforehand to demonstrate the setup clearly.
• Suggest alternatives for materials if needed (clothespins instead of plastic pegs, string for clothesline).
• Ensure blindfold safety and participant comfort throughout.
• Vary difficulty by adjusting the distance between chairs or number of words.
• Encourage leaders to assign verbal roles to ensure participation from all blindfolded members.
• Observe leaders’ tone, clarity, and encouragement, coaching on avoiding micromanagement.
• Facilitate calm and constructive debrief conversations, especially regarding emotional reactions to blindness and leadership styles.

Debrief Questions

• Were all team members actively involved and adequately supported?
• How did blindfolded participants feel about the level of leadership and communication?
• What leadership behaviors helped the team move efficiently? Which hindered progress?
• How did setting clear expectations and regular inspection impact the outcome?
• What parallels do you see between this task and real-life leadership challenges regarding involvement, oversight, and feedback?
• How can leaders balance inspection without micromanaging?

Key Learning Point

Related Training Material Package

Training resources from TrainingCourseMaterial.com — instant download, fully editable, trainer-friendly.