Leadership and Teamwork: Reflecting on the Fallbarrow Hall Experience

This essay reflects on the author's experiences during an MBA residential weekend at Fallbarrow Hall, focusing on the development of leadership and teamwork skills. The essay details specific activities, including games that highlighted the importance of communication, organizational skills, and conflict resolution. The author analyzes their feelings and reactions during these activities, identifying strengths and weaknesses in relation to Belbin's Team Roles. The reflection includes an evaluation of the experience, highlighting the impact of the activities on the author's self-awareness and skill development. The analysis delves into the positive and negative aspects of the author's behavior, particularly in terms of teamwork and communication, and suggests an action plan for future improvement. The essay concludes with a summary of the lessons learned, emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership styles and improving teamwork for future success. The author reflects on how they were able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and improve their leadership skills.

LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
STUDENT’S NAME
COURSE
UNIVERSITY
DATE

Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Account of the incident...............................................................................................................................3
Description..............................................................................................................................................3
Reflection on Experience.............................................................................................................................5
Feelings....................................................................................................................................................5
Learning from Experience............................................................................................................................7
Evaluation................................................................................................................................................7
Analysis....................................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
Action Plan................................................................................................................................................12
References.................................................................................................................................................13

Introduction
In this essay, I will briefly discuss my personal experiences which I had while attending MBA
residential at Fallbarrow hall in Lake District. The weekend provided me with an enlightening
knowledge of my interpersonal skills and some of my behaviours which I could use to
advantage. This essay will discuss my feelings and what I learnt about myself.

Account of the incident
Description
Leadership skills provide proper aid in solving complex tasks by generating adequate action
plans by having a clear view of their mission. However, I lacked in certain aspects in accordance
with leadership skills which I understood on my three days trip to Fall barrow hall at
Mindspehere. I participated in a number of activities which improved my leadership skills. A
number of games were arranged which made me happy. I was also a bit anxious as I am an
introvert. However, the games changed a lot of my perspectives and enhanced my confidence.
One of the most memorable parts of this trip was meeting new people where I learned to interact
with my fellow mates and was no longer shy as I used to be. The first game we played was
Crusher whose name gave me Goosebumps but I was ready to take on whatever challenge was
presented. The rules demand four players for effectiveness. The guide enhanced our
understanding of the game. At first I never understood but with time I was okay. This game
taught me a lot about teamwork as it included the equal participation of each member.
The second game was Roller Ball which was a bit complicated. The problem arose due to inner
conflict among the team members. I was in a dilemma because I knew the one who started the
conflict had a valid point. We never practiced much because of the conflict. Therefore, as a
leader I had to take a step. I had to oppose that one person and agree with the rest of my
teammates who wanted to take a risk for this game. Despite the risk, I and my team managed to
win in the end. This made me extremely happy and satisfied. However, it also made a bit anxious
because the third game was coming up and it was bound to be challenging.

In the second day of our trip, two tasks were clashing so in order to complete a task in the
Business game, I had to stay behind because I am good at math and finance. The problem was
indeed a bit difficult though I managed to solve in the end, I was successfully able to complete
the hardest part of the game. Although I could go out with the rest of my teammates, this
experience proved to be the best. My confidence upon my skills in maths and financial problems
became stronger. Therefore, I can say that this was trip was indeed a successful one as I was able
to reflect on me and the skills possessed by me. This trip also shaped me into a good leader and I
learned how I can motivate the rest of team members.

Reflection on Experience
Feelings
The experience taught me a lot about how to properly communicate along with work as an ideal
team player. Being a naturally shy person, I usually do not engage in communications but here as
a leader, I had to effectively play the most important role among my teammates. A proper
teamwork is incomplete with adequate communication (Salmon, Stanton. and Jenkins, 2017).
Therefore, I had to learn how to effectively lead a team and with the aid of my teammates I was
able to do it. I and my team won three games in a consecutive manner which proves I was
successfully able to utilise strong leadership skills. There are various aspects of leadership and
teamwork that I was not aware of until I went on this trip. Leadership is one of the most effective
qualities required for the execution of a work in a proper manner (Fairhurst and Connaughton,
2014).
According to me the third task was the most challenging but it required individual effort.
Therefore, I can say that it was the second task which required the most effort. Although the first
game required teamwork, it was comparatively easy to the second one where inner clash between
the teammates caused a problem. As a leader, I had to think very critically before coming up
with a decision. It is also the duty of a leader to take risks, therefore, in the second game; I
challenged myself and took upon the game with stride. This trip proved me wrong as I was able
to identify my strengths and weaknesses. The games which were organized during this trip
played a major role in making me understand which aspects made me a weak team player which
in turn affected my overall leadership qualities. Organizational skills such as project scheduling,
adequate communication skills aid in the proper completion of a work (Fernandez et al., 2016)

In the process of the games, I understood that better utilization of organizational skills led to
completing the game called Crusher in a rather quick manner. Through the aid of this game, I
understood the importance of teamwork. The second game taught me the importance of proper
verbal communication the aspect I didn’t have. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I am not
a good shaper which requires necessary focus so that a team can move towards its goals. On the
other hand, I learnt that I am a very good resource investigator as I was able to complete the
business task in an adequate manner. This earned me a lot of compliments which made me feel
very confident.

