50 Activities for Developing Leaders, Vol. II

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Leadership Shield

Objective

To have each participant share some information about their background,

values, philosophy of life, and leadership experience

Group Size

Up to 20 participants

Estimated Time

30 minutes

Training Methods

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Art project

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Reflection

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Discussion

Materials

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Handout 3.1: Leadership Shield

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Sample family coat of arms crest/shield, if possible

Equipment and Supplies

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Several sets of colored markers for participants to share

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Flipchart paper

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Four prepared posters on colored paper, each bearing a different term from

this list:

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background

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philosophy of life

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values

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leadership

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50 Activities for Developing Leaders

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Room Set-up

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Move furniture away from the walls, so there is space for participants to

hang up large pieces of paper and then stand next to them during the discus-

sion part of the activity.

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Post the four posters as you get ready to open the activity.

Comments

Use this activity when you have sufficient space on the walls to post the shields. An

alternative is to have participants complete their shields on copy paper. This is a

popular activity; participants are able to work with categories of information that

are interesting to them.

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Leadership Shield

Trainer’s Notes for Activity 3

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Ask which participants have a family coat of arms, crest, or shield.

Ask those who have one to describe it or draw a picture. Explain

that the purpose of the activity is to develop a new symbol that

emphasizes leadership.

Step 2: Distribute one sheet of flipchart paper and several colored markers

to each participant. Ask participants to draw the outline of a crest

or shield on the paper. Demonstrate by drawing the outline of a

shield on your flipchart. (or distribute Handout 3.1)

Step 3: Explain that four categories of information have been selected for

representation on the shield or coat of arms. Announce one cate-

gory at a time, and remind participants to leave space on their

shield for all four. Allow them about two minutes to draw each

response.

Here are the categories, one for each quadrant of the shield:

a. Draw a picture that represents two of your leadership skills.

b. Draw a picture representing the part of your current work that

you like best.

c. Draw a picture representing two values that influence how you

lead others.

d. Draw a picture to represent a recent success or accomplishment.

Step 4: Ask the participants to complete their coat of arms by writing their

family name somewhere on the shield and then adding a personal

motto they try to exemplify. They can embellish their shield with

other graphics or designs if they wish.

Step 5: Ask each person to explain what they have included on their shield,

and why. Allow about one minute per person. (Participants might

only have time to explain one part of it.)

Step 6: Briefly discuss how our background, values, and personal philoso-

phy affects the ways we interact and lead. Tie what is shared by the

participants into the content of your leadership program.

Variations

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Take a picture of each participant and affix it to their shield.

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If you have more than 20 people or you need to save time, form groups of

5–6 for Step 5.

Handout 3.1: Leadership Shield

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