NHS FINAL REPORT

LEADERSHIP (RECRUITMENT &

TRAINING)

Submitted to: NHS & Professor Broderick

Submitted by: D. Stack, J. Kavouris, T.Wendelarr, S.Fetz, H. Green
Due: Thursday, March 28th,2013
Course: COMM 3P62

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive summary 1
Problem Identification

Tactics, Outcomes, Measurement, Research

Tactics Summary:..........................................................................2

Tactic 1 and Research Recruitment Poster

Outcomes......................................................................................3
Measurement................................................................................3

Tactic 2 and Research Leadership Screening

Outcomes......................................................................................5
Measurement................................................................................5

Tactic 3 and Research Team Motivator Seminar for Training

Purposes 6
Outcomes......................................................................................7
meausrement.................................................................................8

Tactic 4 and Research - Leadership Team Building Activities and

Workshops
8
Outcomes......................................................................................9
Measurement..............................................................................10

Tactic 5 and Research Vyew

10

Outcomes....................................................................................11
Measurement..............................................................................12

Tactic 6 and Research - Honorary Letter - Letter of

Recommendation
12
Outcomes....................................................................................13
Measurement..............................................................................13

Appendix 14
Appendix 1 Team Motivator Recruitment Poster..........................14
Appendix 2 - Leadership Motivation Test and Score Sheet..............15
Score Chart for Leadership Motivation Test........................................15
Score Chart for Leadership Skill Test...................................................15
Leadership Motivation Test....................................................................16
Leadership Skill Test............................................................................... 17
Directions for Leadership Skills & Motivation Tests..........................19
Appendix 3 Team Motivator Seminar for Training Purposes..........20
Directions.................................................................................................. 20
Why Team Motivator?.............................................................................. 20
Why a leadership style?..........................................................................21
Core principles......................................................................................... 21
Why Teach Team Motivators About Generational Cohorts?..............22
Why Vyew?................................................................................................ 22
Why Team Building Exercises?...............................................................22
Appendix 4 Leadership activities taught during seminar..............23
Participation............................................................................................. 23
Mouse Trap Trust...................................................................................... 23
Helium Pole............................................................................................... 24
Land mines................................................................................................ 25
Marking the Calendar.............................................................................. 26
Tips for conducting Debriefs..................................................................27
Appendix 5 Vyew forum.............................................................29
Using Vyew............................................................................................... 29
Step 1:....................................................................................................... 29
Step 2:....................................................................................................... 29
Step 3:....................................................................................................... 30
Step 4:....................................................................................................... 31
Step 5:....................................................................................................... 32
Step 6:....................................................................................................... 33
Appendix 6 Honorary Letter/ Letter of Recomendation.................35

Works Cited 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to outline our teams approach to leadership solutions
for Niagara Health System (NHS) volunteers. Currently NHS has outlined one of their
issues as not having enough people volunteer to take on a leadership role within the
organization. In order to approach this problem our team has decided to take an inclusive
approach to leadership. This approach begins by replacing the word leadership with Team
Motivator. The word leader can sometimes make the role appear daunting. Replacing the
word with team motivator will help individuals re-evaluate what the role might involve.
The inclusive approach that our group is taking makes use of the functional leadership
theory and looks at the role of team motivator from recruitment to screening applicants, to
training the applicants, to creating a forum where they can discuss problems that arise
during their role, and finally a letter of recommendation when they decide to move on from
their role. Our group feels that coming up with a plan that looks at the role of team
motivator from start to finish will help secure strong leaders within the volunteer
organization and provide a continuous success rate for recruiting new leaders.
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

The problem: Lack of individuals volunteering for leadership roles.

Solution: We are recommending recruiting techniques and incentives as well as leadership

training and support to encourage volunteers to be more at ease with their leadership (team
motivator) position.

