Ice Breakers & Starters
What Makes a Manager?
This generic, card-based activity is guaranteed to provoke lots of discussion about the attributes and skills necessary to makes the perfect manager. It's very easy to fit into existing training programmes and is ideal for both groups and individuals.
How it works
Teams each have a set of seventy-five cards. On each is a statement about a characteristic that a manager might possess. Some characteristics are desirable in a manager, some undesirable and some irrelevant. First, teams sort their cards into four categories - Personal Qualities, Organisational Attributes, Interpersonal Skills and Irrelevant Attributes. In the second stage teams must narrow the number of cards to just 30, spread over the three categories, to ‘profile’ their ideal manager. They then chart and score their profile by comparing it with the ‘effective manager profile’ supplied!
What it does
Through consensus decision-making What Makes a Manager? leads to the identification of the key characteristics of an effective manager. Syndicates recognise the need for a balanced profile in effective managers.
Used as a training tool for individuals it builds their individual profile leading to identifying their strengths and areas for improvement. For this purpose there is the option to run the exercise on-screen, using the CD-rom provided in the pack.
Customer feedback
Very good icebreaker, helps bring groups together - and good for observing teams.
– G. Gilthorpe, Robert Muckle Solicitors
An excellent, provocative activity. Easy to run, stimulating and fun!
– M. Wilding, BMW Financial Services
Used a lot - especially with new managers. It gets them talking and focusing on what management is all about.
– F. Brawn, 3M UK