Learning from Experience
Evaluation
The experience leaves an impression on the other person, therefore, in order to have a certain
impact strong motivation is required. Not only did this experience made me realise my
weaknesses but I also was able to identify my strengths. The main focus of this trip was the
games we played which reflected on our personal strengths and weaknesses. According to
Belbin's Team Roles, I was able to identify which aspects were up to my advantages and the ones
which were not. Belbin’s Team Roles helped in identifying the main aspects of the behaviour of
its nine clusters (toeflgoanywhere.org, 2017). There were a total of three games played on the
trip where the first two focused on teamwork and communication the most. I was able to identify
one of my major positive points in my last game which required solving a critical business
problem with a span of a few hours. Therefore, I needed to pay my upmost importance so that we
were able to win this task at all cost.
My favourite subject being maths, it was decided that I would be the one responsible completely
for handling this financial business problem. Although I was nervous at first but I did not want to
back out from this challenge as this was my favourite subject. Adequate courage is always
required in order to try something new (Tourish, 2014). Therefore, I took this task with stride
through which my team was able to win this last game. Although I was a bit sad as I was not
able to experience the last outdoor adventure but instead I was able to make my team win.
Therefore, I can state that I managed to improve not only on financial and sales aspect but also
about leadership qualities and teamwork which would prove to be beneficial for my future. So, I
definitely considered that as one of the most satisfactory experience with which this trip ended.

Analysis
There are several positive and negative aspects of my characteristics which I discovered during
my trip to Fallbarrow hall. As the aspect of teamwork has been given the most importance,
thorough assessment of Belbin's Team roles helps in understanding the required qualities for the
successful completion of a work. Belbin’s Team roles aid in understanding strengths and
weaknesses through which successful teamwork would be evaluated (Shamir and Eilam-Shamir
2018). In the trip, I discovered my lack of organisational skills along with my weak teamwork.
Lack of efficient verbal communication resulted to conflict with one of my team members.
Although, in the end, I and my team members won the game the argument took a fair amount of
time. According to Belbin's Team roles, I was able to identify my allowable weakness as a team
worker. This made me to the realisation that I was not a good monitor evaluator as well.
During the second game, I was so keen about following the direction that I made impartial
judgements. I could have dealt with my teammate in a calmer manner; however, I failed to
follow this strategy which made a weak monitor evaluator. In order to avoid negative
consequences, certain countermeasures are needed to be taken as an immediate step (Goetsch
and Davis, 2014). Therefore, I understood that I thoroughly needed to improve my verbal
communication skills so that I did not repeat this same aspect. As per the analysis of my activity
in this aspect, I can assert that I was not a completer either. The responsibilities of a completer
are usually painstaking and conscientious so that no error remains at the end (crfonline.org,
2018). This trip made me conscious of all these aspects and through the aid of the games; I was
significantly able to improve on all these three aspects. Not only did I understand in which
aspects I needed to work harder but also the techniques and processes through which I would be
able to improve the most.

During the second game, I discovered one of my major weaknesses. However, I was also able to
identify one of my strengths as well. I understood that I had the ability to perform effectively
even under strong pressure. Although in the beginning, I had some problems as the game
proceeded I understood how to stay focused towards the set goal. A shaper provides the
necessary motivation so that a team can move forward without losing its momentum (Daft,
2014). In the second game, there was a significant amount of risk of losing as we did not have
much time for practice. However, I was able to keep my team motivated towards the right
direction which led to the ultimate victory of my team. Thus, I could definitely say that these
games made me into a successful shaper. According to Belbin’s Team roles, a shaper plays one
of the most important roles (DuBrin, 2015).
During the first game, I was able to identify my lack of organisational skills. Thus, I was able to
rectify this aspect in the second game which made us winners despite the immense pressure and
lack of practice. However, it was in the third and final task where I was able to utilise most of my
skills. The last task consisted of solving a business problem and as I loved math, I took upon this
challenge with a stride. Completing the last task required a fair amount of time due to which had
to cancel an outdoor adventure with my rest of the teammates. This made me realise that
although I was good at solving math and financial problems, I needed more practice. However,
completing this task gave me confidence in myself and also boosted my whole team’s
confidence.
According to Bolden (2016), one of the main aspects of a resource investigator was to be able
to explore opportunities. Therefore, not only was I able to find new ideas for the team but I also
solved the last task in a success. This affected my overall performance, however, after playing
the games on this trip I became more aware of the facts and the areas which I needed to improve.

Before this trip, I was not a good shaper or a great team worker, monitor evaluator and a
completer according to Belbin’s Team roles which is necessary for a smooth and effective
functioning of a team. However, this trip made me understood a lot of aspects through which I
have improved quite a lot in all of these fields.

Conclusion
Through the aid of three games, I was able to understand which areas of my characteristics could
be improved. Not only I participated in team building activates but I also learned a valuable
lesson from it. From the three games we played during the trip, I was able to gain thorough
knowledge about how to maintain a team in order to reach the desired goal. Along with this, I
learned about the importance of verbal communication. I also learned about various positive
aspects of my own characterises that I was good at solving tough problems and I could handle
pressure quite well. Therefore, if I practised these aspects more, I would become even more
qualified in these respective fields. Thus, it can be asserted that this trip played a great role in
assessment of my personal qualities. I learned to be a good shaper, and monitor evaluator among
other qualities. Now, I would be able to improve them so that I can put to better utilisation for
desired outcomes.