TACTICS, OUTCOMES, MEASUREMENT, RESEARCH

TACTICS SUMMARY:

The following are a list of the tactics we are suggesting. Each will be explained in further
detail.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Recruitment Poster Team Motivator

Leadership Screening
Team Motivator Seminar for training purposes
Leadership Team Building Activities and Workshops
Vyew (Freeware forum for leaders and NHS representatives)
Honorary Letter Letter of Recommendation

TACTIC 1 AND RESEARCH RECRUITMENT POSTER

An approach in which we feel would prove to be an effective strategy in raising

awareness of the significance of the role of being a Team Motivator would be to create a poster
that includes all of the characteristics that an influential and successful team motivator would
possess. For our recruitment poster (See Appendix 1) we will coin the term Team Motivator as a
replacement to the word Leader as that can sometimes be taken in as a position that can carry
many burdens and responsibilities. We will implement an acronym that reflects various
characteristics of a Team Motivator using each letter of the word Motivator. Adjectives that we
feel represent strong qualities that must be looked for in a Team Motivator include Mentor,

Optimistic, Team Work, Inspiring, Visionary, Adaptive, Trust, Open-minded, and Resourceful.
We feel that by placing this poster throughout many sectors within the hospital it will not only
enhance and generate more knowledge of what a Team Motivator must consist of, but also
promote the encouragement that the volunteer sector would have in promoting the opportunity
for volunteers to become team motivators.
OUTCOMES

Constantly motivating the volunteers within the hospital would prove to be an essential
part in not only the progression of the volunteer sector, but also will prove to be more beneficial
to the overall positive experiences shared amongst each and every volunteer. Author Teresa M.
Amabile explains that motivation has always been a central problem within any organization as
unmotivated employees are more likely to put fourth less effort in their jobs as well as producing
low quality of work in a more frequent basis (Amabile, 1993, p. 185). To be an effective team
motivator it is essential to possess various characteristics that ultimately reflect positivity and
progress by being able to motivate everyone around you. The recruitment process in regards to
volunteers participating in the volunteer program in the Niagara Health System (NHS) is
essential to choosing the right people for the job that reflect the values and overall mission of the
hospital. The recruitment process is a vital factor that contributes to ensuring that you as an
organization attract and choose the right candidates. Having people with the right characteristics
that reflect positive leadership will prove to be beneficial and ensure the progress of the
organization, but most importantly the overall efficiency within the team of hospital volunteers.
Having people that reflect these characteristics throughout the volunteer program in the Niagara
Health System (NHS) will prove to be beneficial to both the training as well as the development
of the volunteers involved throughout the program.

MEASUREMENT

In regards to why the role of leadership within the NHSs volunteer sector is a main
element throughout our suggestions is due mainly as a result of the research that was collected
that reiterates the very importance of leadership throughout any organization. Authors
Frederick P. Morgeson, D. Scott DeRue and Elizabeth P. Karam (2010) state that obtaining an
understanding of team leadership processes requires one to understand the nature of team
functioning. From this understanding, we can better articulate the role of leadership in fostering
team effectiveness (F.P. Morgeson et al., 2010). In regards to motivation within the workforce,
author Teresa M. Amabile (1993) suggests that employees who feel motivated toward their
work are likely to be persistent, creative, and productive, turning out high quality work that
they willingly undertake (Amabile, 1993, p. 185). This reiterates the fact that if people are
motivated in a positive and constructive manner they will contribute to the organization in a
more beneficial manner for entire organization as well as everyone within the volunteering
faculty.
TACTIC 2 AND RESEARCH LEADERSHIP SCREENING

Finding the right person for a leadership role can be crucial for a successful business
in both profit and non-profit organizations. In order to find the best possible motivator that
could lead a group to achievement, it is important to demonstrate appropriate assessments.
To uncover a potential team leader it would be helpful to understand who has the greatest
skill of being a motivator. It is not an easy task, so the right person for the job is essential.
The first goal would be assessing a candidate with the desire to lead. A willing member
with the right attitude and commitment to being a leader must step forward for evaluation.
Uncovering leadership skills and motivation can be implemented through a simple likert

model scale questionnaire measuring an individuals leadership skill and another test for
leadership motivation. An example of these leadership scales are shown in the appendix and
ask questions that are appropriate to skill level evaluations of personality type questions.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions they are only developed to uncover
strengths and opportunities for growth and improvement (Mind Tools Ltd., 2013). This type
of leadership screening is being offered because it could be beneficial in uncovering
potential leaders strengths and opportunities in leading a group. The leadership screening
tests are an easy model to use and easy to evaluate the results with a simple score chart.
With potential leaders filling the tests out with complete honestly it would not be hard to
find the person with skill set and drive for being a good motivator. The test can be given out
to those who have shown an aspiration to lead or those who are already in a leadership role
looking for areas to improve will bring forward the best possible leaders for your team!
OUTCOMES

Using this type of assessment would be beneficial for the Niagara Health care
volunteers to find an effective team leader and motivator. Effective leaders are
inspirational and motivational and require each of these characteristics within the motivator
acronym we have created. They know the right things to say to people to help them
understand what is needed, and they can convince people to support an important cause
such as improving our health care system (Mind Tools Ltd., 2013).
MEASUREMENT

