Virtual Leader Conference 2014: “Empowering the Advancing Leader in You”

The notion of playing a business game might either intrigue you or make you hesitate. Why do we claim that you will succeed as a leader when playing games? We are approaching the end of the learning game component of the Virtual Leader Conference 2014 (#vlc14) and I want to give you a glimpse of what is going on in this real life business game so you can make an informed decision on how you feel about playing business games yourself.

The #vlc14 game is aiming at enhancing the learning experience for the conference participants through a variety of gamification elements and game design techniques. The game is structured by exercises and challenges based on our conference sessions and contributions from our speakers on a LifeVille game card where each player generates points.

All players are distributed into teams to co-create solutions. The players may access the game cards of other players and provide feedback. When sharing occurs, both the giver and the receiver will get extra points. Players may engage in full transparency or privately to share their findings. The challenges are launched gradually during the game and spontaneous play may occur. All players will appear on a Leader Board with their current score, and the team’s performance will also be visible.

Simply following instructions is not really a game as it doesn’t have the aspects of fun and spontaneity that a true game does. According to LifeVille Game Creator Carina Kindkvist, a key success factor when creating a real life business game is to reduce the number of instructions to an absolute minimum. Instead, we are looking to motivate the players to explore, experiment and have fun doing so by sharing their experiences with the other players.

There are benefits as well as challenges in creating business games:

Benefits of playing business games:

Some of the benefits of playing games are obvious: It is fun going on discovery! Great real life games create opportunities for unexpected results as the players are combining their own learning with feedback and inspiration from other players.

There seem to be certain characteristics that are common to those who are engaged and playing well. They are motivated by visible results and feedback, and they are open to demonstrating vulnerability when playing.

One of the #vlc14 top players so far, John Rasiej, shares his experience:

“I am half way through the #vlc14 game and have experienced that it’s a way of creating another motivation to get more engaged and perhaps even listen more closely to the content since you will have more reasons to share what you have heard.  It’s also been gratifying to get added validation seeing people’s comments that they have gotten a lot of useful ideas from my webinar.”

Challenges of playing business games:

Some of the challenges of playing games are found in our attitudes about what is acceptable behavior among professionals. It can be uncomfortable and different than how professionals normally learn or solve problems, it might even be perceived as childish.

Specifically, it is challenging to professionals who are looking for “perfection” as the game pushes them to share with strangers and take imperfect action. One of the #vlc14 players who were reluctant from the start, Marie-Claire Hermans, shares her experience:

“’I don’t have time to play games!’ That was my first thought while reading the announcement that all leaders and participants of the Virtual Leader Conference were invited to play a game. Games are serious. You have to win them. They create pressure. We didn’t play games at home because they were a ‘waste of time.’ So my perception of ‘playing games’ is not one of being ‘playful.’ Nevertheless, playfulness is a characteristic I own despite my reluctance to play games.

I needed to unlock my mind to enter this game. It was a challenge. But… I love challenges so I did enter. Hesitating. Not feeling like it at all. A waste of my precious time as a busy professional. I started playing while sighing, exploring what “they” wanted from me. Then I answered one question. Wow, what was that?! Fireworks! Hm, that’s nice. Let me answer a next question. Fireworks again! Yesterday I was answering questions just to see the magic of the fireworks pop on my screen.

I am enjoying playing after all. I am counting my hearts. I am engaging. Of course, being used to always winning in competition when I was young, that old fire arose inside of me too. But then something occurred to me. We are all winning this game. Because we are learning, picking up the content and rephrasing it. And I have to say that, as an eternal student, I always love to learn. It’s fun to see all these leaders and adult participants play the game, interact, give hearts and connect.”

According to Game Creator Carina Kindkvist, not all players will engage fully in voluntary games. Compared to e-learning though, the engagement level is significantly higher and in fact exceeding 50%. Are you curious to check it out for yourself? There is still time to join our game until September 21!

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If you like this topic, you will love the last days of our #vlc14 Virtual Leader Conference game running September 15-21, 2014 where other speakers and attending Advancing Leaders are playing to inspire, learn and implement success strategies in pursuit of their next big thing as a leader. You are welcome to join us in the game on demand and free of charge via http://vlc14.katycaroan.com

The post Why Leaders Succeed When Playing Games: Lessons And Confessions From An Online Conference Using Gamification appeared first on Katy Caroan.

Characteristics of Advancing Leaders

Many of us have been asked about the characteristics of a great manager. What did he or she do to make you feel motivated, recognized and valued as a team member? Transferring the question to address the qualities of a great leader in every area of life might be helpful if you are lacking motivation in your current job or assignment.

What comes to mind when reflecting on people around you who you consider to be characterized as Advancing Leaders, inspiring you to follow and take action?

When I look back at my own career in corporate, I was influenced by a number of great leaders. One of them I never met in person, I just interacted with him via telephone conferences and email. Reflecting back on what made him such a great leader to me, made me realize that there were certain qualities that inspired me to challenge myself beyond expectations and advance in my own leadership.

The characteristics below might help you as well when recalling the qualities of formal and informal Advancing Leaders in your own various environments:

Qualities of Advancing Leaders

An Advancing Leader always wants to learn more

You will recognize them constantly pursuing new skills and perspectives, striving for new insights and continuous development. They are inspiring their followers by teaching what they learn. The teaching is often spontaneous and comprehensive, adding tremendous value to their followers.

An Advancing Leader shares with others

The most inspiring leaders share other professionals’ content with credit as well as their own content in a personal way. They are frequent sharers, aiming at attracting new opportunities for others and themselves through abundance. They are successful in combining online and offline forums when sharing their content, and their followers see them as consistent across the forums.

An Advancing Leader demonstrates courage

Their confidence in managing the circumstances whilst focused on their mission goals, means they do not need all the answers nor any guarantees for success before kicking off their journey.  Taking imperfect action is their method of reducing risk when making progress. The followers are inspired even if the leader is just a few steps ahead of them.

An Advancing Leader makes a difference

Their BIG WHY in business is more visible to themselves and others than for most, and this is contagious to their surroundings. The best of them are successful at relating their short-term priorities with their long-term vision in a trustworthy way. Their followers perceive them as highly inspirational when sharing the overall purpose.

An Advancing Leader never settles

They seem to miss the limiting belief of “I was not meant to stand out in a bigger way than what I was taught or told when younger.” There is no age limit to these leaders when making a bold, new move in their career or personal lives, as they are actively looking for what is still undone. Their followers see them as unorthodox and challenging, leaving important thoughts and ideas behind to explore.

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As a coach, mentor and consultant, I always look for answers to why I am passionate about working with some professionals and organizations more than others. This has nothing to do with traditional segmentation in terms of industry, geography or demographic. It has everything to do with their behavior. It has to do with their attitudes, response and ambition to make a difference as Advancing Leaders.

In which areas are you perceived as an Advancing Leader yourself? And more importantly, what is your potential when unleashing even more of the Advancing Leader in you? Pay attention to what drives your motivation to continuously learn more, improve and share content with others. When people around you see you as a professional on a certain mission, you know you are on the Advancing Leader path.

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Virtual Leader Conference 2014: “Empowering the Advancing Leader in You”

If you like this topic, you will love the Virtual Leader Conference coming up September 15-21, 2014 where more than 20 Advancing Leaders and experts are sharing their success strategies to empower other Advancing Leaders. You are welcome to join us on demand and free of charge via http://vlc14.katycaroan.com

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