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Students often find themselves running from one meeting to the next, but with such tight schedules, it is important to keep each group on track and efficient.
University of Maine students learned how to do this in a workshop called “Motivation: keeping your group together” Tuesday presented by the Student Organization and Leader Development Program.
SOLD’s leadership seminars incorporate techniques on how to build team spirit and how to teach leaders to make good decisions.
“It may not seem useful to you right now, but it will later down the line,” Sheri Cousins, director of SOLD, said.
UMaine’s varsity volleyball coach, Sue Medley, was the keynote speaker for the seminar.
“It’s exciting to talk about leadership and leadership is really important,” Medley said. “All of you will find yourself in some kind of leadership position at some point in your lives.”
Medley began the workshop with an icebreaker game to introduce everyone to the group. Students said their names and then provided a leadership strength they have that began with the first letter of their first name. Students then provided a leadership weakness they have that began with the first letter of their last name. Medley compiled this list, which included strengths of courage, justice, compassion and support. Weaknesses included failure, laziness, retention and negativity.
Medley introduced another team building game in which students were split into two groups. Each group was then split again, with some people in each group outside a circle while others remained inside. Those inside the circle were blindfolded and those outside could not speak during the game. The students were then instructed to rebuild a Lego structure they had previously seen, working with these two handicaps.
The point of this game referred to the main theme of the workshop — persevering with a group when times get tough.
“By taking away the students’ sight and voice, I’ve taken away something they counted, on and now they still have to complete the task,” Medley said.
This team building experience stresses the importance of communication within a group, as well as motivating group members to continue with the group’s original purpose, according to Medley.
“An important part about being a leader is that you have to remember you’re one of the people you’re leading,” Medley said.
“With good, open communication, people can stay better committed to the original vision of the group,” Cousins said. “Lack of a clear vision for what they’re doing is what leads to conflict in some cases. It’s important to have that vision so everybody has a collective idea of where they’re going.”
Medley said a great team is like a hand, in that everything works together. One finger can do things on its own, but the whole hand accomplishes things most effectively.
From this analogy comes Medley’s “Five Ps of Good Leadership.” These are purpose, plan, people, positive and perseverance.
Having a “purpose” includes the “how” and “why” of a group.
“It’s really important to think about why a group exists and how it does,” Medley said. A strategic plan resembles the what of a group and is useful for a group’s success.
“It’s important to talk about what you want to do as a mission with a group,” Medley said.
Medley encouraged groups to discuss how members would like meetings to run and what issues need to be addressed.
Including positive and quality people in a group is also important. Busy people are helpful to incorporate because they acquire time management skills, according to Medley.
“Empower people, don’t manage them,” Medley said. “Give them responsibilities in the group.”
Making sure an environment works with a leader is also important.
“You don’t want your leader in an environment where they can’t function as a leader, because if your leader can’t function, your group can’t function,” Medley said. “As a leader you have to be the ultimate team player. In this, the leader is not better, they just have a different role.”
Rewarding people’s efforts is also a good leadership quality, according to Medley. She provided an example from the volleyball team where her coaching staff rewards a “practice player of the day.” This player wears a different shirt during practice and her name is written on the team’s white board that day.
“This is so we can reward good effort in practice,” Medley said.
A positive attitude is always necessary, Medley said.
“Your reaction to stress determines how time will go by,” she said. “Stress is stress, but how you react to it is key.”
It is also important to keep the big picture in mind as a leader.
Perseverance is one of the most highly talked about aspects to good leadership skills, Medley said.
“The key to being a great motivator is to always motivate, not just when the times are tough,” she said. “Just never give up.”
SOLD has presented four leadership workshops this semester and will provide four more during the spring semester for students.
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