The scale (See Appendix 2) can help find the right person with these qualities. The
scales attached display the questions that could be used and a score interpretation sheet to
uncover the best possible motivator. The leadership screening test is easy to use consisting

of fourteen leadership based questions that follow a scale of 1 to 5 from strongly agree to
strongly disagree. The score interpretation chart in the appendix will help uncover low to
high motivational leaders. If the participant received a score between 56-70, the potential
motivators leadership skills are very high and have the right positive attitude and the selfconfidence to lead. If the score was between 28-55 this implies that there is room for
improvement as a motivator. The foundations for an effective leadership has been built but
there are still areas for improvement. If the score was between 14- 27 the level of
motivation to lead is quit low. However, with improving leadership skills a participant with
this score can take the skills they have and build them while still being a great asset to the
team. Each score has been kept positive so that people with the desire to lead can still
remain encouraged and take advice to strengthen their abilities as a leader (Mind Tools,
2013). The leadership skill test follows the same guidelines and score evaluations. The test
consists of 18 leadership skill based questions with a higher score of 90 following a likert
scale as one being not at all and five being very often. These leadership motivation and skill
tests
TACTIC 3 AND RESEARCH TEAM MOTIVATOR SEMINAR FOR
TRAINING PURPOSES

Our group utilized the functional approach to leadership (team motivator) to create a
leadership seminar that we recommend being given to each new group of team motivator
recruitments. This approach utilizes a framework that integrates existing team leadership
research and describes the full range of ways in which leadership can manifest itself within
a team. (Morgeson et al., 2010 p.7). Using this approach our group will be creating a Prezi

(See Appendix 3) that can be presented during a workshop designed to train and educate
volunteers in the role of team motivator.

The Prezi seminar includes the following topics:

Leadership as a process not a position
What it means to be a team motivator - educating team motivators on the nature of
team functioning
Leadership core principles - what the role of team motivator is, how they can identify
sources of leadership, and how they can motivate their teams to complete all necessary
tasks.
Style of the leader educating leaders on the type of characteristics of a team motivator
for NHS.
Generations and age diversity (Veterans, Baby Boomers, X and Y) characteristics of
the generations that will be under their leadership.
Conflict Resolution how to approach conflict
Vyew as a leadership tool how to use Vyew and how it can function as an excellent
leadership tool.
Leadership activities exercises to help team motivators become comfortable with their
new roles.
See Appendix 3 for further details regarding each slide.

OUTCOMES

The outcomes of this training session should include the following: The team
motivators should be skilled in using Vyew as a forum to discuss information they need to
give to volunteers and as a support system for leader to talk about any issues they are
having. The leaders should leave the session having a good understanding of the different
generational needs that will exists on their team. They should have an understanding of
what their role as a leader is and the style they are expected to lead with.

M EAUSREMENT
A way to measure if the seminar was effective would be to have all the team
motivators who participated in the seminar fill out an anonymous form at the end of the
seminar with feedback on what they found useful about the seminar and why they found
wasnt helpful. The seminar could be adapted from there. You could also ask leaders to
email their feedback on the usefulness of the seminar.
TACTIC 4 AND RESEARCH - LEADERSHIP TEAM BUILDING
ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHOPS

To help build skills in leadership and team work, some simple activities can be used.
As Catano et. al (2001) show in their study of volunteer organizations, a transformational
leadership style should be favored in order to improve member involvement, commitment
and participation (p.260). This way there is room for more feedback and team work
involved, which is beneficial in many ways. These activities that are to be completed in the
workshop will do just this. Building skills in communication, coaching, planning, trust, and
reinforcing the importance of every team member will help team motivators feel confident
in taking a leadership role.

