Session 10 – Leading Down
November 2023
Discussion Questions:
1. Why is developing people important to being an exceptional leader?
2. How do you distinguish between equipping someone for a job and developing them as
an individual?
3. In what ways can organizational goals be aligned with individual development?
4. Why is it important to place people in roles that align with their strengths?
5. How can you discover the true strengths of your team members?
6. Why is clarity of the vision so important when you attempt to transfer the vision to your
team?
7. Would you prefer working towards a vision that is challenging or easy?
8. In what ways can you infuse passion into the vision to make it more transferable?
9. Why is it important to be careful about what you reward in a team?
10. What are some ways you can praise team members for their achievements?
11. Discuss the idea that fair does not always mean the same when it comes to rewarding
everyone.
Session 9 – Leading Down – Parent Style
October 2023
October Discussion Questions:
Leading Down – Parent Style
1. In what ways do you see parallels between gaining influence as a leader in the office and
building influence with your children at home?
2. What role does quality time play in building strong relationships, and how is it relevant in both
leadership and parenting?
3. What similarities exist in the importance of being approachable and accessible as a leader and
as a parent?
“Walk Slowly Through the Halls”
1. How do you currently approach connecting with your children? Is there room for improvement?
2. In what ways can being present and available positively impact your relationship with your
children?
3. How can you create an environment where your child feels comfortable sharing their thoughts
and concerns?
4. At what age do you think it's crucial to start building this kind of connection with your children?
5. How can attentive observation help you understand your child's world better?
“See Everyone as a 10”
1. How do you currently acknowledge and celebrate your child's achievements, big or small?
2. How do you set realistic expectations for your child without comparing them to others?
3. What practices can help reinforce a positive self-image and boost your child's confidence?
4. How can showing unconditional love contribute to building a secure foundation of trust?
“Model the Behavior You Desire”
1. How do you currently model the behavior you want your children to adopt?
2. What are some practical ways to teach a growth and learning mindset to your children?
3. How can you create an environment where failure is seen as a learning opportunity?
4. In what ways can you demonstrate taking responsibility for mistakes and failures?
5. How can you encourage your children to be intentional about their lives?
Session 8 – Leading Across – Adding Value to the Team
September 2023
September Discussion Questions:
Q1. How can you motivate you and your team to continuously seek out better ideas even when a
satisfactory one has been found?
Q2. How do you handle rejection or criticism of your ideas? What steps can you take to separate your
personal feelings from the idea evaluation process?
Q3. Where do you usually look for new ideas or inspiration? Are there any untapped sources or areas
you could explore to find innovative solutions?
Q4. How do you personally handle competitiveness in a team environment? Do you believe that health competition can be a motivating factor, or do you find it more challenging to strike a balance?
Q5. How can adopting a completing mindset impact your own growth and development, as well as that
of your colleagues and the organization as a whole?
Q6. Pride and inauthentic behavior can hinder collaboration and trust within a team. Have you ever
experienced a situation where pride or fake behavior negatively affected team dynamics? How can
leaders actively combat these tendencies?
Q7. How can embracing a growth mindset and acknowledging your own imperfections help you become
a better teammate? How might it influence your approach to challenges and setbacks?
Q8. What are the benefits of sharing your failures?
Q9. What steps can you take to encourage a culture of openness, where team members feel comfortable sharing their successes and failures for the collective growth of the team and organization?
Q10. How would you define “office politics” and how have you seen it manifest in your workplace?
What are some common examples of office politics that you’ve observed?
Q11. What are some potential consequences of engaging in office politics, both for individuals and for
the overall organization? How might it affect employee morale and productivity?
Q12. How can you assess your own interactions to determine if you unintentionally contribute to gossip
or drama in the workplace?
Q13. How can employees build influence and earn respect from their co-workers without resorting to
office politics? What are some alternative approaches to gaining recognition and advancement in the
workplace?
Q14. What are some practical steps you can take to expand your circle of acquaintances? How can you
proactively seek out opportunities to connect with new people?
Q15. How might relationships within our comfort zone limit our perspectives and opportunities for
growth? How might engaging with individuals from different fields or industries broaden your
knowledge and problem-solving capabilities?
Q16. What are some common personal prejudices that might hinder our willingness to expand our circle
of acquaintances? How can we actively challenge and overcome those prejudices to foster more
inclusive relationships?
Session 7 – Leading Across – Keeping Our Relationships Strong
August 2023
August Discussion Questions:
1. In what ways do you find relationships to be hard work? How do you prioritize investing time and
effort into strengthening your relationships? What are some reasons relationships are worth the
effort?
2. Why is it important to follow through with your commitments? Is follow-through equally
important in personal and professional relationships?
3. What are some things we can avoid to ensure that we’re clear with our communication? Can you
recall a situation where the lack of clarity or the use of vague language caused strain or
misunderstanding in a relationship?
4. How does active listening contribute to trust in your relationships? Have you noticed any specific
instances where actively listening to someone strengthened the trust between you? Have you
noticed instances where active listening played a role in resolving a conflict?
5. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt judged by others? How did it affect your
relationship with them? How can we apply the principle of “doing unto others” and avoiding
judgment in our interactions?
6. Reflect on your own role as a friend. How do you prioritize being present and providing support
to your friends? Can you think of specific instances where your actions as a friend have positively
impacted someone’s life?