Each activity contains different metaphors that relate back to leadership skills, and
therefor the debrief section is extremely important; Miller views it as the most critical part
of the team- building activity. It is where effective questions will guide the participants to
link what they experienced in the activity with their behavior on the job (2007. p. 30). It is
important that the activity be implemented and executed smoothly, but it is equally as
important that there be discussion following completion of the activity, including how it
relates to everyday volunteer activities.
OUTCOMES

Provided are three active participating activities and one follow up long term task
for leadership volunteers (for detailed explanation of activities see Appendix 4). The
mousetrap activity teaches participants that providing accurate information and instruction
is crucial. Sometimes although the right actions seem clear to one person, it can be
confusing to another, i.e. they can be blind and in need of guidance. It can also show that
active two way communication is crucial and just giving instruction is not enough.
Participants are likely to find that communicating back and forth with each other will be
more successful than one way instructions and communication.
The helium pole works to build an understanding of the importance of team work.
This activity can prove difficult for many and can result in much frustration. Overcoming
the difficulties of this activity is where the lessons come into play by dealing with tension
and overcoming barriers as a team. Leaders will learn the importance of group
communication. This is also a good activity to learn about listening to others, as everyone
has input and individuals can learn from each other no matter who they are.

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Landmines are the most interactive activity getting participants on their feet.
Leading a blindfolded partner through a course deals with much coaching and once again
communication. Being able to accurately convey information to others is an important skill,
and with this activity it can become clear they different people interpret instructions
differently. When communicating any idea or task team motivators must always remember
to be clear, concise, and provide extra detail where needed.
The follow up assignment asks participants to reflect on their leadership activities
over a period of six months. This activities main focus is to keep individuals thinking about
their role, but more importantly sharing stories and solutions with other team motivators.
MEASUREMENT

The effectiveness of these activities can be seen in the immediate point of time as
well as the overall long term effects. Debriefing after activities is an immediate indicator of
the degree to which each participant learned, and what they gained from the experience. Yet
another reason why debriefing is so important (for guidelines on how to run a debrief see
Appendix 4). In the long term, benefits can be seen in how team motivators communicate
to their teams and with each other. The follow up assignment can indicate in what way they
are using the lessons they learnt and how they continue to build upon the understanding of
their role as team motivator.
TACTIC 5 AND RESEARCH VYEW

Communication plays substantial importance in a team, as well as in any

organization. As Vine et al., (2008) suggest that communication allows individuals within a
group to collectively form a mutual understanding and relationships with one another. Thus,
having a platform in which such communication can take place is increasingly important

11

for NHS to implement. Since the NHS system is so large and complex, there is ultimately a
level of difficulty in communicating between all the volunteers across seven sites (soon to
be eight). However, by implementing and using the tool Vyew, NHS will no longer have to
face the current issues in communication across these sites.
Vyew is a cost effective tool that ultimately becomes a virtual meeting room. It
allows members in the NHS to continuously and simultaneously meet with one another in
real time to address concerns, ideas and more importantly give feedback. If a concern
arises, leaders are able to log on immediately through their computers, laptops, or any hand
held devices. Therefore, although separated by distance, leaders are able to communicate
immediate with one another across the region.
Vyew is easy to use, free and compatible with all devices which enable members to
communicate with one another. Through conferencing features such as white-boarding,
video conference, screen sharing, and voice over features, leaders are all able to
communicate across every site with accessibility. Meeting rooms become virtual and
online, thus collaboration efforts are made easy as meeting rooms are always on and saved.
In addition, contextual discussion can take place through forums, voice notes, track and log
activities. Therefore members are able to communicate in real time with no constraints due
to distance and accessibility. (See Appendix 5 on how to use Vyew)
OUTCOMES

We believe that through the use of Vyew, NHS will begin experiencing greater
success as talk allows successful leaders and the top of the organization to co-operate, and
perform task-related as well as maintenance related functions (Vine et al, 2008). As we

12

have suggested, the NHS teams motivator will become a figure in which team concerns,
questions, ideas, and feedback will be addressed to. It is important that the communication
chain does not stop at the leader. The ideas highlighted by all members in the NHS team are
all significantly important to the organizations success. Team work is characterized by
recurring cycles of mutually dependent interaction (Morgeson, DeRue, & Karam, 2010,
p.7), thus such ideas must not stop at the team motivator. Rather, concerns should be
communicated with the rest of the organization by the communication platform that we
have suggested known as Vyew.
Although, NHS volunteers currently have an open door policy which allows
members to communicate with coordinators if questions or concerns arise. However, we
believe that volunteers may feel more comfortable within their teams, thus more motivated
to voice their opinions to the team motivators. By using Vyew, team motivators are able to
immediately address these concerns with all leaders and coordinators. Ultimately, by
implementing the use of this tool, members within the entire organization can always be in
touch especially in cases of emergency.
MEASUREMENT

In order to measure the effectiveness of this tool, surveys could be given out
quarterly to team members as well as motivators to see whether or not they felt concerns
had been addressed or appropriate feedback had been given. The survey could also measure
whether or not important messages were distributed to all the leaders appropriately and
timely.
TACTIC 6 AND RESEARCH - HONORARY LETTER - LETTER OF
RECOMMENDATION

13

Research demonstrates that high power rewards - which could also derive from the
symbolic value attached to public recognition for achievements are expected to attract
more talented and productive individuals (Heinrich, 2007, p. 283). An example of a
non-monetary incentive that provides public recognition is a letter of recommendation or an
honorary letter outlining the volunteers contribution to NHS. Letter of recommendations
and Honorary letters are needed by people of all ages. Youth often require a letter of
recommendation when applying for graduate school or jobs. Older generations might
require a letter of recommendation to apply for another volunteer organization or if they are
switching career paths and applying for a new job. In addition to this according to the
stewardship theory individuals are also motivated by achieving organizational goals and
maximizing organizational performance. (Heinrich, 2007) Therefore a letter of
recommendation or Honorary letter would recognize individuals who are motivated in this
way for their contributions to the organizations goals.
OUTCOMES

Our team sees an honorary letter or letter of recommendation as an important tool to

be used as an incentive to attract team motivators as well as an excellent way to recognize
and congratulate them for their contributions. Our suggestion is a generic template that
thanks them for their contributions to the NHS, outlines the team motivator qualities they
possess, and congratulates them on their future endeavors. This letter will have blank
spaces where different department heads can fill in the department of the organization and
the hospital to which the volunteer volunteered at (See Appendix 6) The outcome of having
this letter should be that more volunteers will volunteer for the position of Team Motivator
and that they will feel rewarded for their contribution to the NHS volunteer program.

14

MEASUREMENT

A way to measure the success of this tool is to ask previous leaders casually or by
survey if they found this incentive enticing and useful. Another way to measure this is to
see if morale goes up amongst leaders, according to stewardship theory when people are
motivated when they rewarded for their work.

APPENDIX
APPENDIX 1 TEAM MOTIVATOR RECRUITMENT POSTER

Below is a copy of the poster. We recommend posting the poster in areas where
volunteers often frequent in each hospital. This will help raise awareness of the
leadership positions available and increase the number of people applying for these
positions.

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APPENDIX 2 - LEADERSHIP MOTIVATION TEST AND SCORE SHEET

SCORE CHART FOR LEADERSHIP MOTIVATION TEST

Score

Comment

16

56-70

Motivation to lead is very high! You have

the right positive attitude and self-

28-55

confidence to lead.
Motivation to lead has room for
improvement. The right foundation has

14-27

been built for positive improvement.

Motivation to lead is low. There is room for
improvement however being a part of a
team could be your best asset.

SCORE CHART FOR LEADERSHIP SKILL TEST

Score
53-90

Comment
Your leadership skills are high! Your well

35- 52

on your way to becoming a great leader.

Your leaderships skills are good but you

18- 34

still have the potential to improve

Your leadership skills need some more
work. Improving your skills can help you
to be a great asset to your team.

LEADERSHIP MOTIVATION TEST

17

LEADERSHIP SKILL TEST

18

DIRECTIONS FOR LEADERSHIP SKILLS & MOTIVATION TESTS

STEP ONE:

The following assessments will evaluate whether you possess the personality traits and
skills that characterize good leaders. In order to receive the most accurate results, please
answer each question as honestly as possible. If you come across a situation you have never
experienced before, answer according to how you think you would behave in such a
situation.
STEP TWO:

To evaluate your score add up each question. For example the scale is between 1-5 from
strongly disagree as 1 and strongly agree as 5. If for question one you answered strongly
agree, your score would be 5. If your answer for question two was strongly disagree your
score for that answer would be 1. Now you have a total of 6. Continue adding up each 14
questions for your final score
STEP THREE:

Check the score chart to uncover whether your motivation to lead and skill level is high or
low and what areas of improvement can be looked at for strengthening your leadership
skills.

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APPENDIX 3 TEAM MOTIVATOR SEMINAR FOR TRAINING PURPOSES

DIRECTIONS

Host seminar for each new group of Team Motivators

Provide refreshments if possible and let the team motivators spend the first 10
minutes talking and getting to know each other as a form of an ice breaker so they

dont feel nervous participating through out the seminar.

We are making the assumption that everyone who is being recruited into the team
motivator role has e-mail access and the ability to learn how to use Vyew through

instruction from the seminar.