Session 6 – The Leadership Loop
July 2023
July Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think it’s important to gain influence with your peers? How does it benefit
you?
2. Share an example of a leader who demonstrated exceptional care and interest in their
team members. How did their actions impact the team’s dynamics and overall
performance?
3. What are ways we can be intentional about continuously learning about our colleagues.
4. Discuss the role of appreciation and respect in building strong relationships within an
organization. How can we ensure that appreciation becomes a regular practice in our
daily lives?
5. What impact does it make on the team when you’re willing to use your skills and
abilities to add value to those around you?
6. Think about how you feel when someone affirms you; what do you think it looks like
when we do that for someone else? How can we create a culture of encouragement and
support within our teams?
7. Discuss the importance of collective success over individual achievement in leadership
and team environments. How can we align our approach to prioritize the success and
well-being of our team?
8. How does the concept of the Leadership Loop, incorporating caring, learning,
appreciating, contributing, verbalizing, leading, and succeeding, resonate with your own
experiences?
Session 5 – Leading Up – Building Relationships
June 2023
June Discussion Questions:
1. Why is it important to have a positive relationship with your boss or supervisor?
2. How important is effective communication when building a relationship?
3. What are some common communication challenges that can arise between bosses and
subordinates and how can they be addressed?
4. What are some different communication styles?
5. How can you respectfully communicate with a boss who has a different communication style
than you?
6. Taking initiative is another way to start building a relationship with your supervisor. What are
some ways to demonstrate initiative in the workplace?
7. How important is responsiveness in building a positive relationship with your boss?
8. What are some common reasons for not being responsive and how can you overcome these
challenges?
9. What are some appropriate ways to get to know your boss on a personal level?
10. If communication makes up the first cornerstone of building a relationship, trust makes us the
second. What are some ways you can start to develop trust with your boss or supervisor?
Session 4 – Leading Up – Lightening Your Leader’s Load
May 2023
May Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean to “Do your own job well” before you offer additional support?
2. We have the ability to either make our leader’s load lighter or heavier – give an example
of what both look like
3. How do you distinguish between “Lifting Up” and “Sucking Up”
4. How do you approach giving your leader feedback that they may not want to hear?
What strategies can you use to be honest and direct while still maintaining a
professional and respectful tone?
5. How do you ensure that you are clear on what is expected of you in your role?
6. How do you prioritize your tasks to make sure you are delivering on your
commitments?
7. Can you think of a time when you went the extra mile to support your leader or the
team? How did this impact your relationships with your colleagues and your leader’s
perception of your value
8. What are some ways to build trust with your supervisor?
9. Do you think it’s important to check in and communicate what you’re up to with your
boss? Why or why not?
Session 3 – Leading Yourself Well
April 2023
April Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean to lead yourself well and why it is important?
2. Do you have an emotional regulation skill that you use to calm your emotions when necessary?
3. What are some ways we can be intentional with our time?
4. How do you know when to say no and what to prioritize?
5. What is something specifically that boosts your energy?
6. Share some ways you choose to practice gratitude and/or positive talk
7. What are some ways we can actively listen?
8. Do you have a daily routine?
9. What do you do daily to grow yourself?
10. What are your core values?
11. What are some ways to protect yourself from gossip and negativity?
Session 2 – Myths of Leadership
March 2023
March Discussion Questions:
1. How do these myths impact our understanding of what it means to be a leader?
2. In what ways have these myths shaped your views of leadership?
3. How can someone develop influence within an organization regardless of position or title?
4. What are some challenges that arise when leaders rely too heavily on their position of authority?
5. What is one example of a leader who has achieved success without holding a prominent position of authority?
6. Why is it important to develop leadership skills early regardless of position or title?
7. What are some of the ways that you can make a greater impact from being in the middle of the organization rather than being at the top?
8. How do you define success if it is not defined as being the CEO or the top leader of an organization?
9. What are some examples of the freedoms we can lose when our title gets bigger (work or home)
10. Do you believe that leaders do or should always have the answer?
11. Do you believe you can lead from behind the scenes? Without being in the spotlight or being recognized for your successes?
12. How can we challenge and dispel these myths in our organizations and communities?
13. How can we ensure that leadership myths do not limit our potential as leaders?
14. Do you think we should strive to be perfect leaders or to focus on continuously learning and improving?
Session 1 – Leadership is Influence
February 2023
February Discussion Questions:
- What are some reasons you’ve followed someone else in the past?
- What is something you look for in someone today in order to follow them?
- Think of someone you’ve enjoyed working for in the past – what was a quality that person possessed that made them enjoyable to work for/with?
- Think of someone you’ve disliked working for in the past – what was a quality in that person that made it difficult to work with them?
- Is there a such thing as a bad leader? If we define “leader” as someone who has followers, why would someone follow a bad leader?
- How does someone move from the position level of leadership to the permission level?
- How can leaders build trust and credibility with their team to increase their influence?
- What are some challenges leaders face when trying to influence others?
- Can leadership be taught or is it an innate trait?
- How can leaders use influence to drive change and foster a culture of continuous improvement in their organization?
- How can YOU as a leader use your influence to drive change and foster a culture of continuous improvement in your organization?
- Can too much influence be a negative thing for a leader?
- How do personal characteristics and values play a role in a leader’s ability to influence others?
- What are some ways leaders can continue to improve their influence skills?