Need to make changes to the Prezi and dont know how? No problem! The
following link is a video giving you instructions on how to make any changes

http://prezi.com/learn/
http://prezi.com/0ugvy441cceb/untitled-prezi/

WHY TEAM MOTIVATOR?

It is important that the volunteers learn about what it takes to be a successful and
effective team motivator because at the end of the day, having the right people placed
within that role would be beneficial not only to the volunteer department, but the hospital as
a whole. It would be extremely beneficial for the volunteers to learn the acronym of
Motivator because they may see characteristics that they feel they may possess, which in
turn would give them that extra boost of confidence that would make them step up to the
challenge of being a team motivator, when they may not have otherwise done so without

20

that extra push. Embracing the role as a team motivator can contribute nothing but progress
and positivity amongst all volunteers throughout the hospital
WHY A LEADERSHIP STYLE?

One of the most significant strengths of an effective leader is the ability to create a
positive work climate. (Cronkite, 2010) Teaching the new team motivators how to
effectively lead using a particular leadership style will help create a cohesive organizational
climate where people are energized to do their best work. It will also give the team
motivators the confidence to do their job effectively because they will have a clear direction
of how they are suppose to lead. This leadership style is the best style because it includes
participation from everyone on the team. Since the team motivators will be dealing with a
variety of different age cohorts it is important that each group feel included in the decision
making process. According to research a democratic approach can be most suitable where
team work is essential and quality is more important than speed to market productivity
(Bhatti et al, 2012 p.192)
CORE PRINCIPLES

There are seven root leadership principles that all leaders use. These are principles
and foundations to be followed. Leaders must alter the application of the principles to their
unique organization and in their own way. Despite their unique application, these
principles are the foundations of all successful leadership endeavors. The principles include
a clear vision, innovation and learning, capabilities, timely decisions, operating principles
and values and finally resilience.

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WHY TEACH TEAM MOTIVATORS ABOUT GENERATIONAL

COHORTS?

It is important to teach the team motivators about the different generations because
it is the first time in history that four generations are in the workplace at once (Stefaniak,
2009 p.1) This is significant because each generation has unique and conflicting
characteristics, values and approaches (Stefaniak, 2009 p.1) In order to successfully lead
these generations you need to understand what motivates them, what aggravates them and
what is their strongest qualities they have to offer the team. Strategic success comes from
understanding each others generational frame of reference (Stefaniak, 2009 p.1)
WHY VYEW?

It is important to include and teach the new team motivators in the seminar the basic skills
needed to maneuver around the site. This will allow all team motivators to know the basic
skills especially how to sign up. It will also give the new team motivators access and
knowledge to watching the tutorial and learning of the benefits associated with using Vyew.
During this section of the seminar, they will also be notified of the scheduled dates and
times that we will be required to log online into their meetings room.
WHY TEAM BUILDING EXERCISES?

Team building exercises are effective immediately and in the long term. They teach team
motivators how to lead and communicate effectively to a team and with one another. It also
allows them to become more comfortable and confident with their role as a team motivator.

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APPENDIX 4 LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES TAUGHT DURING SEMINAR

PARTICIPATION

Remember that participation is voluntary, if at any point people feel strongly about not
participating in the activity due to privacy or safety concerns, this must be respected. Other
ways for these individuals to still participate is to have them observe and give feedback.
All activities come from a long history of participating in leadership programs and
workshops in a workplace setting and training courses. These include 2 one month
overnight leadership training programs, along with several weekend training courses
through Camp Kawartha Outdoor Education Center, YMCA, and Trent University. The
three activities are supported by Tom Hecks Top 4 High Impact Team & Leadership
Development Activities.
MOUSE TRAP TRUST

Participants are put into pairs.

Time frame of approximately 20 minutes.
Materials: One wooden mouse trap per pair
Set up a mouse trap and display how it gets set off, and what participants are to do;

Placing your very flat hand directly over the trap (about 3-4 inches)

Quickly moving your hand down on it

Wait a few seconds with your hand firmly on the trap (hand still flat)

23

Quickly remove your hand upward

Have each individual do this at least once with no blind fold (some may be very hesitant, so
its good to allow for a fully controlled run through)
Next have participants pair up, and set up their trap on a flat surface. One partner puts on
the blind fold and the other places the trap about 2 feet in front of them. The non-blind
folded partner instructs and guides the other so that their firmly flat hand is above the trap.
Next they instruct the blind folded partner to quickly and firmly press down and hold their
hand on the trap, followed by quickly removing their hand upward.
DEBRIEFING QUESTION

How did you find having to put full trust in your partner to guide your hand over the
mousetrap?

Reflect on planning for surprises, and how having trust within your team is crucial.
HELIUM POLE

Time frame can vary between 5 minutes to half an hour.

Materials: One long poll per group (most often used is a tent pole)

The whole group lines up in 2 parallel lines, facing each other. If it is a very large
group you may split them into 2 smaller groups.

Each person sticks out their index fingers at the average waist level, palms down

Everyones fingers must be in line with each other to create a line.

Take the pole, holding it in the middle and coming from the middle of the line up,
place it across everyones fingers. Be cautious of peoples faces, you may ask for
help from 2 participants on each end.

24

Explain to them the goal of the activity

o The goal of the activity is to lower the pole to the ground, whilst keeping it
relatively parallel to the floor. ALSO everyones index finger must be
touching the pole at all times, if one comes off, you start again.

Stand at one end and watch the pole to ensure no fingers come off of it. Also to see
if they are struggling or successfully working together.

If after a few minutes the group seems to be struggling (which they most likely
will), stop them, and give them things to think about. Remind them that;
o - Getting angry, frustrated, and blaming others will not help to achieve the
goal, but will only cause more tension.
o It is a group effort, everyone must be part of the process, and you must
communicate with everyone. Staying focused and working together is
crucial.
o If they have not done so already tell them to: take their time, think about and
plan out a course of action before making any moves. Also to discuss and
share ideas about the best way to attack the issue. It does not have to be
rushed, and does not have to be immediate success.

DEBRIEFING QUESTIONS

Did you recognize any similarities between this activity and situations in real life?

How do you think this activity can be applied to the volunteer teams?

*When answering these questions guide them in the direction of working together, listening
to each other, and planning out a strategy before making quick decisions.

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LAND MINES

Participants are put into pairs.

Time frame of approximately 30 minutes- an hour (depending on size of the group)
Materials: Masking/ electrical/ or painters tape, tine cans or balled up recycling paper (or
any material to be used as a land mine), one blind fold per pair.
Set up the course prior to the workshop
- Tape a large square, roughly 10 feet x 10 feet.
- At two opposing ends mark doors with the tape, this is simply where participants
will enter and exit the box.
- Place the mines all throughout the box in a random pattern, be sure to get the
edges of the box.
-

When participants are ready to do the activity, explain to them to concept of leading
your blind folded partner from one door to the other.

If the partner runs into a land mine they must take off the blind fold and start again.

More than one pair goes at a time, causing more distractions and noise. You may
choose how many go through, suggesting of 3 at a time, while the other forms a line.

If it seems to easy put more into the box, and if they hit each other they start again.

DEBRIEFING QUESTIONS

What did you find difficult about this activity? How did you overcome these
barriers?

How can you take this activity and apply it to real life?

Guide questions to think about communication skills, taking time to achieve a goal.
Remind them that what makes sense to you may be confusing to others, making sure you
are being clear and properly understood is very important.

26

Follow up, sharing with other team motivators

MARKING THE CALENDAR

Explain to the team motivators that over the next 6 months they are to;

Mark 12 days on the calendar (can be random, no specific pattern needs to be used)
they just must be a day or 2 within when they are volunteering.

When these days arrive, at the end of a shift briefly reflect on:
o What you did that day that challenged your leadership knowledge, and what
you did to

over come this.

o OR

How you successfully used your leadership skills to handle an issue and why.

Write down the events and your comments. Send these to other team motivators.

Explain to them that this will keep them constantly thinking about leadership, and
communicating ideas and issues with each other. It is important for them to do this activity
not only for themselves but for each other, and the continued learning of leadership skills.
Remind them that talking with each other can be beneficial and also fun!
TIPS FOR CONDUCTING DEBRIEFS

- Get everyone involved and talking. It is important that everyone gives their opinions and
shares their thoughts; this will also ensure that everyone has gained something from the
experience. Ask the group what they think about an individuals response, or pick out those
whom seem reluctant to talk what their thoughts are.

27

Sometimes writing down point form notes of responses can be helpful for the group
to organize ideas. On a white board, chalk board, or even a large piece of paper, make
short points on responses in the debrief. This is especially helpful when more than one
activity is run.

If anyone gives an off-the-wall response or one that is just plain wrong, ask the
group how they feel about it, rather than correcting someone (Miller. 2007. p. 30). This
will allow for the group to discuss the idea along with not making one person feel foolish,
this tactic will also help so that others are not discouraged to answer questions in the
future.

If participants seem reluctant to contribute to the discussion, remind them that the
activity is only as valuable as our ability to transfer what we learned from it back to the
workplace. Let participants know that they can start doing that by discussing the
questions (Miller. 2007. p. 31-32).

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APPENDIX 5 VYEW FORUM

USING VYEW

Vyew is an easy to use tool that allows people across the world to communicate in real
time. Once new members sign up, the website has created an effective tutorial in which
users can use in order to learn how to maneuver around the site effectively. In order to start
using this tool, members must:
STEP 1:

Sign-up by entering e-mail address and then creating own personal password.

29

STEP 2:

Once team leaders and coordinators have created their own personal account, a welcome
page is displayed on screen. By clicking on the Start Here: Getting Started Tutorial, team
leaders as well as team coordinators will be able to learn the steps to maneuver around the
site effectively.

30

STEP 3:

After following and watching the step-by-step tutorial provided by the website, users can
then create a chat room. This chat room should be created by the coordinators. The
coordinators can create the chat room so that they are the only ones who have full
accessibility by specifying the role of each person and who is able to edit the content that is
provided in the chat room. We believe the only person who has the accessibility to edit the
content should be that of the coordinators. Leaders should only be able to post and view the
content that is provided in the chat rooms, which would ultimately be a virtual meeting
room for NHS.

STEP 4:

Once chat rooms and roles have been created, Vyew allows individuals to communicate in
4 different ways: through the use of mic and headphones, webcams, group chat or private
chat, and also through phone conference calls. These 4 ways to communicate is free, in real
time, and allows members to communicate with more than 1 person at a time, which
ultimately saves time and money.

31

STEP 5:

In instances where documents need to be shared with the entire NHS system, Vyew also
allows these documents to become accessible between all members. Meeting rooms are

32

able to hold any type of content on multiple pages such as: word documents, PowerPoints,
YouTube, spreadsheets, MP3, and images.

STEP 6:

Although members are able to access Vyew at any time and any place, it is also of great
importance to have a scheduled meeting three a week, for approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
These conference meetings should provide updates on team performances, concerns, and
provide feedback. We believe that these scheduled meetings should take place on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday mornings at 9 am. Thus, at the beginning of the week the
coordinator is able to provide new information that is of great importance for that particular
week. On Wednesdays, updates or new information can also be provided, including
concerns or new ideas. On Fridays, new information that may have aroused during the
week can be addressed, but most importantly, feedback should be given in order to fix
problems that may have arisen during the week. It is important to hold these meetings in the

33

morning so that team motivators are able to provide this information to the rest of the team
members. By implementing the use of this tool and scheduled time meetings, we can ensure
that the NHS volunteers will all be able to communicate to each other effectively, and
information can be shared amongst one another.

34

APPENDIX 6 HONORARY LETTER/ LETTER OF RECOMENDATION

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to recommend (insert name) for future employment/volunteering. They
volunteered as a team motivator for the Niagara Health System and took on a leadership
role in the department of (department) at the (name of hospital) hospital from
(enter dates that they volunteered)
(Insert name of volunteer) was an exceptional volunteer. They served at least
(number of hours volunteered) hours per month, and was assigned to (list duties)
duties.
Their leadership and organizational skills have been invaluable to our volunteer program
here at NHS. (Volunteer name) devotion to their community exemplifies a strong
moral fiber, dedication, and great team building skills. These skills combined with their
strong work ethic and dedication to the volunteer program at NHS make us proud to
recommend them. We believe that they would be a valuable addition to your team.
To conclude, I would like to restate my strong recommendation for (name of
volunteer). If you have any further questions regarding their ability or this recommendation,
please do not hesitate to contact me at (enter email)

35

Sincerely,
(Your name)
(Your title)

The boxes are left blank for each department leader at each hospital to fill in

the blanks specific to each volunteer.

The red wording indicates what is to be filled in each blank.
This letter should be saved at each hospital to a shared drive that is accessible to

every department
This should be a protected document. This means that there is a password on it so
that no one can accidentally delete the letter. The only thing they can fill in is the

blanks.
To protect the document go to tools protect then enter in a password for example

1111.
To unprotect the document at any time to make changes to the wording you would
click tools unprotect and enter in the password. After changes are made you
would click save and then re-protect the document by clicking tools protect
document and then enter the password again.

36

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